WARNING: The following story contains violence, coarse language and mature subject matter. Readers discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Twilight, so please don't sue!
Inhaling deeply, I woke to an amazing smell. Strawberries, my mind whispered as I hummed in appreciation. The shift of something in my arms made me slowly open my eyes…and then blink to make sure I really was awake. My eyes had been met with a mess of brown hair, which had been the source of that wonderful fruity scent. The thing that had been shifting in my arms was a woman. My woman. Bella. I smiled, liking the sound of that, and buried my nose into her long chestnut locks.
As soon as I realized it was her, my arms tightened around her naked body and pulled her close to my equally naked chest, snuggling further under the blankets. There was a reason we had to get out of bed but at that moment I couldn't figure out what it was. I was too busy running my hands along the soft skin of Bella's side and reveling in her warm body pressed intimately against mine.
After last night (or yesterday) I should have been totally worn out but that pressing need to have her again was already starting. Waking up next to your woman after a long, hot night of continuous lovemaking did crazy things to a man's libido. Basically the cure for a tired woman after sex was more sex, from a man's point of view. It wasn't good to admit but I was a man and having her beside me tempted me to wake her and repeat what had happened the day before. What could I say? I was young and my body was still in prime condition. Like a lot of men, usually one part of my anatomy ruled the rest and it was doing it's best to let my brain know exactly what it wanted.
Bella however had different plans, as she was still deeply asleep. I could feel her chest moving up in down in slow breaths under my arm, which I had carelessly thrown over her body sometime in the night. She didn't exactly know about the internal fight that was going on inside me. But as I stared down at her sleeping face, I made myself roll away from her and sit up on the other side of the bed. Rubbing my face, I tried to calm down, keeping my back to her naked form that was barely covered by the blankets we'd tossed every which way. As I thought about that, memories of the day and night before came back to me making me hot again.
"Stop it," I hissed out loud.
I didn't want Bella to think I was just in for the sex, even though the sex was earth shatteringly good. I did actually want to keep her with me to talk to her, laugh with her and just hold her sometimes. And then I remembered all the lies I had told her. My libido wilted at the thought, knowing it was only a matter of time until she left and never came back. That thought did an odd thing to my chest, making it ache as if it were…empty.
Bella murmured something behind me and I reflexively began to turn to look at her roll over. But as my head swiveled my eyes caught sight of the digital clock on my bedside table. So that was why I had woken. It was the usual time I got up for work. My body clock must have become used to getting up so it had roused me at the correct time. And it was a weekday meaning we had to work so I was lucky. I sighed, knowing I'd have to wake Bella because she also had to get to work and to that jackass.
Thinking about Mike Newton made my fists clench and my body tense in anger. How dare he even come near her! I felt the need to strangle not only his wife but also my 'boss'. They both were assholes and they seemed to deserve one another. So once I found the evidence against Lauren, and Bella was free of Jessica's threats, they could either get back together or make some other person of the opposite sex suffer. If I killed them both there wouldn't be any more trouble. But then I would be a murderer and unable to stay with Bella. No. That meant the murder plan was out. I just had to get Bella out of the line of fire and then forget about the Newton's and move on with Bella. That is if she wanted to move on with me.
I rubbed my face again to wake myself up before stretching, letting out a long yawn and getting to my feet. The morning sun was hidden behind the blinds but slices of bright light cut across the floor and bed, thankfully not anywhere near where my head had been. I'd have got an eyeful of sunshine if it did. I passed the window, opting not to open them when I woke Bella. As I stepped around the bed, I found my discarded shorts on the floor where I'd tossed them. Pulling them on, I decided to brush my teeth before getting Bella up. I didn't want to wake her with smelly breath. That'd be really attractive. So I scrubbed my teeth until I was sure my breath smelled of mint before going back into my room.
She'd turned over on to her stomach and was still sleeping soundly. The blanket covered from the small of her back to her knees where she tangled the sheets between her legs. Everything else was on display. Taking a deep breath, I told myself not to jump her. Instead, I sat down beside her and softly brushed the hair away from her face. "Bella," I whispered. She stirred but didn't open her eyes. "Wake up," I urged, running my hand down the curve of her bare back.
She smiled suddenly and hummed happily, her eyes finally blinking open to look at me. "Good morning," she sighed in her sleep voice.
