A/N: Apologies to you all – it looks like my weekly posting schedule has now turned into a fortnightly one. We're getting to the meaty end of the story now, which takes a little bit more thought on my part and a bit more reading for my betas, so hopefully the wait will be worth it. There will probably be only 15 chapters in all, so be prepared!
This chapter is quite long, and mentions some terms which may need explaining. The red box is the box of papers ministers bring home each night as "homework", and Parliament's forecourt is the paved area outside by the flagpole, where people often assemble for rallies or parades. I'll have the usual pic and music links on my profile page and also at my blog site - kiwiaubergine(dot)wordpress(dot)com.
Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing. Smooches to debb24601, Whitbysucks/girlpower and FluffyLiz for their love and support, and to Totoro over at Twilighted. I couldn't do it without you guys.
Twilight character names belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just letting them sit in the Speaker's chair. Again, no copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without express written authorisation.
The Exclusive
Chapter 10
BPOV
"Bella!" Alice hissed, thumping my arm and causing me to stumble on my elliptical trainer. My eyes flew open and I stopped singing.
"What the fuck? I was really enjoying that song," I glared at her.
"Sshh!" She nodded her head towards the door and I turned to follow her gaze. On seeing Edward I was about to smile, when I noticed Jacob Black scowling at him.
"Shit," I said under my breath. Black looked at Alice and me, then back at Edward, and my stomach lurched. "Oh, shit."
"Bells? What's going on?" Alice whispered.
"Nothing good now," I whispered back. Edward's face was reddening, and although they were half a gym apart I knew he could feel Black's hands around his neck. I could feel them around my neck, too.
Suddenly, Edward turned and stormed out of the gym. Black looked back at me and started to walk over when Emmett came out of the men's changing room in a singlet and rugby shorts. He looked around, puzzled.
"Where did he go?" Without a word, Alice and I pointed to the door, and he rushed out after his boss. "Bollocks," we heard him say as he rushed down the corridor. It would have been funny if I hadn't been so worried.
"Did you see that?" Black asked, as he approached us. "Did you see Masen staring at you?"
Alice giggled, but the warning look I shot her told her not to give my secret away with involuntary responses.
"I'm sure you're mistaken," I said. "He was probably glaring at us for turning off the TV news."
Black look skeptical, but Alice's nodding caused him to pause and consider my suggestion.
Jacob Black was one of those muscle-bound jocks whose every thought was played out over his face. Not especially bright, he had been placed on his party's candidate list by his nepotistic father. For the last three years he had led a charmed life on the government backbenches, living well with his dad at Premier House at the taxpayers' expense. With his father now ousted by Edward, Jacob had to find a new place to live, and he had told me he had made it his new hobby to discredit Edward by whatever means necessary. He trusted me after my close work with his father on past election campaigns. Little did he know I had slept with the enemy, and planned to do it again. But, after this, perhaps not tonight.
Black was still mulling it over when Rosalie appeared from the women's changing room, looking glamorous in a plum-coloured lycra T-shirt and leggings. She had swept her hair up in a high ponytail and had reapplied her makeup. Intriguing. She looked around the near-empty gym, and her face fell.
I had seen her come in with Edward, and a pang of jealousy stabbed my stomach. Not Rose. He considered her like a sister, but maybe she felt something more.
Taking a shaky breath, I called her name and gestured her over to us. She smiled weakly and approached, which Black thankfully took as his dismissal. Without another word he went back to the weights and started packing up his gear. He hadn't really bought our story, but for now he was off my back. Edward and I would have to watch out for him. He was like a dog with a bone. And I didn't want anyone gnawing on Edward's bone except me.
"Rose, what's wrong?" Alice asked. I switched my attention to the attractive blonde now nervously picking at the bottom of her shirt.
"I was meant to be with Emmett – you know, the DPS guy – we were going for a drink but then Pantydropper asked him to work out and we all came down here, but… they've both abandoned me!"
The jealous pang in my stomach was replaced by a guilty one. "Oh!" Did I just sound relieved? That was probably inappropriate. Quickly, I covered my faux pas. "Pantydropper left suddenly and Emmett had to go after him. He's probably coming back – he left his suit and things in the changing room."
