Words with Strangers Chapter 9
What was that noise? I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 6 AM? Who was texting me at 6 AM? Did they want to die? Hopefully nobody did die, so I could then kill whoever it was. I reached for my phone and saw I had a text from my brother. Well, that made sense. It was only late night there.
I opened it and a picture of a laughing woman with her head on a pillow pulled up. What the fuck? Just wanted to show you what you were missing. I'm getting Gianna over her heartbreak.
Ass. He woke me up for that? Yeah, she was hot but she was no Bella, which was who he'd torn me away from while I was sleeping. Screw that. I'd just tear him away from his girl then. I pulled up his number and called his ass.
"Hey, Eddie! Whatcha doing?"
I growled into the phone. "I was sleeping, until my jackass of a brother woke me up."
"Oh yeah. What time is it there? Where are you anyway? Shh, baby, I'll be right with you."
"It's 6 AM, moron. Why are you texting me when you've got a girl in your bed anyway?"
"She's not in there now, that was from earlier. What am I, an asshole? I love you, bro, but I would not be texting you right before I gave Gianna the night of her life."
My brother was never lacking in confidence. "I'm glad you were able to stand in for me."
He let out a booming laugh. "She forgot your name the instant I got her naked."
"That's good. It'd be awkward if she were calling my name with you inside her. I'm sure that's not the first time it's happened though." I grinned as I waited for his response.
"You dickhead. That only happened once and it was right after you hit it big. That chick had major issues."
"She'd have to, to sleep with you."
"Shit, I have them all panting after me. How's…wherever the hell you are?"
I laughed and rubbed at my face. "Germany at the moment, heading to Rome in a few hours. It's fine. Tiring. Irina's being a world class pain in the ass. The usual."
"Yeah, man, I saw that shit on Entertainment Tonight. Classy bitch, isn't she? You're better off without her."
I couldn't agree more. "Hell yes, I am, but she's actually still hitting on me on this trip. She asked me to her room the first night. She cornered me on the plane and tried to get me to get back together with her the day before she married James. She was groping me under the table when she announced her wedding. And don't you dare breathe a word of that to Mom. She's already ripped me a new one for not calling her."
Emmett was silent for a couple seconds. "That's fucked up. What's wrong with her? How are you dealing with it?"
Bella. I opened my mouth and had to bite back her name. "Avoiding her as much as humanly possible. Kate wants to beat her up. I just might let her if she tries anything else."
He laughed. "That Kate! She's a scrapper. She and G will keep you sane."
I smiled. "They're doing their best."
"When will you be home?"
Shit, who knew? "I think five days? Tokyo and Sydney are the only two left after Rome but those are long flights." Long flights in which I'd be thinking of fucking Bella in one of the airplane bathrooms. That was not going to be good. Well, it would be good if she were with me, but without her it would just be me being a pervert on a plane. There was another potential porno name. I'd have to send her that one.
"Good. I miss you. Hey, Jane called yesterday, she forgot you were gone."
"Jane? What did she want?" Jane Turner was one of my first friends in Hollywood. She co-starred in my first romantic film and we'd been friends since then.
"She and Demetri broke up. I guess she just wanted someone to unload on. I told her you'd call her when you got back."
"Damn." She and Demetri had been together for something like seven years, since they were still teenagers. That sucked.
"Yeah. She asked me if you were going to the People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night. I think she wants you to go with her, pick her up a little."
The People's Choice Awards. Yeah, I'd be home in time. I didn't really want to go but I was up for Favorite Male Star or some damn thing. "I guess I could. I'll call her. Why didn't she call me on my cell?"
Emmett made a noise between a gasp and a groan. What the hell? "Uh, I think she was pretty upset and wasn't thinking. I talked her down a bit, but she'd rather talk to you I'm sure. You're all sensitive and shit. Girls like that when they're sad."
Sensitive? I rolled my eyes. Part of me has been very sensitive lately. "What was that noise?"
"Uhhh, nothing?"
"Emmett, are you fucking around while you're on the phone with me? That's disturbing."
"Damn, man, I didn't do anything. She just reached over and grabbed my cock. What's a guy to do?"
"How about get off the phone with his brother, you freak?"
He laughed. "I told you I'm irresistible. Cut that out, baby."
I heard a feminine laugh in the background. "Tell your brother I said hi."