I grinned in response. "Good morning," I murmured, leaning in to kiss her temple. "How was your sleep?"
"Perfect," she said. "Just wish it had lasted longer."
"Sorry," I answered with an apologetic smile. "Reality likes to get into the way."
I leaned closer, trying to kiss her but she pulled away. My face must have shown my confusion and slight hurt because she bit her lip and explained quickly.
"My breath must stink," she said. "I can't kiss you like this." She sat up, covering her body with the blanket and shuffled away from me. I smirked at her before crawling closer. She kept moving backwards, clutching the sheet around her and glaring at me but I could see the smile she was fighting to keep hidden.
"Does it look like I care?" I asked, tugging on the blanket playfully.
She gripped it tighter. "Don't come any closer, mister," she stated. "We don't have time for this." She glanced at the clock and suddenly fell off the bed in shock.
"Woah!" I cried, jumping over to help her as she lay in a heap on the floor. "Are you all right?"
"We're going to be late!" she snapped, standing on wobbly legs. "I need to get back to my apartment…Alice! Oh God! What am I going to tell her? Where are my clothes?" She ran around the room, giving me a very nice view as she bent down to grab her clothes. She'd only managed to have the sheet cover the front part of her body so her perfect ass was on full display. Those memories of the night before came flying back and I was hot again. I swallowed heavily as she jumped around pulling on her clothes. She was having trouble doing up her bra so I helped her snap it into place. She mumbled a thanks and pulled on her shirt. "Maybe…maybe I could just tell her we talked for the whole day and then fell asleep."
"Err…" I stated, feeling a little put out that she wanted to hide our activities from her friend. Were we not a couple doing couple things now? "You might not be able to pull off that." I pointed to the mirror. She looked and gasped at her mussed hair. "That may have been my fault," I admitted with a grin.
"God!" she cried trying to finger-comb her hair. "I have to go and get ready." Suddenly she jumped out the room and started for the front door.
"Wait! Bella!" I exclaimed, running after her. I grabbed just as she reached the front hall. She turned to face me with a frazzled look. "We're still…walking together, right?" Bella nodded quickly and went for the door again but I yanked her back to me. She fell against my chest. "I forgot to give you something," I muttered before capturing her mouth with mine. I didn't care if her breath smelled bad; I still loved kissing her.
Apparently she wasn't ready for it because she looked slightly dazed when she finally made it out the door and into the elevator. As soon as I closed the door I was racing to clean myself up and eat something before running down to her place to walk to work together.
It's amazing how sex can make your day so much better. The amazing (and multiple) releases' energized me. I usually hated getting up early but after the day before…I'd never felt more ready to confront that ass Newton. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind about what he was doing to Bella but then I realized that if I did that then I could ruin everything. My plan was to get Bella away from Newton forever. If I told him off, he'd fire me and then continue on with his booty hunt. I was not going to take the risk. I needed to get him to feel trapped and caught in the act. Once I finally got the evidence for Jessica he'd be so busy trying to calm her the Hell down that I might be able to convince Bella that she needed to leave the company. We'd start somewhere new. Anywhere she wanted to go. Just the two of us…
Walking to work with Bella wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. I thought she'd be blushing like crazy and trying to do everything to keep us off the topic of what happened the day before. It seemed that after she had time to clean herself up she was all over me. She greeted me with a lingering kiss when I knocked on her door and then she clutched my hand the whole walk.
Our conversation was normal too, about how she had to bring Alice to airport later that night. Her friend hadn't prodded Bella about where she was the night before but she knew that it would come up soon enough. Apparently they were going to dinner before Alice left. That meant I couldn't see Bella tonight. She saw my fallen face and smiled sadly. "Sorry," she apologized.
I shook my head and forced a smile on my face. "No," I said. "It's fine. I think I got enough of you yesterday, anyway." That was a pure lie since I'd never have enough of her. I had been looking forward to spending the night in bed with her beside me. I liked waking up to her…
We parted at the elevators and kissed quickly as she ran for the cab that was headed up. I literally skipped down the stairs and into the mailroom, the grin never leaving my face. I was finally a satisfied man and Emmett seemed to notice. He gave me a rough slap on the back when he saw me. It must be that every man who recently had sex has a sort of look on his face. Emmett seemed to understand. That kind of release does crazy things to a guy.