She cheered up a bit, and we resumed our workouts, with Rose joining us on the nearby treadmill. After half an hour, though, there were no signs of our men.
"I have a feeling whatever was going to happen tonight isn't going to." Alice shot a look at me as she spoke. "So, let's go to the pub."
The three of us showered and changed, then walked across the road to The Backbencher. The pub was famous for its Spitting Image-style latex puppets of political leaders, and I noted Edward's now had pride of place above the bar. His effigy had an overabundance of hair, and was surrounded by what looked like screaming girls. I chuckled and pointed it out to my friends.
"And look, that bloke at the back is throwing his undies at him!" Alice guffawed. Sure enough, she was right. Maybe it's a good thing lots of people think he's gay.
We ordered mojitos and found a table in the corner. We hadn't been sitting down long when two scruffy students wearing plaid walked over and spoke to Rose.
"Hey, dollface, don't I know you from my global politics class?" the less attractive of the two said. "Wanna make out?"
"I'd honestly prefer to be sodomised with a toothbrush," she replied with a straight face.
Alice and I tried to contain our laughter as the two boys walked away. I heard the cuter one say, "I told you not to call her dollface".
"Feel better now?" I asked Rose, who was having a good laugh.
"A bit. I was just really looking forward to a night out. We've been working so hard."
"Well, now you're having a night out with us," Alice said, smiling kindly.
My phone beeped to say I had a text message. It was from Edward.
Where r u?
Backbencher. Drowning Rose's sorrows.
Oh, God. Sorry. I'm home now. Em's gone. Will tell him where u r.
Ta.
Alice raised her eyebrows at me, and I hoped she wouldn't say anything in front of Rose. I hadn't told her everything about my night with Edward, but she knew I had called him and had made assumptions about the rest, most of which had been accurate. She leaned over to Rose and stage-whispered, "Bells has a new boyfriend, too. I think he ditched her tonight as well".
I made a face at Alice as Rose made sympathetic noises. Then another text arrived.
Em on his way. Can u come here?
I stifled a giggle as I replied: U can make me cum any time, anywhere.
I want you. Right now.
My gasp made Alice and Rose look at me, and I blushed.
"Booty text," Ali whispered.
I rolled my eyes and looked at her thoughtfully. "But I can't leave my girls hanging. Hoes before bros?" I asked, unsure. They nodded eagerly and went to the bar to get more drinks as I replied to Edward.
Black scared me tonight. Maybe we shouldn't.
What did he do? I'll kill him.
Nothing. Just think we shld b more careful.
So, tonight? Yes or no?
Not tonight. Not never, just not tonight. Sorry. My girls need me.
Talk 2 u later?
Will ph when I get home.
I'll be waiting. Miss you.
Miss u 2.
I sighed when I put my phone away, and gave Alice a wistful look. I needed to talk it out with her, but not with Rose here.
As it turned out, our "hoes before bros" pact was easily broken by the arrival of Emmett, back in his suit and bearing flowers. He had made dinner reservations, and Rose was overwhelmed. After a couple of mojitos she was easy to persuade.
As they were leaving, Emmett whispered in my ear. "Thank you. He's… really happy now."
I took his hand and squeezed it, smiling. "You have a lot to do with that, too. He needs a good friend," I whispered, as Rose said her goodbyes to Alice.
"I guess you're going to leave me now, too?" Alice asked after they'd gone.
"Nah. Jacob Black really worried me. That was too close for my liking."
"You're not getting cold feet, surely? You finally have a chance at everything you've ever wanted… well, you haven't actually told me yet but I assume that's how it's going."
"Yeah. He wants me, I want him, but… I've just got this promotion and we'd have to be so careful no one would see us. Kind of takes the fun out of it."
"Is your job so important to you? More important than a chance at happiness?" Ali almost looked angry at me.
I was silent. I had invested so much in my job in the past because my home life was so unhappy. It was a habit.
