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Author Note: Hey everyone! So just a short note this week as I'm pressed for time and am halfway out of the door to an appointment as we speak; Thanks again for all the reads and positive reviews! On the day of posting the last chapter I had 800+ views on , on the day after I posted I had another 800 views and everyday since has been a massive 150+ per day so THANKYOU! Also would like to thank my Stars readers that are fewer in number but no less loved!

His New Escort

Chapter Five: So now it begins EPOV

"So…"Esme said, drawing out the O as she casually took a sip of her iced tea.

I simply raised an eyebrow at her and touched Bella's shoulder lightly with my fingertips. She shivered for a moment and then relaxed back so my hand now cradled the curve.

"How did you meet?" Esme burst out, looking at us both eagerly as her eyes flitted back and forth before dropping to look at the hand I had laying on Bella's shoulder. "Edward refused to tell us much about you and your relationship Bella, so Alice and I are somewhat desperate for information, as you can imagine." She laughed her eyes finally settling on Bella's face as she waited.

"That must have been quite frustrating Mrs- I mean Esme. But Edward and I thought it was best at the time." Bella said apologetically.

"Never mind dear, it's in the past. You're here to tell us in person which is even better."

Bella smiled shyly at my mother as she shifted nervously on the couch. "Umm…well we actually met at this little café down the road from Edward's office. We kind of bumped into each other-"

"Literally, bumped into each other." I injected, trying to give her some support as she told the prearranged story we had agreed on at our first meeting.

Bella blushed and look down into her glass, "Yeah well, as I'm sure you'll all discover over the next two weeks I'm a bit of a clutz when it comes to walking across a flat surface." My family laughed gently at that and I gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. She was doing good. "Anyway, I had just grabbed my coffee and was walking toward the café door when I tripped and fell. Inadvertently, I bumped into Edward's chair and spilled my coffee, and his, over the both of us."

I smirked a little as I pictured the scene she described. It was a good combination of my love of coffee and her clutzy ways that led to a chance meeting. Working in real estate and property development I don't meet many college graduates so a chance meeting was the most likely way for us to meet and in reality it was. It was by chance that Rose got engaged just when I required her for the job, it was chance that she was friends with Bella and it was chance that Bella was one of the only escorts to be agreeable to long-terms stays that led us to our first meeting at the hotel.

"Oh my god!" Alice gasped, one hand flying to cover her mouth in horror. "You didn't ruin one of your Armani suits did you?"

I wasn't the only one who burst out laughing in response. How typically Alice, I thought to myself.

"No need to fret Alice the Armani didn't get ruined," I replied, the last of my laughter dying off. "It was the Prada." I stated seriously, which set off another round of laughter throughout the room.

"Oh don't tease me!" She yelled indignantly.

"Okay okay that's enough you two, Bella will think we're rude for interrupting her." Carlisle interjected with a wink in Bella's direction.

She smiled in response but did not verbally reply. I knew this would be a difficult situation I was placing her in, even if she was getting paid a large amount of money to be here, but I was in this too and this had all come about because of my inability to disappoint my own Mother. So I decided to take over the conversation and save her, just a little. However the first chance we got to break away from all this, even for a few minutes; I was going to take it.

"There isn't really much more to tell," I stated with a shrug of my shoulders. "I made a grab for some napkins and told her to watch where she was going, she apologised and then I looked at her…" I turned my head to look at Bella now to find her looking at me already, a small mona-lisa-smile in place, "And I was a goner." A pretty pink blush bloomed on her cheeks and she ducked her head, allowing her long brown hair to hide her face from my family.

I reached forward with my free hand intent on tucking some of that hair behind her ear so I could see that blush then I heard my Mother and Alice sigh in the background.

"That's so sweet." Esme said gently, the interruption forcing me to drop my hand before it reached its intended destination. I looked over at her with a smile on my face. She smiled in return, her head resting gently against my Father's shoulder and her hand in his; she looked rather content and happy.

This could work, I thought to myself. We might actually pull this off.

"So did you guys exchange numbers then and there or what?" My eyes shot to Jasper as he spoke, once again disturbing the silence that had fallen over the room. What I saw alarmed me a little; his eyes were narrowed and focused on Bella as he scrutinised her.

"No." I said with a frown and cocked my head to the side enquiringly as his eyes raised back to mine. Why is he so suspicious already? Jasper had always been overly perceptive and seemed to be in-tune with people's emotions but we had a plausible story. Sure Bella was being a bit quiet but she's in a room full of new people so he shouldn't expect her to be completely comfortable and with the small amount of physical contact Bella and I had maintained so far, I wasn't sure what was causing a red flag to be raised in his head. But as his eyes flicked back to Bella's still blushing face, I knew he was going to be a problem. "I went to the bathroom to try and dry my shirt out but when I came back she was gone. When I went back for lunch the next day though, Bella was sitting at the same table with two coffees and asked me to join her. We spent a few hours talking before we exchanged numbers and Bella headed to work."

