Declaration

"When he comes for her, she has no control, no way to shut the door, and nowhere to run. That's when she listens."- Donna Lynn Hope

He came to the restaurant everyday after that. Always sitting in my section looking to the kitchen waiting to see me walking towards him with my pad and pen, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't going to serve him after the way he'd made me feel. Whether it had been intentional or not he'd made it seem like he had feelings for me, the way he would casually touch me, run his hands along my wrists and waist or any part of my body he could touch. The way he would look at me, like his eyes wanted to devour every part of my mind, body and soul. No, I wasn't going to fall into that trap again. I wasn't strong enough to go through that, but I wasn't going to sit on the wayside either. I had options and I was going to use them.

VII

"Bella you ready to go?"

"Yeah Felix give me just one second," and I zipped my jacket up and walked towards the front of the restaurant where Felix was waiting for me. He'd given me rides home from work everyday since that first time. Those rides home were where we talked and got to know one another. I'd found out that Felix was a student trying to put himself through school.

He was a culinary major and wanted to be a high-end chef in a major restaurant in Rome one day. His family were middle class people who lived out in the country-side and operated their own grape juice company. It was small and probably always would be, but the broad smile that spread across his face when he talked about them made me believe that he was proud regardless of how well the company did or didn't do. He talked about his brothers and little sisters, and I listened and nodded my head because I could feel that he was homesick and talking made him feel better.

When we pulled up in front of my complex I took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"Hey Felix?"

He turned to look at me with a soft smile on his lips.

"Si Bella?"

I felt a little bad for using Felix like this knowing that he had feelings for me that I could never fully reciprocate, but I refused to mope around for Aro Volturi any longer and getting out and experiencing new things with new people would be the first step to getting over him.

"I was wondering if you weren't busy this weekend if you would-"

He interrupted me swiftly with a calculating look on his face, "I thought you were taken Isabella."

I shook my head softly, "No I'm not."

He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at me, "I do not wish to be caught somewhere I do not belong Isabella. Most important I do not want to be on Aro Volturi's bad side."

I was taken aback. Felix had never talked to me like this before. I was so use to the sweet and friendly Felix that the man sitting in front of me was intimidating and I didn't know what to say.

"What does have to do with this?"

He shook his head slightly and smirked at me, "I am no fool Bella and I am a man. I know when a man wants something and whether you know or not Aro Volturi wants you."

I didn't believe him, I couldn't believe him not after what I'd seen at the diner, not with the way he'd paraded that women around the restaurant. No, he did not want me.

"I think you have it mixed up Felix, he has someone already," I said and I looked to my lap because even that small confession felt like battery acid churning in my stomach. But he shook his head profusely denying my claim.

"No, attached or not Aro wants you, and you are a fool to believe otherwise."

The turn this conversation had taken made me uncomfortable and I quickly shifted it back to my original point.

"Well would you like to do something as friends then? I don't have many friends here."

He gave it a small consideration moving his head back and forth in contemplation.

"Si, we can do something as friends," and he stuck his hand out in agreement.

I laughed slightly and shook his hand then made my way out of his car.

"Good night Felix," I shouted and sent a wave over my head.

"Buona notte beautiful Bella."

And as I walked through the doors of my apartment building I didn't see the man leaning over the balcony of the penthouse suite silently fuming with a cigar in his hand.

VII

When I got to my apartment I twisted my key in the lock and walked through the entryway only to pause when my feet hit a pair of purple lace panties on the floor. I kicked them to the side and continued walking only to stop again when I stepped on a pair of black boxer briefs.

"Angela!"

I heard a shuffle of noise and she came down the hallway wrapped in a blanket with a big shirtless Italian man standing behind her. She brushed her hair back behind her ears and tried to avoid my eye contact.

"Hey Bella, I didn't think you'd be home this early."

I looked at my watch then back up at her.

"Angela it's eleven o' clock at night, and I didn't expect to walk into a late night freak show in my apartment either so I guess we're all a bit surprised tonight."

"Bella I know this looks bad and everything but this is Demetri, the guy I was telling you about."

Demetri lifted his hand up that was clasping his shirt in it and waved at me. I bent down and picked up the boxer briefs and tossed them to him.

"It's nice to meet you Demetri. Now I'm going to bed guys try to keep it down okay," and I squeezed my way through the scarcely clad couple and walked down the hall to my room.

"Sorry Bella," Angela shouted after the door slammed shut.

"Whatever you slut," and I heard her laughing as I rolled over in my bed and shut my eyes.

VII

When I got up that morning Felix was waiting in my living room and Angela was jumping up and down on my bed.

"Ang what in the hell are you doing?"

She plopped down on top of me and put both of her hands on the sides of my face.

"Bella he is so hot. Is he why you've been moping around here lately?"

I didn't want to think of the real reason why I had been moping so I shook her off and got up to get ready.

"First off I wasn't moping and second it's not like that Ang, we're just friends."

"Pfft yeah right, you can't be 'just friends' with a man who looks like that. I would sit on his face Bella, he's that hot."

I turned around and looked at her, "I think the guy whose face you sat on last night would highly object to that."

I walked around her and grabbed by bag and made my way out to greet Felix.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

I shook my head at her and slammed my door behind me.

"Hey Felix you ready?"

He walked up and kissed me on both cheeks, "Si, Andiamo Isabella."