"Bells, I dunno, honey. If I were you, I would be grabbing that fine arse with both hands, and to hell with anything else." Alice took my hand across the table. "He's not Ben. He's… Bizarro Ben, anti-Ben, polar opposites. He won't hurt you. He would never hurt you." She smiled wickedly. "Unless you like it rough. I bet he's fantastic…" She sighed and I giggled.
Leaning forward, I gestured for her to let me whisper in her ear. "If I had my way, I would spend the majority of my time fucking Edward."
***
It was late by the time Ali and I rolled out of the pub and shared a cab home. I considered telling the driver to take me to Oriental Bay when he dropped Alice off, but I knew I was too drunk to have the conversation I wanted to have with Edward.
When I got home, Angela and Renee were already in bed. I made a sandwich and took it up to my room, where I cleaned up and changed into my nightie. Propped up in bed with my now empty plate beside me, I dialed Edward's number. He answered on the first ring.
"Hi."
"Hi. Sorry it's so late. Ali and I had a lot to talk about."
"I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that."
"You were on the wall. It was weird." I described his latex effigy, and he laughed.
"No groupies here tonight. I'm all alone with my red box."
"Me, too," I purred suggestively. My sandwich was doing very little to mop up the effect of too many mojitos. Edward didn't seem to mind, though. I heard him gasp.
"Are you in bed?"
"Uh-huh."
"What are you wearing?"
I giggled. "Did you really just ask me that? My blue nightie, if you must know."
He groaned. "Can I come over?"
"As much as I'd love a repeat of the other night – and God, would I – I think we'd maybe better keep this on the down low for a bit. Whatever this is."
"What do you think it is?" He sounded serious.
"I'm not sure. I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, after my kids. But if it's too hard for us to manage, then it was the best one night stand ever."
"I don't want it to just be that. I think we belong together."
"You hardly know me. But I'd like us to get to know each other properly. Just out of the public eye, if we can."
"Yeah, you're right," he sighed. "I'm just a little bit annoyed, a little bit frustrated… Damn Jacob Black!"
"Well, it was only a matter of time before someone saw us."
"It still bothers me I can't be with you tonight."
"There'll be other nights for you to work your pantydropping magic. Lots of nights, I hope."
He chuckled at my use of his nickname. "I know it was you who started that."
"Trust me, it's an accurate description of the effect you have on women. And some men."
"There's only one person's panties I want to see on the floor."
"They're already off." I heard him suck in a breath, and I wondered if he was touching himself. "What are you wearing?"
"My undies dropped when you mentioned your red box. I have some cream you can rub on it if it's aching," he said, his voice low and husky.
"Mmm, rubbing is good."
"You have no idea."
***
The next few days were busy for Edward and we hardly had time for a proper talk. He had engagements in Cambridge, business breakfasts in Auckland, and spent the weekend in Dunedin, where a streaker at the cricket game he attended made headlines for trying to get him to autograph her breasts. She came close, but was tackled by Emmett and Paul, who copped a feel instead. Nice try, sweetie, but the Pantydropper only has eyes for my girls. The Chronicle's tight budget meant I stayed in Wellington and assigned local reporters to cover his movements. If the Opposition had any dirt to dish it was keeping quiet for now. Edward and I spoke on the phone or sent texts most nights, but mostly we just flirted. I wanted to wait to have a serious talk with him in person about our relationship.
The following week, Parliament resumed. The movers had done their jobs, and Edward was officially resident at Premier House and the ninth floor of the Beehive. He gave a magnificent speech at the opening of Parliament, glancing often at me in the gallery above. I did my usual trick of being so mesmerized I forgot to take notes, so Alice wrote the story. If I wasn't careful I would lose my job for incompetence – although that would help with my relationship with Edward.
With the House sitting, we both had to work late nights, so he and I started texting at work. I delighted in making him blush by sending him sexy messages while he was in the debating chamber, even getting him told off by the Speaker for giggling. That incident made headlines for my colleagues, who speculated wildly about who he was messaging. No one had any idea, and for that I was grateful. Some of the suggestions were interesting, though, prompting me to text:
Looks like I'm going 2 hv 2 do u outside on the forecourt so ppl will believe u r straight.
