Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all; I just like to play around in her world.
I just wanted to give a quick shout out again for the Meet the Mate contest. If you haven't gone over to check out their Fan Fiction Site – please do. You can find it at MeetTheMateContest (author name) on FF. There are a bunch of great entries just waiting for your vote, which ends this week.
As always a shout out to the Fab Five for their support and help - and AngleycDevil & NKubie for all their beta power!
~MF~
Edward POV
"It's my dad."
Every ounce of desire vanished at her words and the realization of what I'd done. I'd attacked her, even if she and I'd enjoyed every minute of it. And I'd done so in her room, which was as bugged as mine. To add fuel to the fire, the man who'd raised her, the man who I was honor bound to bring down, was pounding on the door. Our intelligence hadn't placed him in the states, much less in Georgia. He'd been sneaky in his travel, and I was betting he'd already gotten a report on his daughter's and my activity of the evening.
A slamming fist to the door confirmed my suspicion.
Bella jumped up, and I stood catching her by the arm to steady her. Straightening her shirt and smoothing out her pants, I took the time to also run my fingers through her hair to get the freshly fucked look out. It didn't help much, but it made me feel better to try. Straightening my shirt, I took a deep breath. Eyes wide, Bella looked like a deer in the headlights.
Her bed was in disarray, so I bent to straighten it as well. When I touched the spread a jolt of desire zinged through me; the fabric was almost as soft as her skin. She was so responsive, and my fingers itched to have her under me again. Her orgasm had been so quick and strong at our causal petting, that I couldn't imagine what it would be like to claim her, taste her, and possess her. Shaking my head to dispel the seductive thoughts, I nudged my shoulder in the direction of the pounding. "Babe, you gotta answer the door. He might break it down."
Those words put flight to her feet. She mumbled something in Italian even as I sat on the desk chair, pulling the syllabi from our Psych 101 class toward me.
When she opened the door, Felix Rossi barged in with Alec directly behind him. Three more men followed, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. There was no doubt in my mind that if I hadn't been sitting in a crowded dorm room in the middle of a college campus, I'd be dead already. I stood, as if out of respect. The Syllabi in my hand was a weak disguise, but unless he was going to admit to having bugged his daughter's room, Felix couldn't confront me. He did glare, even as his tiny daughter stood in defense between us. He was one of the largest men I'd ever seen, next only to Emmett in size. Black hair and deep blue eyes were highlighted by his olive complexion. Dressed in a dark three piece suit, he carried an air of superiority, power, and danger.
"What are you doing here, Daddy?" Bella's voice was harsh. "And did you have to bring everyone with you?"
A slew of rapid-fire Italian followed, and Bella put her hands on her hips. "This . . ." she turned slightly to point at me " . . . is my boyfriend, Cole. And, out of respect, I ask that you speak English around him."
He ignored her plea, letting lose with what sounded like a proper scolding. In response to the tone, the four men with him formed a half circle and moved a step closer. When I saw one of the guys put his hand to his waistline, my need to protect kicked in, and I wrapped my arm around Bella, pulling her to my side and then stepping in front of her. It had been an instinctual move, and had I not been so pissed about how they were being idiots around her, I might have enjoyed the way Felix's eyes widened.
A deep huff behind me told me what Bella thought. "Daddy, leave." She placed her hand at the small of my back, wrapping the other around my forearm.
He answered back in Italian, but she ignored him.
Another rapid spatter of Italian filled the room, but she didn't respond. It appeared she was as stubborn as him.
Finally, he caved. "Princess, you've ignored our calls and emails. Your mother is frantic. She waits at the hotel to speak with you."
"I'm not going." Bella hadn't moved out from behind me, and I felt her fingers clench the back of my shirt.
"Not going . . ." he sputtered.
"Nope. Not until you've apologized to Cole for being an ass. Then, I might meet you and mother over dinner, but only if Cole is invited."
I imagined Jake would be jacking off when he heard this. Felix looked like he wanted to strangle me. Given the size of his hands, it wouldn't take much effort. Which reminded me, I was supposed to be a twenty one year old college kid. Most likely such a creature would be attempting to act tough, but more likely scared shitless with the Godfather crew staring him down.
"Sir," I said with the proper amount of waver, holding my free hand out to him. At first, I thought he was going to ignore me, but then he met my handshake, squeezing as he did.
Pulling my hand from him, I turned to Bella, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "At least talk to him for a little. If you want me to go to dinner with you to see your mom, I will. But if I was your father, I'd be worried. We both look like we were doing exactly what we were doing."
