Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it?

Rating: Mature Audience

Beta: Jessipooks

Pre-readers: Mist/LuvinJ

A/N: I appreciate all the wonderful comments! Hoping to finish this story before summer arrives. Only have 2 more Monday night classes and then I'm on break until mid-August. xoxo

The Almost Affair: Chapter 10: Turning Things Around...

Jake stood at Ms. Matthews office door with his hand halfway up to knock when it opened.

"I'm done...hello?" Esme stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the handsome young man standing in front of her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you." Jake smiled sheepishly. He couldn't believe that a woman as classy as the one before him was the same one that the guys swore was kinky as hell.

"It's absolutely okay. I was just hanging up." Esme closed her phone and flashed him one of her award winning smiles.

"I'm here to pick up the check for Lahote Construction." Jake said.

"Oh...you're here for a check." Esme chewed on the corner of her lip and wondered if she could afford to take him in her office for a few minutes. She was already five minutes late for the set.

"Yes." Jake nodded his head, trying not to make eye contact for too long.

"My checkbook is in here. Come inside." Esme reached behind her, opened the door and stepped aside so he could enter first.

"Okay." Jake chewed on the corner of his lip as he cautiously walked in.

Esme admired his backside. She wondered why she hadn't seen him at her house before today. This man had major sex appeal. She could make a fortune if she could bottle it up and sell it.

"Give me a second to find a pen." Esme closed the door behind her.

Looking around her room she located her purse. Pulling out the checkbook she then searched for a pen. She hoped she never found one so that maybe he would have to come back later when she had more free time to explore the possibilities of him and her.

"Here you go." Jake grabbed the pen off the table in the center of the room and handed it to her.

Esme wrote out the check and handed it to him. Looking deep into his eyes she wished she was twenty years younger.

"I'm sorry I never caught your name." Esme said.

"Jake. Jake Black." Jake could see the desire building up in her eyes and although he was flattered, he hoped she didn't do anything inappropriate.

"Thank you Ms. Matthews." Jake started to turn and walk away when he felt her hand wrap around his arm.

"I'm sorry but would itbe possible to see you again?" Esme asked.

"Um...I don't understand." Jake didn't want to hurt her feelings but he wasn't interested in her. If he hadn't met Isabella then he might have given her theride of her life but that wasn't going to happen now.

Esme turned him around and slid her hands up his muscular chest. Licking her red covered lips she pressed her body up against his.

"I think you're the sort of friend that I could benefit from having in my life." Esme's voice switch from sweet to a sudden sensual purr that made Jake's skin crawl.

"Benefit?" Jake gulped hard.

A knock on the door made him jump.

"Esme they are about to go on air." A voice called from the closed door.

"I know." Esme called back without blinking an eyelash.

" I should be going." Jake took her hands and peeled them off of his chest.

"Okay but remember you know where I live should you need any help." Esme leaned in to kiss him on the cheek when her door was opened.

"Esme! Come on...what..." Isabella looked at the couple in front of her and found herself nearly choking on her tongue.

Jake was holding Esme's hands and she was applying her nasty lips to his face.

"Seriously? Can't you knock?" Esme snapped harshly.

"Edward sent me to warn you he is about to replace you." Bella replied just as harshly. Her eyes locked with Jake's.

"Fine. Later Jake." Esme winked at him and then strutted off past them both.

"Isabella." Jake suck in his breath.

"Jake." Bella's voice shook from the anger that had erupted unexpectedly from her.

"I'm here to get her money for a job we did." Jake explained, waving the check in front of her.

"That's good. I have to go." Bella turned on her heels and rush out of the room.

"Isabella!" Jake ran after her. He couldn't let her think that he was interested in what Ms. Matthews had offered. The only woman's bed he was dying to share was hers.

"I'm busy Jake." Bella replied not bothering to look back at him.

"Stop it. I don't understand you." Jake growled. Catching up with her, he turned her around so he could see her face when he spoke to her.

"Obviously you don't." Bella snorted.

"I didn't do anything with her. She made an offer and I was trying to turn it down as politely as possible." Jake explained.

"I honestly don't care."

"Pleasssee. If you didn't care then you wouldn't be acting like this." Jake replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Jake, I just found you holding hands with Esme. She is notorious for her affairs with younger men." Bella replied.

"And? Do you think I just jump in bed with every woman who throws herself at me?"

"OHHH! So what are you saying? I threw myself at you when we met?" Bella's chest was heaving and her body shook with fury.

"NOOO! Damn it! I came by to get the check and was hoping to get a chance to see you. You have been ignoring me for the past week, not the other way around. I haven't been with any other woman since you and I hooked up. " Jake confessed.

"No one?" Bella's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Nope." Jake smiled softly at her.

"Why not?" Bella had a bad feeling that Jake was about to pour his heart out to her and then she would have to break it.

"Honestly been so damn busy with work. Plus why would I replace you? You know what I like. I know what you like." Jake fought back the words that he really wanted to share with her.

"I...well...I really have been busy." Bella half lied.

"I understand. Look, I won't bother you again. I remember the rules. If you think you might have feelings for me and need us to back off for awhile that's cool." Jake laughed inwardly when her eyes widen with disbelief.

"I am not ...I mean...I like you but I'm not falling for you." Bella cried out.

"It's okay. You don't have to explain your feelings to me." Jake put his hands up.

"Stop it. You are not going to turn this around on me." Bella slapped his hands down.