Stop. Not allowed 2 giggle or get stiffy in House. Speaker's orders.
I laughed, then my phone beeped again.
So is that a date? I can be outside in 5.
***
The House traditionally sat for two weeks at the beginning of December, and after the last session the gallery always hosted its notorious Christmas party. When Esme and I had worked here in the 1990s, the Christmas parties were debauched affairs which usually culminated in someone being caught having sex in the Speaker's chair with one of their co-workers. In the last few years things had changed and the party was now a friendly barbecue, usually held in the alleyway between the Beehive and Parliament Buildings. This year, though, it was raining, so the party was being held in the Beehive's Great Hall.
As well as journalists and MPs, the guests included government department heads and local business leaders. Alice and I had agreed to rescue each other from anyone too boring, and so far it was working well. I had chatted with Carlisle, Esme and Jasper, and had had a few too many vodkas by the time I decided to hit the dance floor with Alice. We were boogying to the Black Seeds' "Cool Me Down" when there was a commotion at the door. I looked at Alice, and then saw Emmett leading Edward through the crowd. He looked like a sex god in a white shirt, grey trousers and a plaid tie loosened at his neck. His hair was a little damp from the rain.
"Jeez, the PM never comes to this thing," Alice said as she came closer.
"Looks like he's breaking all the rules now." Acting nonchalant, I continued to dance, and a quick glance across the room told me my moves were being appreciated by the new PM.
Carlisle had clearly had a few to drink because a short time later he shouted at Edward to play us something on the piano. Edward was mingling and had not drunk much, but nevertheless agreed reluctantly. My stomach in butterflies, I joined the others around the grand piano as he sat down and paused in thought.
"I'm a bit rusty, but here goes. It's an oldie, but most of you should know it. "Into Temptation" by Crowded House."
I held my breath. He was singing to me again.
"You opened up your door
I couldn't believe my luck
You in your new blue dress
Takin' away my breath…"
I looked down, remembering his hands removing my blue nightgown, and blushed. I hoped no one noticed.
Alice leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Do you hear that?"
I listened, and could hear sighing and mild groaning from the audience.
"It's the sound of 100 women losing their panties," she giggled. I laughed, too, and Edward looked across at us. He smiled, and my panties combusted along with everyone else's.
When he finished and we all applauded, he modestly announced he would have to ring Neil Finn straight away to apologise. My phone rang, and everyone turned to look at me.
"Hello?"
"Ms Swan, it's Emmett McCarty."
I looked around. Emmett was nowhere to be seen, but Edward was clearly visible, talking to a group of people gathered around the piano. Clever. A diversion.
"Hi. What can I do for you?" I said casually, so as not to alert anyone who might overhear.
"Mr Masen would like to meet you in the debating chamber in five minutes."
"Oh, OK. Thank you." I looked around. No one was interested in my call any more, thankfully. I knew I was still blushing. I told Alice I had to pop out for a minute and assured her I would be back. She was talking to Jasper, so I knew she wouldn't miss me. I passed Emmett returning to the party as I was leaving, but he didn't acknowledge me. He seemed intent on finding Rose while his boss was otherwise engaged.
The debating chamber was eerily silent. I looked up at the gallery and the TV cameras, and hoped they were turned off. For old times' sake, I walked up to the front of the House and sat down in the Speaker's chair.
"Why, Ms Swan, you look right at home up there." Edward entered through the Ayes lobby, grinning broadly. "But your feet don't touch the floor."
"Into Temptation? Really?" I teased back, raising my eyebrows as he strode towards me.
"Well, this dress isn't the same one I was thinking about, but it'll still look lovely on this carpet."
I gasped as his words registered in my ovaries and I remembered what he had done to me after I opened my door in my nightie.
"If I asked you to do something, would you trust me?" he asked, earnestly. I nodded.
"Then, take off your dress," he ordered, stepping up in front of me.
"Yes, Prime Minister." I bent forward to whisper, "Are those cameras off? They'd better be".
He nodded. "Emmett took care of it."
I started to unzip, then froze. "Or do you want to do this part?"
