God's Gift
Sexy pants, or no sexy pants?
That is the question that every woman asks herself before a date.
Sexy pants imply sexy times.
I, however, needed to hold all the cards for my date with Edward Cullen. Therefore, there would be no sexy times tonight.
On the other hand, sexy pants made me feel awesome and my awesome tatas deserved nothing but the best on their big night.
And in the event that I decided to hump and dump Edward Cullen, I wanted to look extra-hot doing it.
I chose a set of midnight blue silk underwear, slipping into it before pulling my dress over my head, a pretty black number. I pulled on a pair of heels and checked my make up one more time. My dark hair tumbled around my shoulders, my eyes were outlined and my earrings in.
I looked hot. This was good. He might be hot but I was also hot. Level playing field.
The buzzer to my apartment went and I hurried to answer it.
"Down in a minute." I said quickly before grabbing my purse. I fluffed my hair and checked my purse to make sure that I had cab money in case I needed to make a getaway.
Edward was waiting by a car when I came downstairs. He smiled widely at the sight of me.
"Bella. You look lovely."
"Thanks." I smiled, letting him help me into the car. The driver looked over his shoulder at Edward, who nodded. The car started and Edward turned to smile at me again.
"How often do you get a night off from Moonlight?"
"Once a week or so. It depends how the other waiters are shifted. A few of them are at college so they prioritise around their classes." I explained, glancing out of the window at the passing lights.
He kept the conversation light and I let him lead, curious to see what he was going to do this evening. As the car stopped, he nodded to the driver again and got out, walking around the car to open my door, offering me his hand. I accepted it graciously, stepping onto the sidewalk.
We were outside Diego's, only the most exclusive restaurant in Seattle. I'd heard from Jessica, who'd heard from Garrett, who'd heard from someone he knew through his Chef school that it was an eighteen month waiting list, you had to apply for a reservation in writing and even then, your chances of getting a table were slim-to-none.
So when Edward Cullen took my arm and started to lead me towards the door, my mouth may have actually dropped open.
"I hear this place serves an amazing tuna steak." He said conversationally as we entered. The maître d' looked up, his expression turning pleasant at the sight of Edward. Then he saw me.
His expression soured slightly.
Oh, fuck that. This was not a level playing field.
"Reservation under Cullen." Edward said smoothly and the maître d' inclined his head, opening the reservation book.
"Actually, we won't be needing that table." I interrupted, giving Edward a pointed look before turning and walking out. I heard a spluttering noise behind me and waited on the sidewalk for Edward to catch up. He came out, his expression puzzled.
"Bella, what's wrong? I mean, it's Diego's, this is supposed to be the best restaurant in town."
"It is." I agreed, "And I can't afford it."
"But I'm paying for dinner." Edward insisted, running a hand through his hair so it stuck up in all directions.
"Which I can accept, but not like this. Stop…" I took a deep breath, "Stop trying so hard. Do you usually take your dates to Diego's?"
"No." He admitted, "You said I could take you to a restaurant of my choosing. I guess I just wanted to show off for you."
Interesting. He really was desperate to get into my midnight blue silk panties.
"Look, there's an Italian place down the street. It's nice but not stupidly overpriced. Do you think your CEO ass can handle that?" I teased and he gave a weak smile.
"Sure. Lead the way, Miss Swan."
"Trying to get a look at my ass?" I raised my eyebrow and set off, swaying my hips as I heard his chuckle.
"It's a very nice ass."
"Yes it is."
His hand went around my waist as we entered the Italian restaurant. It wasn't too busy and we were seated in a quiet corner, away from the other few diners. As Edward opened the menu, I crossed my legs and examined him over the top of my own menu.
Sexy black suit. Open collar, no tie. No jewellery. His hair had been somewhat artfully styled but his frequent hair-grabbing habit had mussed it into disarray. Slight stubble and a brooding look as he examined the wine list.
Yum. Would it be weird to lick his jaw?
…yeah, probably.
He ordered a bottle of red for us to share and we placed our orders, me asking for smoked salmon ravioli and him linguine.
"So…" He began, pouring us both a glass of wine, "I'm very glad that you agreed to come for dinner."
I bet he was. He probably thought that he had won this little game. I smiled blithely.
"Well, I never say no to a free dinner."
"You also said that you wanted to talk." He reminded me, sipping his wine before resting his hands on the table, fingers clasped. I sat back in my chair, keeping my hands in my lap.
"So I did."
Edward was quiet, watching me. I picked up my wine and drank a little, enjoying the flavour. As I set the glass down again, his cell rang softly and he gave a sharp sigh, looking at the screen before ending the call.
"I'm sorry. We're in negotiations with Berlin but I've informed the office that I didn't want to be disturbed." He said, sounding genuinely apologetic. I shrugged.
"No problem. I'm surprised you have as much time to bug me as you do." I said lightly and Edward laughed softly.
"You've got to make time for the important things in life." He spread his hands and I smirked.
"Like waitresses?"
"Like beautiful mystifying women." He murmured, fixing his green eyes on me.
Hmm.
Nicely played.
I could actually feel myself flushing slightly and shrugged again.
"We're a rare breed."
"You, Bella Swan, might just be one of a kind." Edward said quietly and I winked.
"You've got that right, Cullen."
He leaned back in his chair too, his eyes flickering over my face as I drank a little more of my wine. There was a candle on the table and a trickle of wax had dripped onto the table cloth. I picked at it, rolling the warm wax between my fingers.
"Tell me about yourself." Edward requested and I rolled my eyes.
"Please be a little vaguer."