"And what do you do Bella?" Carlisle inquired politely. He always wanted me to find someone with a good stable job that meant she wouldn't be dating me for my fortune, so I knew this was important to him; but Bella and I thought it best to keep the story as simple as possible and stick to as many facts as possible to minimise the potential of getting caught out in an elaborate lie.

"I'm currently in retail part-time," You were in retail part-time, I thought to myself. "I graduated from U-Dub not long ago but having a Bachelor Degree in English doesn't get you too far in a limited industry." She genuinely smiled this time as she spoke of her degree, her shoulders straightened and her eyes lit up. She was obviously proud of her accomplishment even though it hadn't allowed her to live the life she would have envisioned.

"Well that's nice," Carlisle's lips twisted at the corners a little as he smiled at Bella, the tell tale sign of an unimpressed man. "So what's your plan to get you into the, as you called it, 'limited industry' and put your degree to use? It would be a shame if you let three-to-four years of study and student loans go to waste."

"Dad!" I exclaimed angrily, "That's not the type of thing you should be asking her ten minutes after you meet! You sound like a judgemental asshole!"

"I'm sorry son, but you know how I feel. I want to make sure that she is with you for the right reasons, for love, and not for your ability to pay off her student loans."

I took a deep breath and school my features into the cold blank canvas I reserved for business. It was not something I would usually do in front of my family but here, now, being unintentionally confront with the basis of my relationship with Bella…I couldn't let a single drop of truth slip.

Silence fell heavily upon the room. My mother shift uncomfortably, Alice's eyes ping-ponged between our father and me as Jasper continued his silent observation. As I attempted to think of an appropriate rebuff to the accusation, one that would throw Carlisle of the scent and not sound completely disrespectful whilst doing it, I turned my gaze on Bella. Her fingers worried her glass of iced tea as the edge of her teeth chewed her bottom lip, a worried frown having taken residence on her brow during the heated exchange of words. Shit, I thought, why didn't I think of something to say for just this situation? I was an idiot, you could see this coming from a mile away and I hadn't thought to prepare a response; instead I had spent our second meeting discussing literature and sharing stories about Rose.

"Bella's not like that Dad." Not a good response but it was all I had.

"How do you know that for certain?" Of course he challenged me.

I shook my head in response and huffed angrily before I removed my arm from Bella's shoulder and placed my elbows on my knees so that I was leaning forward. My expression was remained tightly controlled as I prepared to have it out with my father in front of the family, it wouldn't be a first and it wouldn't be pleasant but it obviously had to be done.

"She's-"

"I'm writing a book." Startled, I looked over my shoulder at Bella. She what? "That's what I'm doing with my degree, I'm writing a novel and plan to have it published within a few years." She is? If this was a lie or the truth I had no idea so I was thankful I maintained my blank expression as my eyes returned to Carlisle.

He was maintaining eye contact with Bella whilst my mother merely lifted an eyebrow in a curious manner.

"A novel?" He enquired plainly; Bella must have nodded her confirmation as he continued to speak with the same flat tone a moment later. "And you expect my son to support you financially until you, maybe one day, publish this novel?"

"Of course not," Bella's tone had changed, her voice was confident and clear and I found that I liked to hear her that way, instead of the unsure version I had heard for a majority of our acquaintance. I leaned back in my seat and she grabbed my hand to lace our fingers together as she stared at my father, refusing to back down now that she had been provoked to action. "I expect your son to provide emotional support. When I have writer's block I expect him to make me a cup of tea and distract me with movies on the couch. When I'm not sure what direction to take the story, I expect him to be my sounding board. When I get my first letter of rejection, as I know I will get many of them, I expect him to be the shoulder I cry on. And I expect that when I finally get that letter of acceptance, he will celebrate with me. That is the kind of support I expect from your son Mr Cullen because that is the type of person I am and who I know him to be."

Her speech finished she removed her hand from mine, disposed of her iced tea on the rectangular coffee table before us and left the room where a stunned silence followed.

A short time later I found Bella outside leaning against my parked car with her back toward the house.

"Hey." I called across the driveway as I approached trying to not to surprise her.

She turned toward me and I saw that she had splotchy red marks of anger upon her cheeks. I had expected a few tears, maybe even a demand to go home since that was behaviour that I had become accustomed too growing up with Alice so I hadn't expected to see her still so angry. She looks sexy when she's angry, I thought to myself as my eyes took in her furrowed brow and pouted lips. If only she'd let me bite them a little.

