Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. This storyline and all original characters belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

Thanks, as ever to MauiGirl60, who rocks as a beta. Thanks, also, to you, my lovely readers, I love your comments and just wanted to say thank you for your kindness.


CHAPTER SEVEN

With her eyes still closed, Bella pulled her arms above her head and stretched languorously. As she emerged from sleep into full consciousness, she became aware of a slight tingling sensation all over her skin, which was more concentrated at a specific point between her legs.

Suddenly, she gasped, sitting bolt upright on the bed and looking around her in the gloomy half-light. She'd had the intense feeling that someone was in the room with her, but now, as she observed that she was alone, she assumed it was merely the hangover from a quickly evaporated dream, and shook her head at her foolishness.

Sliding off the bed, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a clean pair of sweat-pants and a baggy t-shirt, quickly dressed, and headed out of her room.

When she got downstairs, she immediately spotted Edward sitting on the kitchen counter next to the sink, a can of Coke beside him and a pensive look on his face. As soon as he became aware of her presence, his eyes widened slightly and he stared at her with a curious expression flickering across his handsome features, which confused Bella.

Was that… fear? Oh, don't be ridiculous! What would Edward be afraid of?

She stopped on the other side of the breakfast bar, leaning into it with her hands spread out on the surface.

"Hi." She smiled at him and was comforted to see his face relax as he returned her smile, even though it didn't really reach his eyes.

"Bella."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she cocked her head on one side, knitting her brow in mild confusion.

"Are you okay, Edward?"

"Sure, yeah… just, uh… I was just thinking about where to go for dinner." He gave her another quick smile. "Any suggestions?"

"Oh, are you taking Tanya out for dinner?" Bella frowned. "Why would you want my input—I don't really know the area well enough to recommend somewhere."

"Well, yes, I was thinking of going out for dinner—I wasn't expecting you to cook, and I know Tanya won't—and I was rather hoping you would be joining us?"

The look Edward gave her was expectant, almost pleading, and Bella was momentarily confused.

"Why would you want me to come? I doubt Tanya would welcome my presence." Bella couldn't stop the slight edge creeping into her voice.

Edward sighed and got down from the worktop. "I want you to come, Bella, because, despite our differences, I would like your company. I would also like it if you and Tanya could take the time to get to know one another." He pushed a hand roughly through his hair. "And I would very much like it if you came, because then there's a good chance we'll go to a restaurant that serves real food, and not some place that dishes up half a rabbit's heart on a mashed broad bean with a lark's spittle joue."

Bella burst out laughing, a full-throated, infectious belly laugh, and Edward couldn't suppress his grin, which quickly also turned to laughter.

Bella gasped for breath, trying to calm herself.

"Lark's spittle joue? Oh my God, Edward…" Bella snorted, and then once again doubled up with laughter.

Chuckling delightedly, Edward revelled in the sound of Bella's unfettered amusement, realising that the sound was, literally, music to his ears.

Twenty minutes earlier, his heart had almost stopped beating when he thought he might get caught ogling her near-naked body like some kind of predatory pervert. He knew he had to get out of her room quick before she opened her eyes and came to full consciousness, and turned with a speed he had not displayed since high school football. As he did, he was nearly undone by the sight, in his peripheral vision, of Bella stretching. He willed himself to exit through the door, which, mercifully, he hadn't shut when he entered, and closed it behind him as quietly as possible.

He had practically sprinted downstairs—at least, as quickly as a silent escape would allow—and had then spent the next fifteen minutes in the kitchen, torturing himself with the thought that Bella knew he'd been in her room. When she had suddenly appeared in front of him, his initial reaction was panic—had she seen him?

However, it quickly became apparent that she had not, and his relief was profound.

As their laughter subsided, neither of them could hide the warmth of the smiles they gave one another; a silent acknowledgement of how good the moment had been.

"So—what do you want to eat, Bella?" Edward asked, bringing them both back to his original enquiry.

You?

Bella could feel herself starting to blush at the errant thought. To cover it, she knitted her brow and looked down at the counter, as if in deep thought.

"Okay, you know what I really fancy? Indian. I could murder a chicken pasanda," Bella said, her grin wide.

Edward groaned. "Oh, c'mon, B, baby steps, huh? Baby steps. Let's not force Tanya in at the deep end, eh?"

Bella scowled, but couldn't help chuckling at Edward's pained expression. She delighted in the affectionate foreshortening of her name, and the conspiratorial tone of their conversation.

"Hmm, okay, okay. Too much too soon—I get it. How about Italian? Tanya can knock herself out with a Caesar salad whilst you and I tuck into something with a sauce. What do you think?"

"Italian sounds great. We could go to the Montpeliano, which is really nice—it's just down near Harrods. It's got a sliding glass roof over the lower floor courtyard and as the weather's nice, it might be open. The food there is excellent."