"She says…"
"Yeah, I heard it. Now I've been woken up and traumatized by you. Congratulations, dickhead."
There was a pause and murmuring and then Emmett cursed. "No, I won't invite him over. Damn woman, that's my brother."
Now I was traumatized and amused. I couldn't stop from laughing. "Yeah, you sure made her forget all about me, Em. So much for your magical healing."
"She has problems, clearly." I heard him moving around and then a door shutting.
"Did you leave her?"
"For the moment. She can't have me while she's thinking about you. That's just wrong."
I laughed. "Yes, it is."
"So, you getting any hot European tail? I know you were giving me shit about Beckinsale but you should totally hit that."
The only hot tail I wanted was Bella. "No tail, Em. I do my interviews and appearances and go to bed." For the most part. I did talk to Bella while in bed.
"Dude, why are you living like a monk? Irina was six months ago. You ought to bang the first hot girl you can find and let Irina know you did it. Call her while you're doing it."
I shook my head. "Not everybody wants to broadcast their sex lives like you, freak. And I don't want some random one night stand. I want…" Bella.
"You want what? Another girlfriend? Live a little, Eddie. You're the king of Hollywood right now. You could have anybody you want, including the damn girl in my bed apparently."
"Your bed? You brought her to our place?" I had nightmares of rifled drawers and pilfered silverware.
"I was speaking figuratively. It's her hotel's bed. That's not the point. Time to ride that horse again, little brother."
Riding Bella. That's what I wanted. Bella riding me, even better. "I'm not just going to bang any girl. You saw what happened with Maggie."
Emmett snorted. "It's a good thing you haven't run into her. Isn't she on tour over there?"
Yes, she was. But I'd made damn sure that none of our cities coincided. "Not funny, Emmett. The point is, I don't need that shit. I need someone real that I can trust. Someone like…" Bella.
"Edward, that's the second time you've cut yourself off. What are you hiding?"
Damn him. He looked like all brawn and no brains but he was anything but. "I'm not hiding anything really."
"Don't lie to me. I'll tell Mom you're hiding something and then…"
Fuck. The last thing I needed was Mom on the hunt. "Alright! There's this girl I've been talking to. We're playing Words with Friends and we started emailing and IMed once. She sent me a picture yesterday and she's incredible." It felt surprisingly good to say it out loud. I had to downplay it for Kate and Garrett so they didn't freak out but my brother wouldn't give a shit.
"How incredible?" he demanded. "Why don't I get hot girls requesting to play with me? I'm offended."
I chuckled. "Because you have enough girls in real life? I don't know. She's gorgeous. Twenty-two, going to school to be a teacher. And she's hot as hell, Em. I joked about the whole teacher fantasy, because who hasn't had that one?"
"Are you kidding me? All those stories about those kids sleeping with their teachers coming out lately piss me off. Where was my hot older teacher, teaching me in and out of the classroom?" Emmett sounded outraged.
I laughed because we were of a like mind on that one. "Exactly. So she sends me a picture last night and Jesus fucking Christ, Em, she's gorgeous. Big brown eyes, long brown hair, tight body. She was wearing this tight white shirt with a black bra underneath, a tight, short skirt and she was holding a ruler and biting an apple. It was the hottest thing I've ever seen."
"Dude," Emmett breathed. "Straight up porn 101. Send me a copy."
Hell no. "Like hell I am. Bella's mine. You get your own teacher."
"Bella, huh? Fitting name. And you're keeping it all to yourself? What kind of brother are you?"
I knew exactly what I was. "A possessive one. There's something about her, Emmett. Beyond the looks. She just, she gets me. And she has no idea who I am, so I can tell her anything and not worry about it biting me in the ass. She's smart and funny and sexy and just, everything a guy could want."
Another beat of silence. "Damn, you're gone, little brother. Where is this perfect woman?"
He was right, I was gone. "She's in Washington."
"Hmmm. Well, that's not too far away. Let's plan a road trip!"
I laughed. If only. "I've only known her for a week and she has no idea who I am yet. I know it's crazy to want her as much as I do after so short a time but…I don't know. I just want to hold on to it for a little longer before I fuck it all up with fame and the press and the women, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. Hell, bro, people's attitudes toward me change when they hear my last name, I know it's a billion times worse for you because they already know who you are. I understand, but if you do really like this girl, you're going to have to tell her who you are."