My sex high didn't break until after lunch. Bella and I went out after collecting the lunches for the rest of the office. She'd picked a small café that we'd frequented quite a lot. Myself, being a man, offered to take her back to my apartment but she'd stopped that, claiming that we'd never make it back for work. She was right of course, so instead I had to go through the torture of watching her eat some pastry and lick chocolate off her fingers for almost an hour. When in the Hell did my pants become so tight? I would have probably broken one of my most important parts if she continued any longer. Luckily I was granted one make out session in the nearby park before we walked back to the building. Fucking tease knew what she was doing to me…and I loved it.
But there was a job to do and Newton reminded me of that when I caught him getting too close to Bella for my liking. He was yelling at her when I reached the floor with my cart full of mail. Immediately, I saw red and pictured myself snapping his neck like a twig. Bella's eyes went to mine and I could see the fright in them. I didn't even think. I just moved in between the two, shielding Bella's body with mine. Newton's beady eyes looked up at me, sneer included. "What are you doing Cullen?" he demanded.
"Back off," I said slowly. He didn't move so I stepped towards him. "I said, back…the fuck…off."
"Who the Hell do you think you are?" he growled.
I was ready to punch his ugly face in but Bella's hand on my arm stopped me. She grabbed my face and forced me to look into her brown eyes. She hushed my gently, brushing the hair away from my eyes. I could see the concern and fear for me in her eyes. She didn't want me to get hurt. I squeezed my eyes closed and breathed deeply for a moment before I was finally able to calmly turn back to Newton who was watching the whole exchange with narrowed eyes.
"Office romances' are strictly off limits," he stated. Hypocrite. I didn't answer him and soon he grew wary. "If I see anything like this again…you will be fired, Cullen. Mark my words. Get back to work." And then he turned and stomped away like a toddler.
"You know that he's just scared of what you'll do if her fires you, right?" Bella whispered. "But he'll get up the nerve soon enough."
I snorted and turned back to her. "Then leave. Leave with me. We can both quit and find someplace new."
She smiled sadly at me. "Are you suggesting I run away with you?"
"Well how about it?" I asked.
She laughed. "It just sounds so teenage-like. The Rebel Kids," she said with another small smile. She kissed my chin gently and walked back to her desk. "I'll see you after work."
Sighing in annoyance I went about my work and delivered the mail throughout the floor. When I was finally done, I had a few minutes left until the day was over. My eyes found Newton's open office door. It was empty. He was out somewhere else. I didn't know when he'd be back but it was the only chance I had to plant my camera.
Making sure that no one was watching, I slipped into his office and went to his desk. He'd thrown his suit jacket over the chair and I spotted the American flag pin he always wore. Too easy, I thought as a switched the pin with my own that included a tiny camera and microphone. All thanks to Seth again. The geek had created it all himself. He'd watched too many spy films and the regular camera was always put in a flag pin attached to a coat. Again, it fed the footage and sound to my laptop. Hopefully, I'd catch Mike and Lauren on this and Jessica would believe me.
It all seemed too easy as I slipped back out and joined the throng of people heading for the elevator. Bella met me there, smiling at me and making me grin in return. As the cab doors closed I watched Newton walk out of his office with his jacket on. So far everything was going to plan.
The walk back to the apartment building was fast since Bella and Alice had dinner reservations at some fancy restaurant. She apologized profusely and promised to make it up to me but I told her not to worry. I was already planning something for the next night anyway. She grinned at me as the elevator stopped at her floor. "I can't wait," she said, kissing me deeply before running off to her apartment and leaving me alone in the elevator with the taste of her lips still on mine.
When I got home I went straight to work, flipping on my laptop and throwing those annoying glasses I had to wear on the coffee table. It was a wonder that Bella didn't mention them before. I hadn't worn them at all yesterday…but then again she'd been otherwise occupied. I couldn't help but grin when I thought about that. But there was no time to fantasize about her. I had a job to do and that was to keep her safe.
The camera and microphone had worked just fine. It had recorded and sent over all the information I needed. Damn it I could kiss that little geek of mine. What would I do without Seth?