VII

I genuinely couldn't remember ever having had this much fun in my life. Felix took me to a vineyard out in the hills of Chianti. The director let us get into these huge bucket vats and stomp on the grapes that they used to make the wine. We laughed, I fell over at least twice but I'd never had a more enjoyable experience than that one. After we washed off he lead me to the terrace where they had different wines and platters of cheese laid out where we could sit and watch the sun set. I sat down and plucked a few cheese cubes off of the tray and into my mouth. I swallowed it down and looked at him.

"Thank you for this Felix."

He turned to me with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I mean I've been having a hard time as of late and…I just really appreciate this. I needed it," and I got up to give him a hug. When I pulled back he pushed some of my hair behind my ear.

"Well now you owe me," he said. "Introduce me to a few pretty ladies and we'll be even."

I laughed lightly and he snickered a little sticking his hands in his pockets, when we were interrupted.

"Well this looks cozy."

I snapped by head around to see no one other than Aro Volturi standing in the archway looking furious, but even in his angry stance I couldn't help but admire how good he looked. His hair long falling over his shoulders and partially clipped back. He was picture perfect, and the ultimate example of put together with his hands held behind his back and his designer suit and overcoat, but his flared nostrils and clenched jaws gave him away. He was frenzied and raging, and he was exquisite.

"Mr. Volturi, what are you-," I started but he interrupted me.

"Leave us boy, what I have to say will not be heard by anyone but Isabella."

Felix looked to me and then slightly shook his head.

"I don't think I should leave Bella here by herself."

Aro took a stepped forward and hissed the words out of his mouth, "What you think young man is immaterial, now remove yourself before I have you forcibly extracted."

I could tell the last thing he wanted to do was follow Aro's orders but he clenched his lips together and walked off of the terrace and back into the lodge. It was silent for a very long time, Aro watching me and presumably gathering his words together, but I was pissed and getting angrier by the second. How dare he follow me here, and how dare he kick my friend out.

"Aro what exactly do you think-,"

"Be silent." He snarled and I quickly closed my mouth. "You do not address me as Aro because I have not given you permission to do so. You will be quiet until I am finished speaking do you understand?"

I wasn't going to respond to him with the way he was talking to me. I wasn't some trained puppy he could direct and ask to do tricks whenever it pleased him. So I stayed silent.

"Do you understand me Isabella?" his voice was steel and his eyes were dark, so dark they almost looked black, but I felt like being snarky.

"I thought you wanted be to be silent ?" my voice was sugary sweet and I tilted my head to the side in innocence. He smirked harshly but I knew he found nothing funny about the situation.

"Oh you'll pay for that," he eased out and I whimpered involuntarily in response. I couldn't help my body's reaction to him and when he stepped closer to me I knew I was done for. "But first we're going to set a few things straight." He stepped closer to me until I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to and I almost did, but I clutched my hands together and held them in front of me.

"Look at me while I'm speaking little girl," and my eyes snapped up to his. He smirked again but this time I could tell it was in pleasure. He liked when I followed his commands.

"Good, now I want you to understand something Isabella I'm not a man that enjoys being avoided. When I want someone or something I expect them to come to me, and quickly. I do not play games and I do not like people who play them with me. When I told you I was drawn to you I meant it. That was not a lie."

I moved to interrupt him and opened my mouth to speak but he raised his eyebrows and I immediately closed my lips.

"I'm not prone to falsifying feelings or actions Isabella, I mean what I say." He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on my cheeks, "I've come to care for you Isabella," and he lightly grazed his lips on the side of my mouth.

I roughly pulled away from his embrace and backed up a few steps.

"Do not say you care for me when two weeks ago you walked into the diner and sat in my section with another woman expecting me to serve you."

He paused slightly and then smiled, "I presume the woman you are speaking of is Diana?"

"I don't care to hear her name!" I proclaimed.

"Do not raise your voice at me. If you had listened long enough you would know that that woman is my sister. Her name is Diana Valentina Volturi."

I was stunned, shocked and most of all embarrassed.

"Oh…I don't know what to say."

"I'm assuming that's a first for you Tesoro?"

I glared at him but he only chuckled and stepped closer to me.

"Now there's another matter that we need to discuss."

"What's that?" I asked in confusion.

"That boy that brought you here," I frowned slightly knowing where this was going. "I do not want you around him anymore."

I glared at him slightly, "What do you mean, I work with him?"

"Yes I know," and he stepped closer, "but working together does not include late night drives and dates to wineries piccolino."

I glared harder, "Have you been watching me?"

He stepped even closer and slid his hand in the hair at the nape of my neck, "I take care of what his mine Isabella."

His touch was dizzying but I cleared my thoughts enough to speak to him, "I'm no ones property."

He tightened his grasp in my hair and jerked my face closer to his, "You are mine Isabella," he demanded and he leaned closer to whisper in my ear, "You belong to me," and he placed his lips on mine devouring and conquering my lips, plunging is tongue into my mouth. I pulled back slightly to look into his eyes, they were dark and thundering, his lips were swollen and pink and he looked delicious. I leaned forward again, wrapped my arms around his neck, plunged my fingers into his silky strands and claimed his lips like he was claiming mine. I was his but he was undoubtedly mine as well.

Translations

Buona notte: Good night

Andiamo: Let's go

Tesoro: Sweetheart

Piccolino: little one

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