Edward was pleased with the idea—he loved the Montpeliano, especially when you could get a table under the glass roof, and the food there really was very good. He smiled at Bella, grateful for her input.

"I told Tanya we'd go out early, as she's pretty jetlagged. If I can get a reservation for 6.30, can you be ready to go at 6?"

"Um, yeah, I just need to change and do my make-up—it's not mega-dressy, is it? I mean, I have some things that I bought yesterday, but I just… well, um… I don't want you to be hacked off with me if I… you know, wear the wrong thing, or whatever."

Bella pulled at the hem of her t-shirt, looking down at the floor. Their new-found détente was so fragile she really didn't want to fuck it up again so soon.

Edward gave a short laugh. "So, now you're worrying about your appearance?"

Bella's head shot up at his tone, but when she met his gaze it was teasing and amused. She huffed a sigh.

"Look, I really don't mind as long as it covers all the critical areas—I would prefer that you didn't give every man in Knightsbridge an eyeful of all your considerable assets."

That's just for me to see… shit, no, no, no. What am I thinking?

Bella's eyes widened at Edward's reference to her 'considerable assets'.

What does he mean? Is he mocking me? Is he saying I'm fat?

She shook her head and looked away.

"I'll, uh, go see what I've got, then?" she mumbled, turning and practically running out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Edward watched her go and then sighed, running both hands through his riotous hair.

Fuck me! Considerable assets? Really, Edward? What the fuck is wrong with me?

The answer did not immediately present itself so he turned his mind to Tanya. He wondered if she would be out of the bath yet and dressed. He knew he was being ridiculous—she was his girlfriend, for Christ's sake, but he really didn't want to be inveigled into having sex with her. He didn't know why, exactly, but something about Tanya was just not doing it for him right now.

He thought about her nasally Manhattan socialite voice, which he used to think was so cultured and cool and which now seemed to grate on him like fingernails on a chalkboard.

He thought about her designer clothes, which he used to think were classy and elegant, and which he now just found ultra-conservative and dull.

He thought about how beautiful he used to find her, and realised he now considered her to be brittle and plastic—she was too thin, too botoxed and too… fake.

Edward groaned as each new revelation was given substance in his mind. This was nonsense. He had to stop thinking this way. Tanya was his girlfriend; they had been together for three years; they made a good team; and the sex was… well, yeah, it was good.

Amongst all these thoughts, a small voice at the back of his mind was starting to gain prominence, but Edward refused to give it house-room, would not allow it to push its way, fully formed, to the forefront of his mind. He would absolutely not allow himself to analyse where these traitorous notions were coming from… or why they were now trying to worm their way into his psyche.

Absolutely not going there.

He took a deep breath, gave himself a stern internal talking-to and resolutely started climbing the stairs. Tanya should be dressed by now.

She's not the one I want to see naked.

Oh, fuck!

~o0o~

At ten to six, Edward sat at the dining table, reading some papers he had printed off a few minutes earlier.

Much to his relief—and Tanya's annoyance—by the time he got to his room, she was bathed and sitting at the dressing table in an elegantly understated cream Givenchy sleeveless shift dress. It had an empire styling, flaring out slightly from under her breasts, the low scoop-neck accentuating her surgically enhanced attributes. Because she was tall, it fell to a couple of inches short of her knees, and she was going to set it off with 3" heeled, tan Louboutins and a small tan Gucci clutch bag.

As Edward entered the room, she looked up at his reflection in the mirror and gave him a thin smile which never reached her eyes. As she continued to put on her make-up, Edward grabbed some clean underwear and told her he was just going to take a shower.

Ten minutes later he stepped out, dried himself quickly and pulled on the fresh boxer-briefs he had brought with him. He hated shaving, so decided not to bother, just patting a little Guerlain Homme on his cheeks and neck.

Back in his bedroom, he dressed quickly, donning a pair of black Armani trousers and a black shirt, which he tucked in, leaving the top three buttons undone. Black socks and shoes followed and a matching black leather belt.

He picked out a grey houndstooth jacket and glanced at Tanya, who was still applying her make-up. Jeez, how much make-up can one woman wear?

"I'll wait for you downstairs, T," he informed her via the mirror, and quickly left the room before she could reply.

Fifteen minutes later he was skimming through the documents he had retrieved from his study when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Assuming it was Tanya, who surely couldn't take any longer to get ready, he barely glanced up, but was forced to do a double-take when he saw who it was.

As he stared, transfixed, Bella made her way down and walked straight into the kitchen, barely seeming to notice him.

She was wearing a copy of a sleeveless Herve Leger dress which she had bought the previous day at Kensington market.

It was shaded royal blue to light blue, with a low, sweetheart neckline and wide shoulder straps, ending about mid-thigh; the colour enhanced the creamy luminescence of her smooth, porcelain skin, and the cotton lycra material clung to every curve and plane of her body in a positively sinful way.