She giggled, causing me to smile against her ear. Moving slightly back, I smirked to see her looking at me through her long lashes. Ok, she mouthed.
"Mr. Rossi, it was nice to meet you," I said, squeezing Bella's hand slightly before letting go. It took everything I had to present my back to the group as I walked through them to the door.
I heard her father start back in Italian immediately, trying not to laugh when the four goons followed me and took up sentry places around her door.
Yeah . . . there was a way to not be obvious.
~MF~
When I went to undress, I realized that the night had been more successful than I'd expected. Several strands of Bella's hair had gotten caught on my shirtsleeve button and one appeared to have a tag. Getting nuclear DNA would be a bonus. It must have happened during our make out session. Sitting down on the bed, I huffed, feeling I was a cad of the utmost degree. Jacob was going to put a rush on this. Why he was concerned about further DNA was beyond me. The bureau already had all they needed to prove the woman I was being deceptive to was Isabella Marie Swan. The fingerprints he'd had in Seattle were clear. The stuff I was getting were mere formalities. My bet was this mission was solely about trying to determine how deep Bella was into her father and uncle's business affairs, and to obtain any information they could regarding them.
Reaching down to my watch, I pressed the buttons, signaling a need for a pickup. Certain Bella would be spending time with her father, I decided to go for a late run through the campus. I was betting my shadow would be most likely engaged in watching over Felix, so it was a good time to have a "run-in" with a fellow jogger. Opening the closet and strategically keeping the door in the way of the camera, I quickly unwrapped the strands from my shirt and deposited them into the sandwich bag I'd kept stuffed in my pocket. A t-shirt and jogging shorts came next. I was tying my shoes when Jasper walked in.
"Going for a jog?" he asked, setting down his dinner from the DUC.
"Yup. Came home from my date with Isabella to be greeted by her father and some of his friends." Thankfully Jasper was facing me, not the camera, as he didn't control the arching of his eyebrows. "I don't think he liked me much."
Jasper whistled softly.
"Anyhow, if Isabella comes by, tell her I've gone for a run."
"Sure thang. I'll take care of your purty lady."
"Hands off, Banniker."
He held his hands up in surrender, a cocky as shit grin on his face.
Grabbing my iPod, I stepped out of the building, the Ziploc bag stashed in my pocket. I was certain Jazz would be on his phone listening to music, aka the transmission from Bella's room via the bug he'd planted on one of our visits there, before my muscles even warmed up.
~MF~
Isabella POV
I couldn't decide if my visit with my father had gone well or horribly. I'd missed him terribly. While I was best friends with my mother, I was also a daddy's girl. To see him so mad at me had been a blow. He'd acted horribly to Cole. He'd given me the whole "how much did I really know about this boy" lecture and then tried to make me doubt my reactions. He'd been stunned when I'd crossed my arms across my chest and told him I wouldn't be attending a meeting with my mother if he, and she, couldn't be cordial to a man I'd decided was good for me.
It was then that he'd sat on my bed, resting his arms against his legs. It was the most defeated I'd ever seen him and his manner seemed odd.
"We just want everything in your life to be perfect, princess,"he'd said.
That had led to a discussion about how I wanted to learn from my experiences, and even though I didn't think Cole was going to break my heart, I'd conceded to my dad that if such a thing happened, I would take it as a life lesson. When he'd wrapped his big arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side, I'd caved, snuggling up to the man who had always kept the monsters away. He'd left only after I'd agreed to lunch.
I smiled when the text came in from Cole.
Sorry I wasn't here when you stopped by, I'll see you in the morning.
I quickly typed out a response.
No problem. But I need you for a lunch date tomorrow.
Ok. Not sure I have the wardrobe to impress your 'rents.
Khakis and a button up are fine. Hopefully, my father won't show up in his Godfather suit.
His response took a minute.
Evan is laughing his ass off at that remark. I have to admit, your dad is intimidating as hell.
He's a big teddy bear.
Sure. BTW, what time do I need to be ready?
Eleven.
Okay.
Here is where I decided to get spunky.
Could I convince you to come up here and finish what we started?
Isabella, stop! Evan is here or I'd call you.
Again, empty room. No roommate here.
Gah!
I giggled imagining him banging his head against the phone. Then inspiration struck. Grabbing my very red lipstick out of my purse, I quickly applied a coating, taking a close-up. I made sure to bite my lip slightly at one side and hit send before I could chicken out.
And I waited. Just as panic began to set in, my phone chimed.
Have you no mercy?
My giggles turned into snorts. He wasn't going to come, literally and figuratively, and I was torturing us both. It felt good to be able to mess with him. It felt even better that he was willing to give as good as he got.