"What do you mean?" Jake pretended he had no idea what she was saying.

"You were the one texting and calling me." Bella replied.

"So? I was horny." Jake shrugged his shoulders.

"That's it. You just wanted to spend time screwing my brains out." Bella gave him a doubtful look.

"That's all." Jake pressed his lips together.

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Okay, you can come by my place tonight." Bella licked her lips entirely.

"Sorry. I can't tonight." Jake shot her down. He was starting to see the wisdom in Embry's far fetched theories. He had been jumping at the bit for her attention and now it was time to turn the tables on her.

"What?" Bella choked.

"I have plans." Jake leaned over and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek before he gracefully walked away, leaving her standing with her mouth wide open and for once speechless.

XXX

Edward pulled out his wallet and looked gloomily at the unused condom. He wondered if he was ever going to get the chance to use it? He was starting to see that reaching out to Bella wasn't working for him and perhaps it was time to move on to greener pastures.

"Hey, Emmett want to go to the Dusty Trails tonight? Do you want to hang with us?" Rosalie nudged Edward's arm playfully.

"Um...Dusty Trails, uh. Pretty pricey." Edward teased. Edward wondered if Bella was coming along? Dusty Trails was Bella's favorite steakhouse.

"You could bring a friend or a date?" Rose's eyes twinkled mischievously.

She was hoping he found someone to occupy his free time. They both knew Bella wasn't swaying in his direction.

"I wished I had a date." Edward chuckled bitterly.

"Oh come on surely there is someone you could call. You know like a friend with benefits."

"Shit. If I had that kind of friend, honey, I wouldn't be taking them to Dusty Trails." Edward replied.

"Who's going to Dusty Trails?" Lily approached them with a shopping bag in tow.

"Rose and Emmett." Edward answered.

"Yummy! I love that place but it's out of my price range and it would ruin my delicious diet." Lily's stomach grumbled.

Edward and Rosalie both laughed at the same time.

"Your stomach is disagreeing with you." Edward commented.

"I know." Lily laughed.

"Why are you on a diet?" Edward frowned at her.

"A single girl is always on a diet." Lily replied.

"If you keep dieting you will wither away. You have an amazing body."Rosalie warned her.

"I agree. How about I take you and your stomach to Dusty Trails?" Edward proposed to both women's surprise.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude." Lily wanted to scream with joy but refrained.

"Honey, you're not intruding. You're saving me from having to watch Rose and Em make kissy faces all night." Edward answered.

"Okay. Cool." Lily's eye lit up.

Rosalie looked between them for a second and then it hit her like a freight train. Lily was totally crushing on Edward and she wondered why she hadn't seen it before now?

"We have reservations for eight. See you two there." Rosalie walked away from them and couldn't wait to call Bella and share her theory about the potential lovebirds.

XXX

"Why are you late?" Sam was smiling but his temper was on the edge of bursting.

It was their one year anniversary and he hoped they could go out and celebrate it. Alice was due home by six and it was nearly seven before she arrived. He had texted and called numerous time but all were ignored.

"I ran into Ms. Sterling. She is the sweetest woman ever but sometimes I wonder if she has any brains in that head of hers." Alice sighed heavily.

"I have reservations for us. Do you think you could be ready in an hour?" Sam didn't bother to ask who Ms. Sterling was or where she had bumped into her.

"I suppose. Where are we going?" Alice asked.

"It's a surprise so go get dressed." Sam walked passed her and fixed himself a glass of whiskey.

"Well how do I know how to dress if I don't know where we are going?" Alice replied flippantly.

"Do you want to go out or not?" Sam didn't blink an eye when he asked her with a stern voice.

"Sure." Alice frowned at him for a moment before dashing off to their room.

XXX

Edward hated to admit it but he was enjoying himself immensely. Rose and Emmett had laid off the romantic notions that they normally publicly displayed. Lily had arrived wearing a kick ass dress that had actually made him do a double take when he first saw her.

He had always found Lily attractive but never gave it much thought until now. She kept smiling at him and seemed to be hanging onto his every word. When her leg brushed against his under the table, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his leg. His manhood began to grow, his family jewels tingle and his cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Lily was Bella and Rose's close friend and sure they had hung out on occasions but she had never been given any sign that she liked him beyond a friend. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She made him feel strange and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

If they screwed around and he didn't share her feelings then it would make things uncomfortable at work,not to mention around their shared friends.

"Let's dance." Rose stood up and jerked Emmett nearly off of his chair.

"She's stronger than she looks." Emmett winked at them as Rose continue to drag him to the dance floor.

"They are so adorable." Lily sighed loudly.

"How so?" Edward laughed.

"She is head over heels for him and when he looks at her, you can tell that he simply adores her. Flaws and all."

"Rose has flaws? Shhh. Don't tell her that." Edward teased.

"You know what I mean." Lily laughed, smacking him at the same time.

"Yeah. No one is perfect." Edward picked up his drink and sipped on it.

"You want to dance?" Lily chewed on the corner of her lip and gave him her best puppy eyes.

"I guess one dance wouldn't hurt." Edward stood up and followed her to the dance floor.

He kept his hands in the proper areas and prayed that if she got too close, she didn't come in contact with his crotch. Her smile and the touch of her skin was creating chaos in him. He was hoping it was the large amount of alcohol and nothing else that was causing this abnormal reaction.

Lily was a sweet girl but he knew if he screwed up things with her he would have hell to pay from Rose and Bella.

XXXX