"Hey." Was her soft reply as I rounded the car and leaned against the bonnet beside her. "I screwed up, didn't I?" She blurted and suddenly buried her hands in her hair, pulling on it with frustration. "Shit. I'm so sorry Edward; I didn't mean to go off at him I just get defensive when people drill me about my career. This isn't where I wanted to be you know? I did all the right things; I went to class, hardly ever went drinking with friends, didn't date, always had my head stuck in a book and I couldn't even get a bloody job when I was done. How fucked up is that?" She exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. I opened my mouth to give her some reassurance but she was still in the middle of her word vomit apparently so I let her continue, best to get it out now then bottle it up for later. "Did you know I applied almost everywhere? Publishing houses, magazines, journals, newspapers even the libraries and I didn't get a single offer!" At the mention of libraries my mind conjured a picture of Bella in a tight fitting skirt and blouse combo with her hair tied back and a pair of glasses perched on her pretty little nose. Fuck that's a good image…wonder if she'd mind a bit of role-play eventually, I couldn't keep my mind out of the gutter then as she continued on her little rampage and I imagined her dropping a book before bending over in the tight skirt that suddenly moulded to her ass, as I approached from behind her and reached my hands out to grab the tight twin globes, giving them a little massage-

"Edward? Hello?" There was a small hand waving back and forth in front of my face, pulling me out of my daydream so suddenly that I had to blink the image of her pert ass out of my minds eye.

"Yeah?" I cleared my throat as I became very aware of my hardened member trapped inside my pants. God how long has it been since I'd gotten off? I asked myself in frustration, I was acting like a teenage boy and I hated it.

"I said, do you want me to leave?"

That got my attention and I stood to face her square on. "Leave? Why would I want you to leave?"

"Umm where you in there just now?" She said incredulously gesturing toward the house, "I fucked up, big time. I can understand if you tell me to leave, I'll catch a cab and go back to Seattle. We can pretend we broke up; you didn't like the way I disrespected your Father or something and they'll never see me again. They'd by that wouldn't they? They must be furious with me! I can't belie-"

I cut her off, she was being ridiculous and I had enough of her ranting, "I'm not sending you home and we're not 'breaking up'."

She paused and appeared to think about my words carefully before her mouth fell open to form a small 'O'. Without thinking I reached forward and grasped her chin between thumb and forefinger before closing her mouth gently, having her mouth make that shape wasn't good for my erection.

"Carlisle disrespected you first, I can't believe he even got into the topic to be quite honest, so I can't blame you for sticking up for yourself when I was obviously incapable of doing it for you. I apologise for that, by the way, I should've come up with a better answer or just got up and walked out of there with you before it got to the point where you had to come to your own rescue." I sighed dropped my head, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Edward, you're paying me to be their dream girl and I screwed up, I should have kept my mouth shut…please accept my apology?" She pleaded as she caught my eye and brown eyes met green.

"How about we agree to disagree? I'm sorry, you're sorry but it was probably a combination of people at fault alright?" She smiled and nodded her head eagerly. "As for what to do now…I don't know. Either we leave together or we stay together and endure what might come when we walk back into that house…"

Surprisingly Bella reached forward with both hands and grasped mine between them, "Let's stay."

"Are you sure?" I questioned and took a step closer to her. "If you have any doubts about your ability to pull off the next two weeks this is probably our only chance to get out? I want to be absolutely sure you want to be here."
"You don't think I can do it?" She shot back, offended.

"Don't be silly, Bella. If I thought you incapable I wouldn't have brought you here in the first place, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable or think you have to stay for the money. If you want to leave now I'll book a hotel somewhere sunny and we'll have a vacation for two weeks. You'll still get paid and I won't have wasted my vacation leave. What do you want to do?"

Once again her teeth found her bottom lip and started to nibble as she took in the house, the surrounding forest before returning her eyes to mine.

"You'd just leave if I wanted to go?" I nodded silently, "Why? I don't understand, this very trip is why you booked me so I'd be failing my job if we left now, you should be angry."

"Firstly," I stated and stepped closer again, this time invading some of her personal space as one hand moved to her waist and the other intertwined our fingers together, "This trip was my Mother's idea and I didn't want to come, I even pretended that my girlfriend and I had broken up to get out of it. Secondly, yes it's the reason I hired you but with Rose gone if I hadn't needed you for this trip I would have booked you for a night or two this past week anyway. And lastly," I lowered my face toward hers a few inches, the action forcing her to lean her head back to maintain eye contact and as her weight shifted, her hips met mine. Her eyes widened a fraction and she placed her hand on my chest to stop me from advancing any more as my still prominent erection pressed into her pelvis deliciously, "You're here to do what pleases me and what pleases me is to spend time with you, a whole two weeks in fact, whether that's here with my family or alone in a lake house; where we'd have enough privacy so that I could learn to play your body like a piano."

She swallowed thickly and licked her deliciously pink lips as the sexual tension became tangible in the small amount of space between us, "That sounds…"

"Perfect." I finished the sentence for her a second before my lips claimed hers hungrily.

End Note: So a little bit of a juicy cliffie there I hope you guys don't mind. Will they stay or will they go? Find out next week! Bye!