Shades of Green
BELLA POV
"All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood."-Rainer Maria Rilke
All things related to Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer
I Google searched again and again.
Never in my life had I seen such an off shade of green but I just had to find it. I barely knew his name but as soon as I got home from Plasma last night, my mind wouldn't shut down. I felt like some drug crazed, groupie.
When Alice pulled me out of the office at Plasma, she was furious and still flailing her rather large taser around for everyone to see that she was tough shit. I was still slightly buzzed from the blood loss mixed with alcohol but nothing compared to the high I got from seeing those eyes for the first time. What the hell was wrong with me? Get it together Bella!
I looked at him once and already, I was itching to run my hands through his bronze hair or run my finger along his chiseled chest that was on full display for me last night. I wasn't an overly sexual person but I was a woman who just saw her first piece of true eye candy and Jesus have mercy, he was fine as hell.
Alice was less than amused and wouldn't answer my questions as to who my new Mystery Crush was. She was still pissed from having to bring out the big guns so didn't really notice my complete glazed over look as we sat in the back of the cab. She just kept talking and I just kept fantasizing.
It was completely embarrassing but I couldn't help it.
I was so wrapped up in Mystery Crush that I didn't even really feel the throbbing from the back of my leg that was so neatly bandaged, I thought someone had called a doctor. It was entirely ridiculous that I could have this physical attraction to some guy I barely saw for two seconds and then was rushed out of the door but I didn't feel like it had to be explained. If only I could see him one more time, I would be good for the rest of my life.
Does that even make sense?
Last night, I went to bed with dreams of green going through my head.
Emerald. Candy apple. Electric. Army. Fern. Sea. Shamrock. Jade. Pigment. Pine. Viridian. Wikipedia said that there were an estimated 9,142,857 different shades of green. I had probably gone through half of them by eight the next morning.
His name was Edward. Such an old-fashioned, strong name but it matched him perfectly. He just stood regally and it only took one second for me to fall for his looks. I bet that's how it always was.
I looked at the clock that now read ten a.m. I hadn't slept since five and I was starting to feel the effects but I wasn't going to rest until I found the right color of his eyes. They were still pulling me in every time I closed mine and thought about the three seconds I saw him standing near the door.
Last night, Edward was high, that was for sure but he still had the sexiest face I had ever seen. It wasn't just that he had a nice face, it was more than that. There was a fire behind him that I could sense and it turned me on immensely although that wasn't anything close to the way he looked at me. Even thought he was slightly inebriated, something about him was calling me. It was like I was drawn to him through his blood and that was fucking weird. I was even scaring myself.
"Pull yourself together, Bella." I rubbed my eyes to try and break Edward's spell on me.
I was a fucking junkie with my coffee next to me on the desk and my laptop powered up.
Since I couldn't sleep, I spent my time on the internet trying to find out who Mystery Crush was like a stalker but I wasn't ashamed.
Through a very circuitous route, I found that Jasper Cullen was the owner of Plasma, thus I figured that Edward's last name was the same.
"Come on." I tapped my foot impatiently as Google took its sweet time loading the page after I typed in 'Edward Cullen'. I didn't know anything else so I hoped that was enough to get me some sort of information.
My cell phone brought me out of my lusting and I nearly jumped five feet in the air. I looked around like a cartoon character, with my head shifting from side to side as I searched furiously for my phone that was buried under my un-slept in sheets. I found it near my pillow and picked up just as the ringing stopped. I always left my phone on the charger and never took it anywhere with me. I didn't even know why Charlie bought me the thing.
"Hello?" I answer quickly.
"Gezz Bella, you sound like you ran a marathon. What's going on?" Alice asked.
"Nothing." I lied and took several breaths to calm myself, "What's up?"
"I'm bored. Let's do something."
"I can't right now Alice and it's ten in the morning. There isn't much to do on a Sunday."
"We should go somewhere outside. It's so pretty and we're not going to have much time once school starts tomorrow."
"Uh...I can't. I have things to do." I stalled.
"Liar. What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Well I'm coming over in an hour. Be ready to go to the lake."
"What lake?"
"Lake Michigan, silly. It's really close and it's going to be filled with hot guys."
"I don't want any hot guys." I instinctively looked at the computer screen but couldn't really make out anything.
"Well I want some. Be ready in two hours." She hung up before I had the chance to say anything else but to be honest, I wasn't listening to her.
