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Legally Bound
Chapter 4
Saturdays were meant for sleeping in, lounging in pajamas and eating all the Chinese food I could possibly handle before falling into a lovely MSG induced coma. Yes, I loved Saturdays...or at least I used to.
I was startled awake by someone banging on my door. I slammed my fists into the mattress in frustration, eyed my clock on the nightstand, then hauled the covers back and stomped to the door.
The person on the other side knocked again just as I shouted, "Whoever you are, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up."
I flung the door open and A pudgy, dark-haired man stood in the hall wearing a gray uniform and matching cap adorned with an embroidered key. He blushed and quickly removed his hat.
"Yes? Can I help you?" I asked, crossing my arms, attempting to cover the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra and was basically standing in my door wearing an oversized sleep shirt.
"Um...yes, ma'am, I'm Emmett's guy. He, uh, sent me to replace the lock set on your door." He smiled sheepishly and replaced his cap on his head.
"Well, "Emmett's Guy" do you own a watch because it's like freaking 7:45 in the morning?" I grumbled.
"Yes, ma'am. He told me to come as quickly as I could today, so I decided to come here first since it was close to where I live and all. I'm sorry if I woke you. It won't take long." He gave me a genuine smile and extended his hand. "The name's Felix, ma'am."
I looked from his hand to his smiling face and decided I could release my boob long enough to be nice.
"I'm Bella." I shook his hand and gestured for him to come in to begin his work. He placed his tool box on the floor, lowering himself to one knee so he would be level with my door knob, and started fishing through his case for tools.
"Just go ahead and do whatever you need to do...and thank you." I gave him a tight lipped smile and turned to head back to my bedroom to change when I heard Edward's door open.
"Oh, hey, Felix, what's up man?"
"Hi, Edward. How's it going?" I turned to see them shaking hands and caught Edward's gaze over Felix's shoulder. He grinned and slowly eyed me up and down before turning his attention back to Felix.
"Hey, Felix, don't let this one scare you too much." He jerked his thumb in my direction and patted Felix on the back. "I will warn you though, she bites when she gets mad," he said, leaning down close to Felix and pretending to whisper, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Did you do this, call him and tell him to be early so he would wake me up?" I crossed my arms tighter over my boobs and scowled.
"No, that's all Emmett, babe. But, I'm glad I didn't miss the show." He chuckled and his eyes roamed my body again. Starting at my toes, his eyes worked their way up until his glittering gaze met my furious one. I literally felt steam coming out of my ears like a cartoon character.
"What's that supposed to mean and why are you up this early anyway? I thought you, of all people, would want your beauty rest," I spat back and tightened my boob grip again.
"It means...and Felix you should probably close your ears..." I watched as Felix covered his ears with his hands, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "While you're trying to hide your tits there, your t-shirt is riding up just enough to give Felix and me a pretty great view of your ass in those red panties your wearing," he stated, slowly and matter-of-factly, as he leaned casually against the door frame.
"And...I'm up because I'm late for a baseball game with Emmett and Jasper." His brows shot up as he pulled his baseball glove from under his arm and pushed away from the door.
My eyes narrowed further, if that was even possible. When I said nothing and closed my mouth, I watched his lips turned up on the side, forming a lop-sided grin before he winked in my direction and addressed Felix once more with a pat on the back. Then he paused, pulling a baseball cap from inside his glove, jerked it on his head and sauntered down the hall towards the elevator giving me a sly wave with his glove.
I was speechless. I looked at Felix whose smiling face was still covered in a blush that only rivaled the red of my underwear. He shook his head, snickered and continued to work on the lock. I groaned, pulled my sleep shirt down over my ass and stomped down the hall towards my bedroom. I made my bed and put on some shorts. Luckily Felix worked quickly and within a few minutes he handed over the keys to my new lock and exited my door with a tip of his hat.
I finished getting dressed and cleaned up around the apartment. Rose and Alice had insisted on having lunch today to catch up. I wasn't really excited about it, especially given my early morning wake up call, but as I entered the small cafe down the street from our apartments, the smells of lunch wafting through the air mixed with the sounds of laughter caused my mood to lift considerably.
"Hey there," I waved as I made my way over to the table and settled into the seat across from Rose with my back to the door.