The footage started as I walked out of Mike's office. I watched myself leave the room and just as suddenly as I'd left, Newton walked in. He pulled on his jacket and got himself ready to leave the office. The camera tracked his path to the elevator and down into the lobby of the building before Mike started his walk home. By this time, he'd pulled out his phone and was dialing someone's number. The first word out of his mouth incriminated him. "Lauren," he barked into the phone. "I don't care if you're busy. Meet me at the Kings, right now." I realized that the Kings was a very fancy hotel and apparently Mike had a continuous booking for one room for very such occasions. The staff greeted him as if he was their own boss and of course he brushed them off. He was a man on a mission, it seemed. And it was quite a mission he had.
I was a man so I had to admit that I did enjoy porn, especially as a teenager, but watching Mike and Lauren go at it on the camera...God, it was enough to make the toughest man ill. Newton had stupidly dropped his jacket on one of the hotel chairs where it gave the camera a perfect view of the bed that was now tainted. I swore that I'd never go to the Kings hotel. I would not take the chance of getting that same room. Disgusting. But necessary, it seemed. I need to make sure this was the piece of evidence that would get Jessica off our backs for good. She had the visual and the sound. She couldn't deny that it was her husband fucking her best friend. I should have felt sympathy for the pain it would cause Jessica but somehow that feeling evaded me.
I made sure to skim the most important parts of the video (close to losing my lunch the whole time) before saving it to my computer. Then I opened my e-mail and, taking a deep breath, sent the video to Jessica. As soon as it was off into inter-space, I closed the computer and breathed easily. Soon it would all be over and Bella would be safe once again. My eyes went to the clock and I was surprised at the late time. I'd spent a good few hours looking through that grotesque video. Now it was time to go to bed and try not to think about Mike's terrible performances skills.
I was glad to see Bella the next morning, taking her hand in mine and walking leisurely to work. She was a bit tired and I couldn't help but ask her what had happened to her. She and her friend had had dinner the night before at some fancy restaurant that Alice had picked out. Bella hadn't enjoyed the food since it was a steak the size of a nickel with two heated carrots and a whole lot of sauce. Not worth the money Alice had insisted on paying. She said it was only fair since Bella had let her stay in her apartment. Of course the nosy pixie had brought up their night together. Bella had told her they had talked the whole night and she had accidently fallen asleep. Whether Alice bought the excuse, she didn't know.
She had dropped her friend off at the airport an hour after their dinner, hugging a tearful pixie before heading home to go to bed. At five in morning, however, Bella's phone rang. Apparently Alice had gone home to New York on a plane and had met someone during the flight. The pixie couldn't wait to tell Bella all about the 'hunky, smooth-talking Texan cowboy' she'd sat next to the whole flight home. He'd asked her out when they got off the plane at four in the morning in the Big Apple. She had accepted and was going out to dinner with him later that day.
I couldn't help but chuckle when Bella yawned. "You know, if you don't want to go out tonight, we don't have to," I started but she cut me off with a look.
"No," she said. "There is no way that you're getting out of going out tonight! Have you picked where we're going?"
"I thought I'd let you pick," I said with a grin. "Only seems fair since you were subjected to the horror of last nights dinner."
She smiled, which was what I was looking for, before thinking. "Okay," she finally answered. "I want to go Mickey's."
I was surprised at her answer. Mickey's was an old Irish pub, which sold mainly burgers, chips and beer. Maybe the night with Alice had turned her off fancy restaurants for life. Whatever reason she had, I didn't care. Mickey's was a favorite of mine. "All right," I said as we walked into the Cityspace building. "We'll go to Mickey's. But I'm choosing where we're going after."
She looked at me curiously, her brow raised slightly. "Should I be worried?" she asked.
I grinned, pushing her towards the elevator. "Don't you worry," I called. "You'll like it! I promise."
The hours seemed to drag on forever. As the day went on I began to second-guess my choice of the after dinner entertainment. Would she really like what I had chosen? I didn't know but there was no way that I'd ask her and ruin the surprise. I just had to hope.
At the end of the day I was about ready to burst with excitement and nerves. I was glad to say that I had avoided Newton the whole day and nothing seemed different. Had Jessica not checked her e-mail yet? I could have called her and asked but I found myself unable to dial the number. It was like going back into a past I'd rather leave behind. If she called me then I would talk to her. But there was no way that I would talk to her again of my own free will.