I threw the phone back down on my bed and practically raced to the computer.
There were several articles on men named Carlilse Cullen who was either that big man in the room with us at Plasma or another brother. Maybe the father? There were a couple of postings on a woman named Esme who owned a successful design firm and of course Jasper had promotional stuff up for his restaurants and clubs.
I scrowled down the page and tapped my foot faster. My bottom lip was nearly bleeding from the amount of pressure I was putting on it with my teeth.
Of course my eyes zoomed in on the title that read 'Chicago's Sexiest Bachelors'.
I clicked on the link and waited for the page to load while I chewed on my finger. There were thumbnail photos of about thirty men, all of whom were sexy in their own way but I wasn't looking at them. He was number four, how he wasn't number one was beyond me and I was seriously debating writing a petition to have him moved up.
I clicked on the image and my panties were flooded with a sudden rush of my physical lust.
"Sweet baby Jesus." I breathed as I looked at my computer screen.
Edward was in the most form fitting, tailored, navy blue suit I had ever seen as it clung to the strong lines of his body. He was standing tall with his arms crossed, against a window that overlooked the city in the background. His hair was more styled than it had been last night but his face and eyes were still the same. I would call him beautiful but that didn't seem to be the right word for a man like him. I would have to do another Google search to find the perfect adjective. Maybe exquisite, superb, godly?
He was almost too stunning to look at and my eyes kind of hurt but I couldn't not stare at him. What I wouldn't give to have him on my bed, tied up and naked.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" I played with the ends of my hair as I read the short biography.
Edward Cullen
Age: 25
Edward Cullen comes from the Cullen business dynasty and has grown up in the upper echelon of Chicago society. His father Carlisle and mother Esme have raised three boys but Edward seems to be the only one making serious rounds in the dating community. As a fresh, up-and-coming real estate mogul, the youngest Cullen brother has already been dubbed a revamped James Dean type with piercing green eyes that can mesmerize.
"A guy likes confidence in a girl. I love a confident girl who will come up and talk to me," Cullen told us.
While Cullen isn't planning on settling down in the near future, that hasn't stopped him from "testing the waters" as he put it.
I didn't even notice that my hand was down my pants until it was almost too late. My index finger ran over my swollen clit and my butt lifted off of the chair, pushing my digit into my soaked entrance. I curled my finger slightly and kept up a constant rhythm as I looked at Edward's picture, his eyes boring into mine, causing my body to react immediately.
It only took two minutes before I was crashing down from the quickest yet most intense orgasm I had ever had. It took me significantly longer to bring myself back to reality as I rested my head on the back of the chair.
I stayed in that position for about half an hour, not moving, not blinking, barely breathing.
I pulled my hand back up when I could think again. I closed my laptop, not even caring to power it down. I stood up and paced the floor with heavy breathing.
Never in my life had I been so attracted to a man. Not even in my short hormonal period that I went through when I turned fifteen. Back then, everything with a penis had the ability to turn my head. Of course I wasn't a slut and didn't do anything with them until Mike came along but that still didn't stop me from having a few late night, hand parties under my sheets. Actually, Mike was the only person I had ever had sex with but that doesn't mean I didn't think about it.
This Edward fellow had the ability to turn me into a puddle just over the computer and that was dangerous.
There was a knock on my door that almost made me fall over. I calmed myself down and made sure that I looked somewhat pulled together, still in my pajama pants and a tank top.
I went to the door to let Alice in.
"Are you ready?" She held up her hands to show off her hot pink cover up that was hiding what I suspected to be a skimpy bikini underneath.
"Oh...has it been an hour already?" I looked at the clock.
Her face fell, "What is wrong with you? Why do you look so flushed?" She lowered her sunglasses, "Is there a man in that bathroom?"
"No. It's just a little hot in here." I fanned myself.
"Well that's why we're going to the beach. I brought you a bathing suit."
"Oh God. Please have it cover me up." I prayed.
"Yes, I picked out something modest." She pushed her sunglasses up into her hair, "Now move! I want to leave soon."
"I can't go to the beach Alice." I complained, pointing to the still covered up cut on my leg, "Sand and open wounds don't mix."
"Oh yeah." She pouted, "Sorry about that by the way."
"It wasn't your fault."
"I should have been watching you."
"We can do something else? Show me more of Chicago." I suggested, brightening her up.
"Okay." She jumped up and down, "Go get dressed."