I knew that. "I will, eventually. Right now I just want to enjoy being some guy named Edward. You can't imagine how freeing it is to talk about Irina and say what I really think, without using names and such."
"Alright, you enjoy your girl, but when you get home, we're planning a trip to Washington. You can man up and tell her who you are, and then you can ask her if there are any other hot girls in her class so I can get my own hot teacher."
"It's all about you, isn't it?"
He laughed. "It's all about both of us. I got your back, brother."
"I know you do, Emmett." And I felt worlds better for having someone know just how important Bella really was to me. "And I'll think about telling her when I get home." First I wanted to know her a little better and let her know me as well.
"Good. Now I'm going to go drive your name right out of Gianna's head."
Gross. "You do that. Bye, Em."
"Bye, Eddie. See you soon."
I hung up and glanced at the clock. There was really no point in going back to sleep. Garrett would be calling in about an hour anyway. Plenty of time to see if Bella had written. I reached for my laptop and flipped it open. It took ages but I finally saw I had email from her.
Edward,
I have to admit I've been on the edge of my seat wondering what you thought of the picture. And I certainly didn't expect to hear from you so quickly. Are you having trouble sleeping? Is there anything I can do to help?
Oh, you helped. I slept like the dead after coming a second time. You wear me out, woman, in all the best ways.
Then again, maybe I didn't help at all sending that picture so late at night. I would say I'm sorry, but we both know I'm not. Did I really make you come that fast? Just my picture without the added words? I won't lie. That had me smiling like I'd won the lottery.
Trust me, Bella. I came like a virgin on prom night. It was ridiculous how fast I got off. I better not do that in person. How embarrassing would that be?
I'm glad you think I'm beautiful and all those other wonderful words you used to describe me. Occasionally I feel that way but when you live with Rose, who did take the picture and will likely have a list of tasteful gift ideas for you at the ready, and Alice, well, they just both tend to shine and stand out in a way I don't. I'm the quiet one, though I guess the picture I sent you would have you laughing at the very idea of that.
Just don't be shy with me, Bella. Give me all that lurks in your delightfully naughty mind.
It's true, though. Do you know what I did tonight? Rose dragged me out to dinner after we sent you my picture (though I assure you that I changed first) and she decided to call my ex to tell him exactly what she thought of him, since I never really did. She's pre-med and threatened to use her scalpel on his balls and other delicate man areas. I don't think he'll be sending me anything again. Maybe a restraining order, although I'm not about to go near him. Rose might, though. Told you she was scary.
Scary, maybe. Awesome yes. I owed her for the picture and the ex now.
Your ex sounds like even more of a piece of work than mine is! Is she really hitting on you while traveling with her current guy? That's incredible. Now I want to do more than punch her. Maybe I can introduce her to Rose's scalpel as well! Sorry, I'm usually a pretty non-violent person but the thought of anybody hurting you makes me see red. You deserve so much better than that.
How incredible was this girl? I loved that she wanted to defend my honor.
I think it's easier for you to share stuff like this with me, and me with you, because we weren't part of the other's bad experience. Your family and friends knew her; my family and friends knew him and they love us so they were too close to the situation. You weren't there when I went through the pain of Tyler's betrayal and I wasn't there when you discovered her in bed with another guy. We can tell each other stuff that won't set each other off, well, beyond me wanting to hit your ex, of course. I can't help it; I'm protective of my friends. And you are that, now. At least I like to think so.
Definitely a friend with the hopes of being more one day, Bella.
Okay, enough of them. You're from the Windy City? That's cool. I've always wanted to go there. I'm more of a baseball fan than football but I don't mind either sport. I think it's great that you and your family travel together to go to a game. It must be nice to have that.
Since you asked, I'll tell you that my mother isn't really in my life anymore, which is why I don't talk about her. She took off when I was three and I get the occasional birthday card or a ridiculous Christmas present that isn't remotely me and that's about it. Last year she sent me a top and skirt that barely had enough material to cover a ten year old, let alone a twenty-two year old. Recent picture aside, I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt sort of girl. She was dating some guy who was only a few years older than me last time I checked, which probably explains the clothes, but I have no idea if she's still with him now.
And now I wanted to hug her again. I could feel the sadness in her words. How her mom could walk away from her was beyond me.