Bella was waiting for me at her desk. She asked if there was time to go back to her apartment and change. I agreed and we walked back to the apartment building. She badgered me the whole way, trying to get my surprise out of me. But I stayed strong, even when she tried seducing it out of me. Her fingers in my hair did crazy things to my mind, making me close to giving it all up. But we had been walking at that point and she had distracted herself into almost falling flat on her face. Catching her before she fell had brought me out of my haze and back into control.
After going to our own apartments to clean up, we headed for Mickey's pub. It was the dinner rush hour by the time we got there. The bar was loud with chatter and laughter, a soccer game playing in the background. Mickey's was a small place on the corner of a very busy Seattle street. There was a long bar at the back where the employees poured the drinks and a swinging door behind that into the kitchen. A rowdy bunch of men were sitting at the bar, knocking back pints and joking about the game shown on the television above their heads. Sitting at the table closest to the bar was a group of women who were whispering and shooting glances at the beer-drinking guys. Judging by what they were wearing, I was sure that they were looking for more than a drink. Throughout the rest of the pub were couples, friends and even solitary people just drinking their woes away. It was saddening to see that kind of suffering but I had to remind myself that this night was about Bella. And I was going to make it fun for her.
We chose a spot in a corner but it was difficult to talk when there were already so many people having conversations around us. I had to raise my voice for her to hear me over the talk, the television announcers and the loud rock music in the background. But she was smiling so I decided that she didn't mind the noise. And it was so beautiful to see her laughing. It was contagious and I found myself laughing with her at the stupidest things. God, I felt like a teenager again.
I was surprised to find Bella ordering a beer and burger like me. She merely shrugged at my questioning look as the waitress walked away. "I need more than a nickel sized piece of meat to satisfy me," she shouted.
I grinned and leaned closer, motioning for her to do the same. "So I'm guessing I'm the whole cow?" I said in her ear. She gasped and looked at me before bursting into laughter. Again she made me laugh too. But the thing that I noticed was that she didn't deny it. My ego inflated a little.
It was a wonder to watch Bella demolish her burger and chips, draining the bottle of beer as if she did it everyday. And yet she had the most amazing figure I'd ever seen. How the hell did she do it? This woman would never stop surprising me. She caught me staring and took another swig from her beer. "Close your mouth!" she shouted. "You're catching flies!" And my mouth had been hanging open. I closed it quickly and she laughed again. I would never get tired of hearing that sound.
Halfway through our dinner another rowdy group of men showed up. "Hey!" one of them bellowed, reminding me of Emmett. Everyone stopped and stared at him as he threw his arm drunkenly around one of his buddies and raised his pint in the air. "I'd…I'd like to say congrats to my man Tim! Cause he's gettin' married tomorrow!" The crowd broke out into applause as the groom turned red. His friend stumbled slightly against the bar before going on. "So…so congrats Timmy! But drink up! This is your last night of freedom, bud! And we've got more bars to get to tonight! Woo!"
"All right!" the bartender snapped. "Off with now! I don't want you passing out on my property."
The men laughed loudly and stumbled out of the pub, the groom still red in the face and the most sober of them all. Just wait until the next day. All his groomsmen would definitely be hungover. Not so good a wedding. His future wife wouldn't be too happy.
Bella laughed as the crowd went back to talking. "Imagine what that wedding's going to be like," she said.
"Not so good," I answered with a grin as she smiled.
After we had finished our meal (and I had won the argument over who was going to pay for it) we headed out and down the street. The sun had set and there was a small chill to the air. I decided that it was my job to keep her warm so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, tucking her safely into my side. She smiled and snuggled closer making my ego grow even more. I was sure that by the end of the night my head would look like a hot air balloon.
"So…" she started and I already knew what was coming. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope," I chuckled. "You'll just have to wait."
"But I'm impatient," she whined and I laughed, kissing her hair and walking the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.
The building I stopped at was a place that used to be a disco back in the day. Now it was a club that hosted different events and people like comedians and bands. Bella looked confused as we walked inside but as soon as she saw the stage and the posters proclaiming it 'Cover Band Night' she smiled. "You're kidding me," she laughed.
I shrugged. "I saw it in the paper a few days ago," I admitted. "Hope you like eighties music."