I went into the bathroom to do my normal routine that only took a couple of minutes.
I walked out and went straight to my dresser. I pulled on a pair of short jean shorts that would provide me some kind of coverage but were still breathable in the Chicago heat and a tee shirt.
"Who's this?" Alice pointed to the computer that I had shut but now stood open.
I quickly closed it before more questions began pouring from her mouth.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"No. I want to know who that was. I just saw the picture. I think I've seen him before." She tried to push my hand away but I wasn't budging.
"He's no one. Leave it alone." I snarled.
"Fine." She crossed her arms, "Make sure you bring money for the cab. I didn't bring my wallet."
I looked around the room and my face screwed up.
Where was my purse from last night?
I sent out the search party.
Alice and I looked for the thing for an hour before we concluded that my purse wasn't there. I know I had it with me last night but who knows what really happened after I passed out. I could have left it on the couches or someone could have stolen it but I didn't think so. I remember having it with me in Edw…in his office. I think I saw it on the desk but I wasn't sure.
"It's not here Bella. What did you do with that purse?" Alice said from under my bed.
"I don't know. I could have sworn that I had it with me last night."
"You did because I reminded myself when we walked into Plasma that I wanted to borrow the thing. It goes perfect with a blouse I just bought."
"Well you bought the stupid thing. I barely know what it looks like."
"It's a white clutch." She grumbled, going further under the bed.
"I bet I left it at the club when I feel or something." I sat in the chair by the desk, "Damn."
"What did you have in it?" Alice crawled out from her spot and sat on the bed.
"Some money, not a lot but some and my , those were important."
"But you had your key last night, didn't you?"
"No, you let me in, remember?"
"Oh yeah." She thought for a second, "I guess we could call Plasma and see if whats-his-name picked it up."
My heart started to beat quickly at the thought of going back into that place. Maybe it was from excitement or nervousness but the scene of the crime was never a good place to be.
"Do…do you think Jasper would still have it?" I asked skeptically, trying to cover up my new found enthusiasm. Just the thought of being in the same vicinity as Edward was about to make me combust.
She shrugged, "I don't see why not. We can find the number online."
Before I even had the chance to open up my laptop, the phone on my bed rang. Alice and I both turned to look at it. Since she was closer, she picked it up like it was hers.
"Hello….oh…yeah….okay…she's right here…." She covered the phone with her hand, "It's an Edward. Do you know an Edward?"
Sudden flashes of green ran through my head like blades of grass being thrown from a lawn mower.
He was calling me?
"Uh…yeah. It was the guy near the door last night in the office." I said and calmly held my hand out for the phone.
"I didn't really see anyone."
"I wouldn't be surprised. You were going all Rambo on their asses to notice. Give me the phone."
She handed it over and I placed it to my ear, "Hello."
"Is this Bella, from last night?" A cool voice came from the other line and I almost died right there. If Alice wasn't here, I would have had my second "happy time" of the day.
"Yes, this is she." I replied formally. I don't know why.
"I don't even know if you'll remember me…"
"Of course I do. You bandaged my leg." I spoke a little too loudly and blushed over the phone. Damn it, damn it all to hell!
I heard him darkly chuckled over the phone, "I have your purse. You must have left it here. You had a list of numbers in your wallet and I just called the one that said it was your cell phone."
"Oh…well thank you."
"It's no problem. Would you like to come and get it or would you like me to bring it to you?" There was a slight tinge in his voice that told me he had a narcissistic view of himself. It was almost as if he could bounce his voice in a way that would make him seem superior. I hoped he was just putting up a front over the phone because it would be a shame if he had all that beauty but a messed up personality.
"Um…well my friend Alice and I were just about to go out. I guess we could meet you somewhere." I answered.
Alice wrote something on a piece of paper eagerly and held it up for me to read.
"Sure." He replied.
"I can meet you in Grant Park, at the Buckingham fountain in what…an hour?"
Alice nodded vigorously.
"That's fine with me. I'll see you then Bella." He hung up the phone without any kind of goodbye and I was left with a low ringing dial tone.
"Well that was sufficiently awkward." I put the phone down.
"You like him." Alice had a wicked grin on her face, "I can tell. That was the guy on the computer wasn't it? I remember now."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Liar." She accused, "Don't you try to hide from me Bella Swan."
"I don't know what you mean." I was lying through my teeth but I was still hoping that she didn't notice.