So yeah, it's just me and my Dad. He's a great guy and did his best with me, but it's not the same as having a mom, you know? I certainly couldn't talk to him about boys. The instant one came sniffing around; he was running background checks on their parents. Okay, I might be exaggerating but he did have a fondness for wearing his gun and holster anytime I went out on a date. He's funny; at least he likes to think so!
Now, Dad might be a little scary. What would he do if he knew all the dirty things I wanted to do with you, Bella?
I'm glad that I'll still be part of your day when you get home. And I promise not to fart or smell too much, not that you can tell or anything, but still. It's a good practice to stay away from.
I laughed out loud at that one. She was amazing. Hot and sexy to sad to silly and back again. The total package.
So you're going to buy an entire apple orchard, Edward? That's a lot of playing, if I give a play per apple. And I would.
I'll hold you to that, Bella. And now my cock was stirring again.
My ass is pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. Maybe you'll get another picture one day. Or maybe I should save it as a lure to get you to make that trip north. Hmmm…I'll have to think about that for awhile. Feel free to kiss it anytime you like. It's ready and waiting.
I groaned at the image of her ripe, round ass waiting for me. Fuck.
I love sharing my words and picture with you. I'm so glad you enjoy them. I enjoy yours just as much, I assure you.
Now I'm off to see what your words will do to me tonight. I got some brand new batteries just in case.
Yours, Bella
Yeah, she was going to kill me. Her and that mysterious little toy. What a way to go though.
Bella,
You know I wouldn't lie to you. When I say you're beautiful, I mean it. When I say you made me come harder than I ever have, I mean that too. I get that your ex probably did a number on your self esteem. As you know, I've been there. But you're beyond my wildest dreams, which you know are pretty wild! Wilder still now that I've met you.
I was actually at a function pretty late last night and when I came back to my room, the first thing I did was look for you. And what a surprise I had waiting for me. Thank God I left my phone in the hotel, Bella. There would have been no way I could have avoided looking at your picture and we both know what it did to me when I did. I would have had to find a bathroom as soon as humanly possible. It wouldn't have been pretty. But I would have braved the potential public humiliation in order to see you. And you would have been worth it. No doubt about it.
I might have had a lot of explaining to do to Kate and Garrett, though. Thankfully I waited. I must have had a sixth sense when I left my phone at home.
Your friend Rose sounds like a woman to be reckoned with! I'm not going to lie; I got a huge smile on my face at the thought of her telling your ex to stay the hell away from you. I owe her a couple of presents, it seems. Ask her what she wants and it will be hers! And I'm glad you changed first. You would have been responsible for far too many college guys suffering blue balls to be healthy and I would have been madly jealous for anybody to see you like that. Is that wrong? But it's totally the truth. I would hate for anybody to see my hot teacher fantasy come to life.
Just for me, Bella. You're mine.
I told my brother about you this morning and told him how gorgeous you are and about your picture. He wanted me to send it and I got mad and jealous at the idea of anybody seeing you but me. The effect you have on me, Bella. You're just…very special to me and I don't want to share you, even with my brother. Does that make sense?
How about we turn Rose loose on both our exes and keep one another occupied in much more interesting ways while she cuts off vital body parts? I doubt even their screaming could make me want to turn away from looking at you.
You're right. It is incredibly easy to just be myself with you. It's a breath of fresh air for me in ways that I can't describe right now but hopefully one day you'll understand. For now, know that you're my favorite person to talk to. I wish I could in other ways. Perhaps when I get home, you'll let me call you? I don't want to push or anything and I know that giving out your number would require some bigger level of trust but just think about it. I'll understand if you're not ready or cautious or whatnot. You should be! I'd be upset if you were just to blindly hand over your number to any old person you talked to for a week. So, just think about it and let me know.
Hopefully I wasn't asking too much. She'd already given me far more than I'd given her. But I couldn't give her more yet. I hoped she understood how much I wanted to tell and show her all.
I'm sorry about your mother. I can't imagine any mother walking away and leaving her kid behind, but it sounds like your dad did right by you, guns and all. That was a little scary, Bella! If he knew the thoughts I had about you, I'd be riddled with bullet holes right about now. But I'd risk it, for you.
Your mom missed out on an incredible girl and one day she'll realize that. Would you be willing to try on that outfit that wouldn't fit a ten year old? I'd be happy to give you my honest opinion. I kid, I kid. Sorta. I mean, I wouldn't mind if you did try it on, but I'm more than happy with what you've given me. You're too good to me already, Bella.