"Hey Bells, glad you could make it," Alice chirped, looking up from the oversized menu.
"So what's everyone getting?" I asked, eyeing them both before turning back to look at my menu.
"I'm getting the biggest burger and fries they have. I went for a run today and learned that being healthy has no place in my Saturday routine," Rose quipped and took a drink of water.
"Me too. If I have another salad, I am bound to turn into a head of lettuce," Alice sighed.
"Okay, burgers all around then. Sounds good." I laughed and set my menu on top of the others just as the waitress came over and we placed our orders.
"So, Bella, let's get down to business. What's up with you and Edward?" Rose crossed her arms and leaned back with a devilish grin on her face.
"Yeah, Bella, spill it." Alice chimed in, shifting in her seat and mimicking Rose's stance.
"What? I can't believe you two. There's nothing going on with me and Edward." I responded, focused on separating my silverware and placing my napkin in my lap.
"Really?." They responded in unison.
"Really. Nothing. We're friends." My brows shot up as I looked between them both.
"Yeah, friends who fight like two kids on the playground." Rose scoffed and leaned over placing her crossed arms on the table.
"She's right Bella. I bet if you had worn pigtails last week, he would have pulled them and took off running like the boys did when we were thirteen." She laughed and raised an eyebrow. I sniffed and looked around the cafe, wondering where the waitress was with our food.
"Well, if I was single and Emmett was nowhere in the picture, I'd wear pigtails and let Edward tug all day, because that boy is fine, Bella." She said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder before she continued. "Trust me on this, you can deny a lot of things but I know you aren't blind." She finished with a nod.
"What's with the interrogation here? I thought we were gonna have some girl talk, not 'get all up in Bella's business' over lunch," I spat.
"Sooo...you aren't denying it, then?" Rose gave me a smug smile.
"Yep. I knew it. We've watched you two do this dance all week, Bella. What we don't know is what's going on up on the second floor of our building. Don't make us have to come up there and spy on you. I have night vision goggles you know," Alice admonished, as she leaned forward and waved her finger in my face. I huffed and rolled my eyes.
"If you must know," they both leaned across the table in anticipation of my response, "he is the most annoying egotistical man-child I have met in years. I have even had dreams about duct taping his mouth, beating him over the head and stuffing him in a duffle bag," I groaned. "But, only because I am not blind, I will say this...Edward is undeniably hot. Like Calvin Klein model hot. Are you happy now?" I asked, sitting back in my chair, I crossed my arms and waited for the backlash.
"I knew it. You like him. I told you, Alice," Rose said, as she slapped her hand down on the table causing the water in our glasses to slosh a little. I watched carefully as Alice's face broke into a wide smile. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window as the waitress walked over with our plates.
"Really, you guys, in what twisted world does 'beat him and stuff him in a duffel bag' say that I like him?" I shot back once the waitress left. "You two are dead wrong and I'm telling you that I don't need this shit right now. If you keep it up, you'll both end up in duffel bags, too." I shrugged and picked up the butter knife, pointing it at both of them. I twisted it a little just for show.
"I'll have to think on that twisted world thing and get back to you. In the meantime, what are you gonna do about it Bella?" Alice asked as she twirled a french fry in ketchup.
"What am I gonna do about what? I told you already, I don't like him like that. I simply confirmed that he's hot. Nothing else. Besides, I don't date co-workers. You both know this. I need to focus on work if I ever want to get into politics. I don't need the distractions that come with dating right now." I took a bite of my burger and looked from Alice to Rose. They both nodded in understanding.
"If you say so. But, sometimes you can't deny chemistry. And you two," Rose said while pointing a french fry at me, "definitely have chemistry. Bella, life is what happens when you're too busy making other plans." She shrugged and popped the french fry in her mouth.
"Whatever Rose, you totally stole that line from a greeting card or something. You can think what you want, but there's plenty of time later on for dating, right now just isn't it." I wiped my mouth and took another drink of water.
"Rose is right, Bella. Don't count out the possibility just yet. I mean, do you really want to wake up one day and realize you haven't taken the curlers out of your hair for over two months only to look around and see that you're sharing your bed with fifteen cats?" Alice asked. Her voice escalating as she held a ketchup covered french fry and waved her hands dramatically.