"You are in so much denial. You blushed and you had that thing in your voice." She dragged me up.
"Thing?"
"Yeah. I can tell you had dreams about him. You masturbated to him didn't you? I know you did." She jumped off of the bed and did some kind of weird dance.
"I did not. Stop that." I pushed her back down so that she would sit still.
"You are just a hormonal little minx, aren't you? Who knew that Bella Swan would relieve herself to the likes of that guy. He was so…" She shuddered instead of speaking, "Although I have to admit that he had a nice body. I just got one glimpse but that was enough."
"Shut up." I grumbled.
She got off of the bed and began pulling me with her.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To meet your new lover. I want to see him close up and without my taser."
"Oh great. Scare him again." I stuffed me feet in my shoes.
"In my defense, I thought they were raping you. I was trying to help."
"You almost killed them."
"It wouldn't be the first time." She said nonchalantly, "Come on." She pulled me out of the door and my heart started beating faster by the second.
Alice explained to me that we could get to Grant Park by walking and since it was a nice day, I didn't really have a problem stretching my legs. I was working on less than two hours of sleep and three cups of coffee so I was pretty energetic.
We had an hour to kill so we walked at a leisurely pace while talking about school and life. I was just trying to get her off the subject of Edward, which she didn't bring up again but I could tell that she wanted to. We arrived at the entrance of Grant Park from Columbus Avenue forty-five minutes later.
"So….who is your mystery man?" Alice nudged me. I could see the spray from the fountain up ahead but I tried not to look too eager.
"I don't know. I only met him for a couple of seconds before you pushed me out of the door."
"Well we had to get out of there. It was weird." She shivered. "Something was going on in that room that I didn't like. The vibes were strange."
"The vibes, what are you now, physic?"
"Duh. I've been trying to convince people of that for years but no one believes me. Call it whatever you want but I've got the gift." She pushed her fingers to her temple.
"You are one strange woman." I said under my breath.
"Whatever. Do you need some moral support? I think he's just using your purse to get to you. What if he likes you too? What if he's like this…super sexy superhero with amazing powers or…"
"Okay, okay. I get it." I calmed her down. "I just hope he didn't go through my stuff."
"He probably just wanted to meet you again."
"Stop being stupid." I said. There was no way in hell Edward Cullen, Chicago's fourth sexiest bachelor, would want to meet me. He probably had tons more things to do than bring me my purse.
"Okay, well I'll be here if you need me." Alice sat herself on a bench under some shaded tress and I kept walking towards Buckingham Fountain.
The whole place was huge and I had never seen so much water that wasn't in an ocean before. It was one of those Chicago landmarks that was on all of the postcards and had streams of water shooting into the sky. Majestic, bronzed, green horses were climbing out of the fountain and it looked like everything was actually moving. Stone and marble basins stood strongly as they peaked over the water top.
The surrounding area was filled with kids and families who were throwing pennies into the fountain. Large trees were covering the location with grassed places for sitting. Lots of old benches were around for people to sit and I noticed that people were eating lunch in the sun. It was very peaceful.
I just stood there and watched, trying to get my mind off of my masturbatory dream.
"It's a beautiful sight at night." A smooth voice whispered to me.
I jumped and spun around where Edward was holding out my clutch with a crocked grin on his face.
"You scared the crap out of me." I spoke softly, running my hands through my hair, smoothing it out.
"Sorry. I just couldn't help it. I was calling your name for about a minute." He chuckled marvelously.
"Oh…I guess I didn't hear you." I replied awkwardly.
"That's obvious. I brought your purse back and I promise I didn't steal anything."
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"I guess you'll just have to trust me."
"Did you go through my things?" I took the purse from him, acting a little callous towards him but I didn't want to appear like a giddy school girl.
"No, I didn't have to after I found the cell phone list. I didn't want to impede on your privacy."
Impede?This charmer had a vocabulary.
He crossed his arms behind him and I was glad that he had a pair of Ray Bans on or I might have been thrown to the floor by eyes.
I was worried that he would look at my driver's license and realize that I wasn't really twenty-one but he seemed to be telling the truth about not going through my things.
"Thank you." I said.
"No problem." His grin seemed to be permanent. Something about him was different today than it was last night and I couldn't put my finger on it. He just seemed to have this attitude about him that was very arrogant. He eyed me up and down in a creepy way and even though he was still sexy as hell, I was starting to wise up to his antics.