She grinned, taking my face in her hands and kissing me. "You know I do!" Then she pulled me toward a table that had a good view of the stage.
So we spent the next few hours in the club, listening to the cover bands that went from one memorable eighties song to another. I got myself another beer and a more fruity drink for Bella, making her tipsy and a little louder when she cheered. Realizing she was close to getting drunk again, I got her a glass of water, hoping it would calm her. She drank it all and quieted down, merely clapping for the bands now. She really was adorable when she was tipsy, but I wanted her sober when I took her home. There was only one way that I wanted this night to end and that was in my bed with her beside me.
After the last band signed off and the crowd gave a round of applause for them all, Bella and I stood to go. She was very talkative as we walked home, my arm around her shoulders and hers around my waist. Still a little tipsy but another glass of water would bring her brain back into control. Alice was right. Bella could not hold her booze well.
We started down the street that led to not only our apartments but also the Cityspace office building. No one would be there at this time in the night but the streets were flooded with people going to and from events, bars and clubs. The further we got from the office building, the less people we met. It was nearly deserted by the time we reached our building. But before we could walk up the steps and into the lobby, I noticed someone stumbling down the street.
"Is that…Mike?" Bella asked, squinting to make out the dark profile. "And Lauren?"
So it was. Newton was drunkenly walking down the street towards us, Laruen running after him and fretting. I could hear her saying how stupid he was for drinking so much and that she wanted to go home. But he ignored her. Instead, he continued to walk towards us until he'd almost run into Bella. I pulled her out of the way and behind me as Mike tripped but righted himself at the last moment. He snorted with laughter and I felt Bella's fingers gripping my jacket in fear. This was not a Mike that you wanted to see. He was dangerous as a drunk.
"Bella!" he laughed, stumbling to his feet again. I felt Bella cringe behind me when he called her name. "Bella! Why're you hiding? Come on…come on out here!" His words were slurred, signaling that he was well and truly drunk.
"Go home, Mike," I stated darkly.
He looked up at me with blood shot eyes. He seemed confused at first before the anger took over. "Bella!" he shouted. "Come here. I wanna see you. Right now or…or you're fired." He snorted with laughter again. Lauren came up to him, touching his arm and suggesting they go back to her place. He shoved her away. She stumbled in surprise and fell to the sidewalk with a thud.
"What the fuck is a matter with you?" I questioned in disgust, actually feeling sorry for Lauren. She was obviously embarrassed as she stood and dusted her short dress off.
"What's the matter with me?" Mike asked. "What's the matter with you? Better yet…" He stepped to the left, trying to see Bella around me. I stepped the same way, still shielding her with my body. "What's the matter with Bella, huh? I mean…why'd she like you?" He turned his attention to the woman behind me again. "Did he fuck you good, Bella?" he shouted. I heard her whimper in fright and my anger began to escalate again. "Is his dick big enough for you, you slut?"
That was it. I stepped towards the ass, grabbed his shirt collar and lifted him right off his feet. His eyes went wide with surprise as I glared at him. "Fuck. Off." I snarled. "Or I won't stop myself from ripping your head from your fucking shoulders." I dropped him, watching as he staggered backwards before turning and going back to Bella who was pale white with fear.
Suddenly I heard Lauren cry, "No Mike, don't!" and then he hit me from behind. The force of his weight made me fall forwards, skinning my palms against the sidewalk. I grunted as I hit the ground but didn't just lie there in pain. I spun around, pushing him off me. He fell to the ground but pushed himself to his feet. He came for me again when I was on my feet but I was ready. My fist connected with his face and I watched in pleasure as the blood spurted out from his nose. Mike stumbled backwards before falling to the sidewalk, finally unable to move.
Lauren went to his side, fretting over his face as he moaned on the ground. How she could still care when he'd pushed her away was beyond me.
"Oh my God, Ted!" Bella cried, grabbing my face. "Are you all right?"
I realized my palms had started to bleed and Bella was freaking out about it. "I'm fine," I said, a little out of breath from all the excitement. "I'm fine."
She sighed in relief, wrapping her arms around me. I buried my face into her hair, just glad that I was the one that had been hurt rather than her. If Mike had touched her in anyway…I looked over at the disgusting asshole that was still crying on the ground, holding his nose as the blood gushed out. Lauren was freaking out, confused as of what to do. I didn't care anymore.