Since we discussed your mom, I'll tell you about mine. She's fierce. Loyal. Scary. When she heard a little, a very little mind you, about my ex's latest stunts, she called me yelling and ready to kick some ass. I love her, but she scares the hell out of me. I'll tell you a little secret. The best way to freak me out is to tell me you're going to tell my mom on me. My brother just pulled it on me and I spilled my secrets to him. Okay, I told him about you. He knew I was hiding something. I guess I can't even be subtle about you over the phone. You're a dangerous woman, Bella, but I love it.
So there you have it. Twenty-five years old and scared of my mom. She's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, but if you cross her, or her children, well, she might borrow Rose's scalpel and get to cutting. My dad is much more even keel. I guess he'd have to be, with her as a wife. He's funny and very smart and just an all around great guy. We're a very close family and we have dinner every Sunday night if we're all in town.
I missed them. Hopefully we'd do that family dinner when I got home.
Ha! I'm glad you're going to limit your farting and smelling, Bella. You don't know how loud I laughed when I read that. I love how you can take me from turned on to laughing and back again. You've a special talent, or I'm just especially susceptible to your charms. Either way, it works.
You own me, in case you couldn't tell.
I'll buy an entire apple orchard, Bella. I think we'll need one to cover every single one of my and your fantasies, after all. Speaking of those, I have to see if you sent me another on WWF. Off to read that and then I'm traveling to another city but I'll check in with you when I can!
You don't need a picture to lure me, Bella; I'm already mentally headed there. Physically, hopefully I can swing it in the near future.
Talk to you soon.
Your Edward
I closed out of that and opened my Words app. There she was. Why did my heart beat faster at only the sight of her name?
When I sent you that message, I was in my nightshirt and nothing else, of course. As to what I was or wasn't wearing under the skirt, wouldn't you like to know? I would tell you but seeing as you left me hanging with what you'd do with what you found, I guess I'm returning the favor.
Her nightshirt. Damn. I wanted to see that. And what was underneath. That would have to wait until I got my ass home, though. I hated this stupid trip. She was so good at teasing me. And I was so hard. Again.
My public fantasy is entirely too public to actually do, but we have this large quad on campus and, uh, the thought of doing it there while the entire school watched made me hot. I would never do it, mind you, but there's something about being out in the open and not giving a damn who saw, you know?
Fuck, that was hot. If only I could do that with her. Kate would kill me. It might be worth it. Who was I kidding? It would be.
I can handle everything you have to give me, Edward. I'd love to handle it with my hands and my mouth and well, you know I want you.
I groaned. Yeah, almost time for a shower.
I'm glad you and your cock have my picture to get you through your trip. I hope you have enough lotion to handle everything I'm giving you.
Off to do more than dream about you, Bella.
Jesus, my heart was pounding, my cock was throbbing and I wanted her. I looked at her picture on my laptop again. So fucking perfect.
Paybacks are a bitch and you always manage to one up me, don't you? I'm dying to see that nightshirt and I'm dying to know what was under that skirt. More incentive to visit, as if I needed any at this point.
So you want me to fuck you in front of the entire student body? You are a very dirty girl, Bella. And I love it. I may not be able to swing that, but I'm sure we could find some secluded outdoor spot where I could push you onto the soft grass and fuck you until you screamed my name. How does that sound?
It sounded oh so fucking good to me. That was for the shower shortly.
I want you too, Bella. Clearly. I'll take your hands and your mouth and give you mine back, as well as my very hard cock. All for you. What do you say?
I have to stock up on lotion at each stop, though I'm going to be using shampoo in a couple of minutes. Whatever's handy. When I get home, I'll pick up a supersized bottle. Why'd I have to meet you when I was on the road? I guess to keep it interesting. And indeed, it has been.
Did your toy take care of you? Do you think I can take care of you better? I do. What do you say we test that theory one day soon?
Until then, I'll be buying stock in DuraCell and Noxema.
Talk to you soon!
I flipped back to the game and laughed when I saw what I could play. Phone. That was all too perfect with what I'd asked. I still had to figure out the logistics but I had to talk to her. To hear her say my name, preferably when she came. Talk to me, Bella.
A/N What do you think Bella's response will be? Like that's even a question? See you Friday for WWF!