It was a dress that could only be worn by a woman with exactly the right amount of curves—no more, no less.

She had matched it with a pair of strappy black Vivien Westwood peep-toe shoes with 4" heels and a tiny black purse-bag which she had slung across her body so it was resting on her hip. Her hair was twisted up and secured on top of her head with a blue claw comb.

Edward swallowed, as so much saliva had pooled in his mouth he was afraid he might actually start drooling.

Jesus fucking Christ, Tanya is gonna go batshit crazy!

"Oh, hi, Edward, I'm not late, am I?" Bella asked him casually, clearly oblivious to the effect she was having on him.

"Uhh…" Edward croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "No, you're right on time. We're, uh, just waiting for Tan— is that what you're wearing?" His voice caught on the last word, as if his balls were about to drop, although, right now, it felt like they were more likely to fucking explode!

Bella lifted her arms out to the side and looked down at herself.

"Well, duh, it would appear so," she replied, looking back up at him with a frown. "Why, what's wrong with it?" she asked, a slight challenge in her voice.

Edward shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong with it, B, you look… very nice."

After everything that had happened in the last 48 hours, Edward didn't want to upset Bella or threaten their shaky truce. And, oh man, he liked that dress… a lot.

He would deal with Tanya if—or, more likely when—the time arose.

That time was about to arrive.

Right on cue, he heard his bedroom door open and close and shortly afterwards, Tanya appeared at the top of the stairs and started making her way down. She smiled when she saw him, but as she reached the bottom and her eyes settled on Bella, her smile disappeared like a snowflake on a hot stove.

In profile, Edward couldn't see Tanya's eyes, but Bella could. And the look the older woman gave her was positively homicidal, and Bella shivered a little under the onslaught of such naked malevolence.

"Well, well—had I known we were aiming for the Hollywood whore look I would have dressed quite differently. Although I guess only a teenage girl could pull it off." She gave Bella a saccharine smile and turned away to hold her hand out towards Edward, ignoring Bella's gaping mouth and shocked expression.

"Darling, I'm ready, where are we going?" she purred.

Edward looked at her askance and shook his head. Standing up, he ignored her proffered hand and grabbed her by the top of her arm.

"Excuse us for a minute, Bella, I just have something I want to discuss with Tanya. We'll be right back."

With that, Edward propelled her down to his study, pushing her through the door and closing it behind them.

"What the hell—" Tanya gasped, as she stumbled a little across the room. She swung around to face Edward, her eyes blazing. She rubbed her arm where he had gripped her so tightly but fortunately, her fake tan disguised any redness. Nevertheless, she narrowed her eyes at Edward, preparing to give him a piece of her mind. Before she could speak, however, Edward held up one hand and leaned against the door.

"Don't start with me, Tanya, because I'm not in the mood. I've had the weekend from hell and very little sleep, so my patience is wearing mighty thin."

Tanya made a humphing noise and put her hands on her hips, whilst her foot started to tap a rapid beat on the floor.

Undaunted, Edward approached her, stopping a foot away. In her shoes she was only an inch or so shorter than him and they regarded one another, almost eye to eye.

"Your remark just now was uncalled for and inappropriate, Tanya, and I want you to apologise to Bella."

Tanya's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she dropped her arms and clenched her fists at her side.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Edward?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding, Tanya?"

For a moment she was lost for words, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to formulate a controlled yet suitably biting response.

"If you're referring to my comment on her… apparel, even you would have to agree, surely? For God's sake, Edward—"

"I don't give a flying fuck what she's wearing, or what you think of it. She's a teenager, it's what teenagers wear, get over it. Now, I need you to grow up, get over your hissy fit and make an effort to at least maintain a polite and civilised relationship with Bella. She's my ward and my responsibility, and like it or not, she's a part of my life. I don't have the time or the energy to deal with petty jealousies, so just… give it a rest, eh?"

Tanya was incandescent with rage, so much so that she had to turn her back on Edward to ensure she didn't give herself away. Grow up? How dare he?

"Tanya?"

She took a deep breath. She had spent her entire life creating the person she wanted everyone to think she was, controlling her feelings and using every weapon at her disposal to manipulate and control others. She had worked long and hard to get where she was, and to cultivate a relationship with Edward—he was perfect for her, and she for him, and she wasn't about to let one slutty little teenager fuck up all her plans. She had forced herself to mould her personality from that of a spoilt, selfish brat prone to tantrums and massive mood swings, who her father would either chastise or, worse, ignore, to the cool, calm and ultra-controlled over-achiever, who now basked in her father's overt and effusive pride. In this same way, she gathered herself and pushed down the anger before turning to Edward.

Giving him what she hoped was a rather sheepish smile, she walked back to him and took both of his hands in hers.