"Hey! Say it, don't spray it sister." I laughed and used my napkin to wipe away a blob of ketchup from my arm. That sent the three of us into a fit of laughter and gained odd looks from the rest of the diners. Our laughter was just enough to break the line of questioning about Edward and I was grateful to put an end to that.
"So, what time is the game over, Rose?" Alice continued to chew and looked at Rose. My ears automatically perked up. I knew there was a reason for this big ass table. Dammit.
"Um..actually they should be here any minute. Emmett said they would just meet us here. We talked about going out tonight. Bella, are you in?" Rose responded and sipped her water, looking at me over the rim of her glass.
"I'll go. But, Jasper doesn't get to pick the place because I just can't handle another honky-tonk night. And you two," I narrowed my eyes at them both, "lay off this Edward business. I have a weapon here and I know how to use it." I waved my fork between the two of them to make my point.
"Scout's honor, Bella," Alice said as she held up her hand making what I thought was going to be a girl scout sign.
"Alice, that's the freaking Star Trek sign, you dork."
She looked surprised and shrugged. I laughed and shook my head.
Thankfully, we ate in silence for a few minutes. I was half-way through my burger and had started working on the giant plate of fries when I heard the bell ring that hung above the cafe door. I turned slowly to watch Jasper, Emmett and Edward come strolling through the door of the cafe. Like three seventeen year old boys, they laughed and shoved each other, still dressed in baseball caps, grass-stained pants and baseball cleats as they made their way to our table.
Emmett kissed Rose on the cheek and plopped down in the chair next to her. Jasper went around the back of Alice's chair to take the chair by the window and next to her. Of course, Edward slid behind me and pulled out the chair next to mine. I cringed a little, given the close proximity and the conversation I had just finished with the girls not minutes before the boys walked in.
Before I could register the looks on Alice and Rose's faces, Edward leaned over my arm, snagged a french fry, dipped it in ketchup and shoved it in his mouth as he looked at me, still wearing that goofy-ass grin from earlier this morning.
"Excuse me, did I say you could have a fry?" I scowled and scooted my plate further away from his reach. He continued to smile and when he reached over my arm again, I swatted his hand.
"Ow! Damn, it's just fries woman," He scowled and rubbed his hand.
"Then get your own plate dude. I don't share my food," I retorted, using my arm to shield my plate of fries. "Here, I'm done with this burger. Eat it." I shoved the burger plate in front of him just as the waitress appeared at our table to take their orders.
"Thanks, I'm starving." He picked up the burger and peeled off the top bun. "What, no onions?" he asked, looking at me like I had two heads.
"No. I don't eat onions." I shrugged, then reached for the plate, but he snatched it back and away from me.
"It's fine, thanks. I'll just order mine with extra onions," He snorted.
I huffed and went back to eating my fries.
"Did you by any chance run laps around the field and roll in the dirt? You smell, like really bad." I scrunched up my nose, noting the stain of sweat down the front of his t-shirt, I scooted my chair chair a little further away.
"Wait, where are you going?" He dropped the burger and grabbed my chair, pulling it back to its original spot. "How am I supposed to steal fries with you way over there? Besides, I don't smell any worse than those two freaks, right?" He held out his shirt with his hand and sniffed, then raised his arm to sniff his armpit.
"You are truly disgusting," I deadpanned.
"Aww, come on. I guess I could take this shirt off if you want." He reached over his shoulder with one arm and fisted his shirt. His eyes widened in an attempt to play innocent.
"Damn, put your arm down." I hissed and looked around the cafe before my eyes landed on the table behind and to the left of ours where four women sat, clearly salivating over this little stunt he was trying to pull.
"You are seriously gonna ruin my lunch with your stink. And stop trying to strip before they throw us out of here," I responded and grabbed his wrist to stop his little show. A giggle escaped his lips before he smirked and went back to eating the burger.
"Your loss babe, I've been working out." He shrugged and took another bite of his cheeseburger.
I ate my fries and noticed Edward had finished my burger while he chatted with the others and waited for their food to arrive. I heard laughter from that table of women just behind us. I looked over my shoulder and noticed that the four women at the table nearby were focusing their attention at our table. They were totally eye fucking Edward. I rolled my eyes at them, if they only knew how bad he smelled, they would think twice. I looked back to the stinking sexy beast on my left, then I scooted my chair a little further away from his.