Good night, Cole.
Good night, Isabella
~MF~
At precisely 11 a.m., Cole knocked on the door. Even knowing what to expect, I had to take a deep breath when I saw him. He'd paired khakis with a light blue button up and a tie and held a blazer in his hand. The blue contrasted nicely with his hair and eyes, but it was the tie that did me in. I wanted to pull him down and kiss him senseless by it, so I did.
Before we could get out of hand, he broke from me, running his thumb across my lips. "Isabella, I have to face your parents today. Let me do so with a good conscience."
Laughing up at him, I teased, "You were bad last night, so what's the difference?"
"That was last night. Today is a new day." He snickered at my dubious expression. He might be trying to be funny, but his green eyes blazed with interest and lust. It did my heart good.
"Okay, I'll let you off this time, but don't expect me to be a good girl for long."
He groaned, pinching his nose between his fingers. "I'd never expect that of you, because you're perfectly designed to be my personal temptation."
I liked the thought way too much and patted softly at his chest, enjoying the hard muscles under his shirt. "As long as you understand you're mine," I teased.
He smirked and shook his head at me. Unfortunately, a knock at the door interrupted whatever else he was going to say. Grabbing my clutch, I linked our fingers before going to meet the driver.
"Isabella, what exactly does your father do?" he asked when we slid into the seat of the Mercedes Maybach.
Blowing out a breath, I raised the privacy shield. "To be honest, I don't know all of it. Business dealings across the world. The company was left to him and my uncle Deme when my grandfather died." Squirming in the seat, I decided to be forthright. "My grandfather was killed by my grandmother. She caught him cheating."
For a moment he didn't move, then he reached over to grab my hand and offered, "Sorry."
"Um, it's okay. I don't remember him much, more this feeling of a man who was slightly scary, but loving at the same time. My grandmother is totally different. She and I correspond by mail all the time. I haven't seen her since she was put in jail. She's actually in prison in New York. I'd like to go visit her soon. She and my dad have a strained relationship. I mean, he loves her, you know, but still, she killed his dad."
Cole continued to watch me carefully.
"My thought is my granddad should've kept his pants zipped. If he'd done that, Grandmother wouldn't have had to shoot him in the dick."
Cole squirmed at my words. Typical male reaction.
"Anyhow, my uncle and dad took over after he died. I know they deal in stock and stuff, but to be honest, I've never been terribly interested in it. My older cousin, Santiago, already works for them and will take over the company when Uncle Deme retires. His sister is here in the states, but the other three younger boys help with the business, as well."
Cole's forehead wrinkled.
"What?" I asked.
"You don't seem the type to sit back and let someone else run a business your family has built."
I couldn't help the big smile that broke across my face. He was a very astute person. "Well, I'll let them pull out their hair over the rise and fall of the markets. My plan is to take over the charitable division of the company once I finish my degrees. It is growing every year, and helps with the tax write off, particularly here in the states. The person they have running it now is okay, but I have some big ideas about social justice reform and projects that I've already talked to Uncle Deme about." I snickered remembering the stunned look on my handsome uncle's face. Cole's arched eyebrow asked I share. "Uncle Deme thinks I'm crazy sometimes, but I think I impressed him with my plans.
"Anyhow, I swear my family comes off like some Italian Mafia sometimes. My parents are nuts as well. They're so overprotective. It's why I'm here, to get a little space from them. Cole . . . um, I should tell you . . . they've run off every boyfriend I've ever tried to have." He raised the eyebrow again. "I don't want them to do that to you."
He grinned, and it was so pretty I didn't realize he was pulling me to him until I all but lay on his chest. The anxiety I was feeling disappeared when he gently brushed his lips across mine. "Okay, Isabella. But if he offers to introduce me to his little friend, I'm taking you with me."
I burst out laughing, but continued to kiss his face lightly through the chuckles. It was the clearing of my father's throat that broke us apart. I turned to see that the car had stopped and he was there to accompany us in. I'd been thoroughly busted.
Feeling Cole tense, I put another lingering kiss on his frozen lips before sliding over the seat toward my dad. I made sure to keep Cole's hand firmly in mine, because I'd seen my dad's "little friend" and there was nothing small about the gun I knew he kept on him.
~MF~
AN: This installment is coming to you from the sunny beaches of Panama City, Florida. I'm watching over my brother after surgery, but it's still a vacation in comparison to being home with six kids. God Bless my husband. HA!
Just a warning, and not to tip you off, but you can imagine that things start changing for our couple quickly with the next chapter. Buckle your seat belts . . . literally.