"I'm sorry, Edward. You're right, of course, I'm just being foolish—but, in my defence, I am very tired and it's been a very long day. Forgive me?" She pouted at him, cocking her head to one side.

"Of course I forgive you," Edward smiled, his relief palpable.

Fucking men, they are sooo easy!

"Now, can we please just go and have a nice dinner together? I promise you, T, Bella's really not so bad when you get to know her. I know she can be petulant and difficult at times, but it's just a phase, I'm sure of it, and when you actually talk to her she's smart… and funny…"

Tanya put her fingers over Edward's mouth. "Okay, I get the picture, she's an all-round great gal, huh? You know, if I didn't know better, I might imagine you have a bit of a crush on Little Nell."

Edward scowled as he felt a traitorous flush form hot spots of colour on his cheeks. He very much hoped Tanya would put it down to anger.

"Jesus, Tanya, don't be so fucking ridiculous. That's… that's tantamount to accusing me of incest," Edward bristled.

Whoa, over-react much? What an extraordinarily interesting—and unwelcome—turn of events. Edward has feelings for this girl, and they have nothing to do with his role as her guardian.

Tanya gave a well-practiced, tinkling laugh. "I'm just teasing, darling, don't be so touchy. Come on, let's go or we'll be late. Did you make a reservation?" She captured his hand and walked towards the door.

They left the study and walked back down to the living area, with Tanya holding tight to Edward's hand.

"Edward? Where did you decide in the end? Is it that scrumptious French restaurant in Beauchamp Place? Ooh, I do hope so, I love it there. The French just really know how to cook." She smiled up at him, wrapping her free hand round his upper arm and leaning into him as they rounded the corner to join Bella in the kitchen.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean L'etranger," he finally responded, somewhat distracted. "Um, no, we're not going there."

"Oh. Well, never mind, I'm sure wherever we're going will be lovely."

"We're going to the Montpelier, Tanya—it's Italian." Bella spoke from behind her, a blank expression on her face.

Tanya turned her head, coolly regarding Bella where she sat on one of the bar chairs, one shapely leg crossed over the other. Behind Tanya, Edward's eyes zeroed in on Bella's legs where her figure-hugging dress had ridden up even higher, revealing a generous amount of smooth, creamy thigh.

He quickly forced himself to look away, just as Tanya looked back at him. She furrowed her brow for a moment, but then quickly composed herself, once again turning to Bella.

Pulling away from Edward, she walked over to where Bella was still sitting and plastered a professional smile on her face.

"Isabella, my dear girl. Edward says I owe you an apology, but I'm guessing you knew I was just teasing, hmm?" She reached over and took one of Bella's hands in both of hers. "But in case you didn't realise, I'm truly sorry if you were offended."

She dipped her head slightly to try and make eye contact, and Bella finally looked at her.

"There you are! Now, you know I'm just green with envy because I couldn't possibly get away with that look. But, darling, you look fabulous, truly you do. Edward's forgiven me, do say you forgive me too." Her smile turned into a small pout—clearly Tanya's generic look of contrition.

Bella looked at her and then glanced over to Edward, who was standing looking pretty awkward behind Tanya. She looked back at her, and couldn't help wondering how hard it would be to make a voodoo doll of the phony bitch.

"Of course, Tanya—no blood, no foul. And you're right, of course. No doubt, when I'm your age, I'll also have made the transition from sex kitten to house cat."

Bella gave her a bright smile, as false as the one Tanya had offered her, and jumped quickly down off the chair, before the other woman could respond.

"Are you okay, Edward?" Bella looked at him with concern as he seemed to be choking. He just waved her away and turned to retrieve his keys from the credenza under the window, managing to disguise the laughter he could feel bubbling up as a coughing fit.

Tanya had now closed her mouth and was looking at Bella's back as if she was wondering where first to plunge the dagger.

Finally managing to gain control of himself, Edward looked at the two most important women in his life. Tanya picked up the cream jacket she had slung over the back of one of the dining chairs and he moved to take it from her so that he could help her put it on. Standing by the breakfast bar, Bella retrieved a royal blue pashmina which she had deposited on the counter when she came downstairs. She draped it around herself, throwing one end loosely over her shoulder, before popping her hip and planting a hand on it.

"How are we getting there, Edward," she asked, "because these boots were not made for walking."

"Of course not, what a foolish notion!" Edward smirked, rolling his eyes. "Tyler's outside and is going to run us down there, then pick us up when we're ready to come home."

"Wicked! Okay then, let's get this dog and pony show on the road!" And with that, Bella sashayed across the room and went downstairs, all the while knowing that Edward's eyes were glued to her arse.

A moment later, Tanya and Edward followed her down and out the front door, where the Bentley was idling in the Mews.


END NOTES: 'Little Nell' is a reference to the tragic heroine of Dickens' novel, 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.

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