"Well thank you…for this and for last night." I pointed to the back of my leg.
"It wasn't a problem. It's not every day I get to wipe down a leg as beautiful as yours."
"Uh huh." I replied.
He was dressed in a very smart pair of black slacks and a light blue collar shirt that had its sleeves rolled up, looking old and young at the same time.
"You look very nice today." I said, trying to keep talking and not fantasize about the perfect chest that was underneath.
"I just came from church." He explained.
"That would explain it." I nodded, slipping further into awkwardness.
"Yeah." He shuffled his feet, "So, what do you have planned today?"
"It's the last day before school starts so Alice and I are going to walk around a bit."
"You're in school?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." I blushed for some reason.
"Junior?"
"Yes." I said before I could stop myself. Just like last night when I told Jasper I was twenty-one.
Pull it together, liar!
"Do you need a tutor? Maybe I could help you out sometime." Edward's voice filled with innuendo and that just made him even slimier in my eyes.
"Is that a pick up line?" I asked, not even hiding my discomfort or disgust with the situation.
"What would you do if I said yes?" He ran his hands through his hair, trying to smooth it out.
That was when I noticed that all of this was too calculated. Every movement he made seemed like it had been practiced and done over hundreds of times. He was trying to pick me up just like he did every other girl he met. It was flattering while also being extremely overconfident on his part. It was sickening to think that this was all he had to do before girls rolled over for him although I had to admit that he had done less with me last night and I was already infatuated.
"I would say that I'm not some chick who you can get to suck your dick by being a jackass." My bold side was starting to come out.
"I have been nothing but nice to you." His lips twitched into a small smirk. He obviously liked my reaction a little too much.
"You've been a little too nice."
"Isn't that what girls want?"
"What do you think I am?"
"I'm not sure. I just met you last night."
"Damn straight." I was breathing kind of heavily and was surprised that I hadn't slapped him by now. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
He kept up his smirk with his hands crossed behind his back, "Are you finished with your pathetic excuse for an early 19th century woman's suffrage speech?"
I was kind of taken aback by his boldness but then realized that people usually bowed to him. He was rich, fine as hell, obviously smarter than most scholars and had a hint of danger about him. What wasn't to love?
"You're impossible." I started to walk away but he gingerly took my wrist and turned me back around. I snatched away from his grasp.
"Am I annoying you?" He asked and was almost laughing.
"Immensely."
"Are you irritated?" He started to circle me like I was his fucking prey.
"Massively." I growled.
"Am I making you…angry?" He whispered in a delicious way close to my face.
I didn't even bother answering. My face held all the anger I was feeling.
"They say that anger is the sign of true passion. We could create magic together, Bella."
"Are you that arrogant that you think I would…what, fuck you? I don't even know you."
"Perfect. Literally no strings attached."
"Okay, let me just get this out there. I think you're incredibly sexy and if you would let me, I would like to have a nice fuck before I go about my business." He stopped playing his games.
My mouth hung open as I digested his words. I did register somewhere that he had called me sexy but that was overshadowed by the fact that he thought he was going to get a quick fuck from me.
"Are you serious? Is that how you normally get girls?" I asked, stunned.
"Actually, no. Ideally, you would already be on your back by now." He got a little angrier, "You're very frustrating."
It was in that moment that Edward Cullen went from total heartthrob to every other ubiquitous jerk I met in high school.
"Thanks for bringing me back my purse." I didn't even chance a look back at him as I walked around the fountain.
I could feel his eyes on me and hoped that he got a good look of my ass because that was the last time he was ever going to see it.
HOLY EDWARDASS BATMAN
THAT MAN WILL BE THE DEATH OF US ALL. HOW CAN HE BE SO...ANNOYING? I KNOW BUT THE TRUTH IS, HE'S THE FUNNEST TO WRITE. OH EDWARD, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT OUR BELLA WASN'T SUCH A PUSH OVER.
HE'S IN FOR A WORLD OF HURT COMING UP BUT IT SHOULD BE FUN TO WATCH PLAY OUT, NO?PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING ME IF ALICE AND JASPER WILL GET TOGETHER. ALL IN GOOD TIME MY LOVES. JUST LET ME WORK MY MAGIC.
HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY FOR THE ROLLAR COASTER THAT I'M ABOUT TO THROW DOWN.
UNTIL TOMORROW...ADIOS.
REVIEW JOHNNYS, REVIEW.