"So, we were thinking of going out tonight. Drinks at Barley's. You guys up for it after your work out this morning?" Rose looked across the table to Edward, then back to Emmett and Jasper.
"Babe, you know I have more stamina than that." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Sounds good to me though. Edward, you in?" Emmett looked at Edward for his response, but was momentarily distracted when the waitress appeared with their food.
"So, are you gonna go tonight?" Edward nudged my elbow with his as he lowered his voice and leaned close to my cheek to ask.
"Um..yeah. I guess. I don't have any other plans right now." I glanced at him briefly and looked back at my plate. He was smiling and it wasn't that obnoxious smile – it was soft, almost like he was happy about my response. I quickly shrugged that thought away as he reached over me to take his plate from the waitress.
"Sure, I'm in. What time should I be ready?" He spoke a little louder, looking back and forth between Emmett and Jasper, then back to me. He was being nine kinds of weird right then so I looked away, reached for my glass and took a drink of my water.
"Well, I guess nine would be good. Is that okay, Alice?" Jasper responded and looked at Alice, who nodded her head then looked directly at me and winked. I narrowed my eyes at her and she just giggled and elbowed Rose, who laughed as well. I shook my head and concentrated on finishing my fries, which were now half gone thanks to the fry thief next to me.
Conversation moved to a discussion of cases, changes in laws and law firm matters. However, I doubt it escaped notice by Rose and Alice that my plate of fries continued to move closer and closer to Edward's burger plate. Also, the more we all talked the less upset I was about the fact that I really hated sharing food. Unfortunately, I knew these girls well enough to know that they were holding their tongues until later that evening when they got me alone again.
When the guys finally finished we all stood from our chairs to leave. Emmett, Jasper and Edward walked together towards the counter as I dug through my purse for some cash while Rose and Alice chatted near the table. I put a couple of dollars on the table and walked up behind Edward, who was now alone and leaning over the counter talking to a very bubbly blonde waitress.
"Excuse me." I coughed loud enough to get his attention. The waitress gave me a sweet smile and winked. I sighed and moved to hand her the cash to pay for my meal.
"No worries hun, your boyfriend here took care of your bill." She continued to smile, rubbing Edward on the arm. My mouth fell open as I looked at Edward, waiting for him to clear up that mistake. He didn't.
"This one is most definitely not my boyfriend," I said, as I jerked my thumb in his direction. "So here." I threw my cash down on the counter. He hung his head, smiling for a moment, before he pushed off the counter.
"Thanks, Jane." He tapped the counter and grinned, then grabbed the cash and stuffed it back into my purse before he threw his arm around my shoulders.
"Come on girl, let's blow this joint," He said in a low husky voice as he leaned his head close to mine. Plastered on his face was a smile so wide it touched his eyes. Focus Bella. No Distractions.
"Thank you for lunch and kindly remove your arm," I said as I gripped his arm and removed it from my shoulder, placing it at his side before we exited the door onto the sidewalk.
"Ah. I kinda felt like I owed you that much." He grinned and looked ahead at the other two couples walking in front of us.
"Really? Why is that?" I folded the cash and placed it back in my wallet as we continued to walk.
"Well, you did show me your lacy red panties and I didn't even have to show you anything of mine. So.." He shrugged, wearing a smug smile.
"You are the worst. Do you know that?" I groaned and shoved him hard on the shoulder. "Go up there and walk with the other idiots. Go!" I spat as I watched him jog ahead to walk with Emmett and Jasper.
Rose and Alice caught on and waited for me to catch up to where they were. They walked on either side of me, linking their arms in mine. It was nice and yes, I also noticed how nice Edward looked wearing a baseball cap, the sweaty t-shirt that clung to his chest, and damn, those baseball pants. I had the perfect view of his ass and I couldn't help but stare. I glanced from Rose to Alice, raising a brow.
The three of us to burst into a fit of laughter and just once, after a week of fighting so hard to stay focused, I let myself enjoy the moment and Edward's ass in those baseball pants. After all, they were right, I certainly wasn't blind. I just couldn't let Edward know that.