Suddenly I heard a police siren coming closer. Looking up I noticed the car driving quickly down the street, lights flashing. It stopped at the curb in front of us and the loud siren was finally turned off.
"Lauren called the police," Bella informed me. "She was freaking out."
"She still is," I said, wondering how I'd explain it all to the officer. It looked pretty bad for me but I was sure I'd be able to wangle my way out of it. I knew all the guys on the police team. They'd have my back in the matter.
And then the man stepped out of the car.
"Shit," I hissed.
James Hunter. The worst cop in the city. The worst cop meaning he didn't like me. Actually he hated me with a passion. He believed I was taking advantage of the police whenever I asked for info on a person who was my target. He believed I just played around with the officers so I could use them, which wasn't true. I enjoyed spending time with the guys. They really were like friends to me. James just didn't understand that.
He strode around the front of the cop car leisurely, his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. "So we meet again," he chuckled.
I grimaced as he grinned. "Meet again?" Bella asked, confused and looking to me for answers. "What does he mean, Ted?"
James' eyebrow raised when she called me my undercover name. "Nothing," I whispered. "We knew each other once."
"Once?" James snorted as he stepped up on to the sidewalk. "So…what's going on here…Ted?" He smirked when he said the name and I hated him even more. I wanted to do the same thing I'd done to Mike to his smarmy face.
"He attacked this man, officer!" Lauren wailed from where she was still trying to help Mike.
James turned to look at them as if he had just noticed they were there. "Is that so?" he asked, looking at me again.
"That's not true!" Bella piped up. "Ted was acting in self defense!"
"I dunno about that," James said as he leaned over a moaning Mike. "This one's pretty banged up." He turned his gaze to me. "This one…ain't so much."
"It was self defense!" Bella cried. "Check his hands!"
"No," James sighed. "No, I think I understand what happened here." He strolled over to where Bella and I were standing. "Hold out your hands."
I did so after a moment of hesitation, my palms up, believing he wanted to see the scrapes. But instead he grabbed my wrist, twisted it around to my back and handcuffed me. "You have the right to remain silent," he started off. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
"This is ridiculous!" Bella cried but James just ignored her and went on with his speech. I knew he'd been dying to say it to me for years.
"You have the right to speak to an attorney," he went on, pushing me towards the car. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you." He pushed me down on to the hood of the cruiser, pressing my face against the cold metal. He was making it worse for me, I thought as he checked my pockets. "Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"
"Yes," I growled.
"Yes what?" he taunted, pressing my face harder against the hood.
"Yes…officer," I snarled.
"Good," he answered, pulling me back up before leading me towards the back door of the cruiser. Bella was still demanding to know why I was being arrested but James continued to ignore her. Instead he opened the door and shoved me inside, making sure I hit my head of the roof in the process. That dick, I thought as he slammed the door.
"Tell me why he's being arrested!" Bella screamed at him when he walked right past her. "You have no right!"
"Baby," James said as he opened the driver's side door. "Take it up with my boss when you get the time." He winked and I saw red.
There were no more words exchanged as James got into the car and started it up. I watched Bella's stricken face as we drove away until the cruiser turned the corner and she was out of sight. "You sure do know how to pick 'em," James laughed. "Quite the little tiger, isn't she? Bet she's killer in bed."
"Fuck off, James," I snapped.
"And when she called you 'Ted'!" he sniggered. "God, I can't wait to see her face when she finds out about who you really are. Classic!"
I stayed silent for the rest of ride, just picturing that face and drowning in the sorrow of knowing that I was going to lose her.
Authors Note
This is the second last chapter, ladies! Only one more left until this story is over. Then we will be moving on the Cowboyward story. Are you excited? Good because you should be. It's going to be good. I've finished the first chapter already. Exciting! More exciting is that it's only a few weeks until my college starts up! There is an orientation week that includes a concert with bands like Down With Webster and Lights on campus! Ahh! I'm so excited! Plus I have a trip to Florida coming up soon where I'll be going to see the Harry Potter world! And I'll be taking my Macbook with me to type up some stuff on the plane and at the airport. Should finish this story before school starts up. Hopefully. So comment me and I'll be sure to start the next chapter!