He licked his lips, and let his eyes travel the length of my body. When they returned to my eyes they were dark with lust. "Do you mind if it gets ripped?"
"I do, actually. I have to go back out there."
"Hmm. OK, I'll try to be gentle. But those shoes stay on." He pointed to my electric blue heels with the ribbons that were my favourites.
"Deal."
He worked slowly and methodically, peeling off my layers until I was bare in front of him, except for my heels. He sucked in a breath as he appraised my body, which was starting to goosepimple.
"I've missed you," he whispered into my hair. "So much."
I let out a shaky breath as his hands lit fires all over me. "I missed you, too."
His left hand stopped at the small of my back and he pulled me close. "You don't know what you do to me. It's so hard to concentrate. I just want to touch you here-" His right hand brushed my cheek. "And here." It moved down slowly to grasp my left breast, his thumb dragging over my nipple and causing my knees to weaken. "And here." The hand grazed down my ribs and hips before stopping between my legs.
"Mmm," he groaned. "So ready for me."
My eyes darted to the doors as I let his fingers enter me. If we were discovered now there would be no chance of talking our way out.
"Baby, are you sure no one's going to come?" My voice was timid.
"Oh, they're going to cum all right," he growled. "This place echoes, though, so you might want to save the screaming till we get home."
His thumb found my clit and within seconds I was repeating his name in a low chant. He kissed a line from my jaw up to my earlobe and, as his tongue found the spot just below my ear, his fingers worked their magic and I came undone. I buried my face in his shirt to muffle my sounds, and inhaled deeply, knowing his scent would calm me down.
"That doesn't count," I said after a moment, and he frowned. "The Speaker's chair. We're standing up, not sitting in it. It doesn't count."
The worried crease above his nose lightened. "Ah, true. What shall we do about that?" I grabbed his belt buckle and began unfastening. "Why, Ms Swan, I do believe you are only interested in my huge majority," he smirked.
"It is impressive," I said, as I uncovered him fully, pushing his trousers and briefs to the floor. "You have such firm support." I gripped his shaft and began stroking. "From north to south."
Edward whimpered and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Bella, it's been a couple of weeks. I'm not going to last long if you keep doing that."
"You'd better sit down, then."
He sat in the Speaker's chair, naked and breathing heavily. It was hard to believe someone so beautiful could be real, and that he could possibly want me.
I straddled his lap, thankful the chair was wide enough and that I wasn't spiking myself in the bottom with my heels. He grabbed my breasts with both hands, then paused as he felt me lining him up at my entrance.
"Wait, I have a condom in my pocket-"
"It's OK, I'm back on the Pill. I went to the doctor the day after we… ah…"
His eyes lit up as he realised how much of a commitment I was making to him. "It's safe?"
"Yeah. I want to feel you." I buried my fingers in his hair and kissed him passionately.
He groaned in my mouth and muttered, "Fuck", before pulling away and kissing my breasts. I lifted myself slightly and sunk down over him slowly, taking him in impossibly far. Edward looked up at me, panting. "Fuck, Bella, you feel amazing."
I arched my back, shoving my boobs further in his face as I picked up a rhythm. He filled me so completely. Not just sexually.
"Oh, God! Ugh!" My toes curled in my expensive shoes as stars exploded behind my tightly clenched eyes. Edward gave another thrust and muttered, "Christ!" before he, too, was undone.
Panting, I opened my eyes to see Edward kissing both my breasts again. He looked up at me with such adoration. "Thank you." I felt sure he was about to say something more, when we were both startled by a noise from the gallery above. The floor had creaked. Instead of a declaration of love, Edward whispered urgently, "Get dressed, quickly!"
I eased off him, not wanting my body to be free of him yet. I moaned at the loss, and at the trickling feeling down my leg. Edward gave me a look that said he understood the loss, but his quick glance up to the gallery reminded me of our need for haste.
We dressed quickly and made our retreat through the Noes lobby. I needed to freshen up so I told Edward that I would be back in a moment. When I came out of the bathroom, I was sad but not surprised to see he had gone.
***