"Where did you grow up?"
"Here in Washington, mostly." I replied and he tilted his head quizzically.
"Mostly?"
"Yes. Mostly." I said in a tone that implied the question was dealt with. He took the hint.
"Where did you learn art? Your drawings are incredible."
"Washington State. What business school did you go to that neglected to teach you how to work out 15 per cent of a dinner check?" I shot back and he grinned.
"I rounded up. To the nearest hundred."
This man literally had money to throw away. I fixed him with a stare.
"And how did you get it into your head that I could be bought with big tips?"
Edward looked surprised and leaned forward, reaching for my hand. I dropped the ball of wax in surprise, meeting his eye.
"I'm not trying to… to buy you." He said sincerely, "I'm sorry if you're offended."
"I feel that I covered the subject when I came to your office and yet you did the same thing again last night." I pointed out. "And, for your information, I gave the entire amount to my section partner."
"Why?"
"Like I've already told you, it feels like you're trying to buy me and I can't be bought. I'd prefer to be treated with dignity."
"I tried asking you out and you said no. At the coffee shop, remember?"
"Everyone asks out the girls who work in the coffee shop. No one actually wants to go on a date with them." I said breezily, "It's like practise for real-world dating."
"That's your interpretation. I was completely genuine about wanting to take you on a date which is why I had to resort to bribery. And at some point it worked because here you are." He grinned and I rolled my eyes.
Our food arrived and I tucked in, watching as Edward attacked his food. Jesus, the guy could eat.
"Do you not get lunch breaks?" I asked and he swallowed hard.
"Yeah, but I normally work through them anyway." He admitted, "We're working a few big deals at the moment."
"Berlin and China?"
"Exactly." He smiled. "Tell me about your family."
"Tell me about yours." I shot back, deflecting the question. He looked surprised but nodded, swallowing another mouthful of pasta.
"Mom runs a charity for homeless children and teens. Dad's a plastic surgeon. He specialises in fixing cleft palates in infants."
Oh god. They were the perfect, all-American family.
"You've met my brother, Emmett. Jasper is my sister's husband." He carried on, "Emmett and Jasper both worth with me."
"With you or for you?"
"Technically, for me, but…" He shrugged, "It doesn't feel like I'm their boss. They wouldn't let me get cocky enough for that."
"And how exactly does a man who has to be in his early thirties become a multi-millionaire who can't get a date without bribery?" I asked teasingly and Edward lowered his fork, reaching his hand across to trace the line of my fingers.
"I don't usually resort to bribery. But I didn't see a choice when it came to you."
"What about giving up?"
"I couldn't do that." He said, his fingers still caressing mine, "You're far too intriguing to walk away from."
Shit.
There went my nice silk panties.
Why did he have to be so hot?
I managed to get through the rest of the dinner without answering many personal questions or leaping across the table to eat his face.
I'm not going to lie. It was a struggle.
I was going to have to sleep with him. I couldn't see that I had any choice. Edward was gorgeous and wanted to fuck me. I needed to get him out of my system and he needed to do the same to me.
I wasn't losing. I was taking the bull by the horns.
Or the CEO by dick.
As we drove back to my building, I quickly thought about the state of my apartment. As far as I could remember, there wasn't any laundry on display. There might be a couple of dishes in the sink, but only from this afternoon so not mouldy and gross.
He opened my door again and this time he didn't let go of my hand as we walked up the steps to the glass doors of the building. I stopped and turned, looking up at him.
Time to bring your game, Swan. Thank god for sexy pants.
"I'm so glad that you agreed to come." Edward smiled, "This has been an… intriguing evening."
"Well, I can't go giving away all of my deepest dark secrets at once." I smirked, "Have to maintain this mysterious exterior."
He laughed softly and his hand lifted to brush my hair away from my cheek, cupping the back of my neck and drawing my face closer to his. I closed my eyes as his lips touched mine, his other hand on my waist.
Holy hell.
A tingle went from my mouth down to my stomach, sending bubbles of pleasure up my body. His lips parted and so did mine, our tongues meeting, softly, gently.
My arms went around his neck and I pushed myself closer, tasting red wine and rosemary sauce on his tongue.
This was… incredible. The spark between us, the incredible intensity, the way he ended the kiss, with a few soft, slow movements against my mouth before cupping my face in both of his hands with a smile.
I returned the smile.
"Are you coming up?" I whispered and his smile widened before he let his hand drop.
"No. Not tonight."
What?
I blinked and he lifted my hand with both of his, kissing it gently before smiling.
"Goodnight, Bella."
"What?" He paused, halfway down the steps and looked back at me, still smiling.
"I don't sleep with women on a first date. I'm more of a relationship kinda guy."
WHAT?
"W-what?" I spluttered and he laughed as he reached the sidewalk, grinning up at me happily.
"I guess you're going to have to go on another date with me!"
"Edward!" I half-shouted, frustrated. His face was bright with happiness and he spread his arms widely as he opened the car door.
"I'll call you, beautiful girl!" He laughed, looking abso-fucking-lutely delighted at my reaction.
The car pulled away and I slumped against the door to the building with a groan.
Damn it.
I think he won.
A/N: Holy crap on a cracker, I am completely overwhelmed by the response to this story. I mean… I've got to have had over 300 emails over the last two days! That's insane! You guys are amazing!
Massive thanks to AstridGreenEyes for some absolutely beautiful manips she made for me! I've put one as my avatar. And another massive thank you to anyone who pimped GG, especially Lolo84 for her rec. You're both wonderful!
Much love
TEW
