Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. This storyline and all original characters belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.
Massive thanks, as ever, to my beta, MauiGirl60. Also to Cared and to Midnight Cougar. I'm so fortunate to have such a great team on my side. The biggest thanks, though, are reserved for everyone who is reading, reviewing and following Wild Child. I'm astonished, bemused and delighted by the response to this story. Your comments put the biggest smile on my face and if I haven't managed to respond to you, please know that I am hugely appreciative of the fact that you take the time to leave me a comment.
CHAPTER TEN
Back inside the house, Edward traversed the living room, noting that there was no sign of Bella, and headed upstairs to her room. Tapping lightly on the door, he called out softly, "Bella, it's me, can I come in?"
When there was no response, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open slowly, but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't there. Still, he couldn't resist going in and inhaling deeply, allowing himself to drink in her delectable scent.
After a moment, he thought he heard a noise outside and walked over to the open window. Sweeping the floor-length net curtain to one side, he looked down to the garden deck directly below the window.
He'd found Bella.
Stretched out on one of the sun loungers, she was dressed in the short blue robe she'd been wearing when he saw her in the kitchen earlier—with one appreciable difference. She had untied the sash and pulled the garment open to reveal what was underneath.
A blue bikini. A very small blue bikini. And skin. Lots of skin.
Edward swallowed the pool of saliva which had suddenly filled his mouth, as he surveyed the perfection of the porcelain-skinned goddess below. A moment later he hissed as his cock swelled inside his jeans and pressed painfully against the zip, despite the protective layer of cloth provided by his boxer briefs.
"Dammit to hell," he whispered, reaching down to try and adjust himself into a more comfortable position. The idea occurred to him that the most comfortable position would be inside Bella.
Not fucking helping, you moron!
Squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, Edward forced himself to step back from the window.
This is torture. Pure, unadulterated torture. Why am I doing this to myself?
He took a deep breath, turned quickly, and left the room.
Downstairs, he headed straight to his study, shut the door firmly behind him, and sat down at his desk. He fired up his laptop and logged into his inbox, determined to immerse himself in work.
And, for a while, it worked.
Over the next couple of hours, he was able to compartmentalise the whole 'Bella conundrum' and concentrate on dealing with the work he'd been neglecting.
So engrossed was he, in fact, that when his BlackBerry chimed to let him know he had a text, he actually jumped in his seat.
He went into his message box and frowned when he saw it was from Bella. Clicking on the text, he read:
Wanna hlp me wth my tasty hoard?
Laughing out loud, he quickly tapped in a response:
Hell yes, my mouth is watering already
Ten seconds later, he got another text:
Come + get it ;)
A smiley face… she sent me a smiley face… a winky smiley face!
Unable to suppress his grin, he left the room and went to join Bella in the kitchen.
Except she wasn't there.
Instead, there was a yellow Post-it note stuck to the counter with an arrow pointing towards the windows overlooking the deck, and from where he stood he could see another note stuck to the glass door. He immediately knew exactly where she was and he swallowed hard as he thought about the way she had looked from his vantage point upstairs.
He wondered if she had changed or whether she was still in her bikini.
He wondered if he would be able to disguise his state of… excitement, already becoming a problem again just thinking about Bella in her bikini.
He wondered if he should forego lunch, turn tail and return to his study.
Jesus H Christ, why can't it be typical March weather in England—cold, wet and windy—instead of this glorious sunny day which is more like June or even early July.
Edward sighed, then walked over to the patio doors, peeking around to see where Bella was—and to assess just how much of a threat she might be to his sanity.
What he saw filled him with warring emotions.
Bella had changed—she was now wearing a pair of cream cotton shorts, which were a little less revealing than the ones she had worn yesterday, together with another of those ripped, cut-off t shirts, underneath which he could see the straps of the top half of her blue bikini. There was no sign of her robe.
Clearly, in an effort to appear a little more decorous, she had gone upstairs to put on the additional clothing before inviting him to share her lunch—a decision which filled Edward with relief, whilst simultaneously proving to be a crushing disappointment.
Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to feast his eyes on Bella's spectacular ass as she stooped to retrieve a large plastic carrier bag from the floor. She extracted a bottle of water, napkins, cutlery and condiments and placed them on the large picnic table, on which she had already set out plates of food.
He saw her stiffen suddenly and straighten, as if she sensed him; she turned around to look at him standing in the doorway, and smiled.
"There you are—I was beginning to think you'd high-tailed it to the airport with Ms Botox 2011... oops, sorry, I mean, your girlfriend." She did not, in fact, look the least bit sorry.
Edward frowned at the reference to Tanya—in particular, to her being his girlfriend because he doubted that was still the case.
He stepped out onto the deck, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "I don't want to talk about Tanya," he mumbled darkly.
Bella was unfazed by his moody declaration, choosing to flash him her brightest smile.
"Good-oh, I'm not too keen on the subject myself. Alrighty, then, pull up a chair and tuck in. I don't know about you, but I'm utterly famished." She grinned at him as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
He chuckled at her good mood and pulled out the chair at the end of the rectangular table, so that he was sitting at a right angle to her. He then took in the spread before him—there was a large plate containing at least four types of sliced cold meats, another plate with four varieties of cheese, two types of pate, two different kinds of crackers, a breadboard with a crusty French stick and a small granary loaf, and finally, a bowl containing red and white grapes and half a dozen shiny, pink-skinned apples. As for drinks, there was the bottle of water he'd seen her pull out of the bag just now, plus a bottle of red grape juice.
"Holy shit, Bella, where did all this come from? I don't remember seeing this in the fridge last night… or in your food parcel this morning." Edward gazed at the veritable feast in front of him, his eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.
"Um, no… I, uh, might have popped out earlier when you were working. I wanted to be sure there would be enough stuff you liked?" Bella said this last as a question, as she was starting to worry that Edward did not, in fact, like any of it.
"Enough stuff I'd like? Christ, I'd have to be a lactose-intolerant vegan with celiac's disease not to be able to find something I like here." He looked at her and saw the anxiety in her expression.
"Hey," he said softly, covering her hand with his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "This is fantastic, Bella, really." He smiled at her and was heartened to see her own smile return. "Completely over the top, of course, but fantastic, nonetheless."
They both laughed, and Bella shot him a rueful smile as he set about filling his plate and she poured them both a glass of grape juice.
As they ate, they talked. Although he didn't want to spoil their enjoyment of the delicious al fresco meal, Edward decided he had to bring up the matter of Bella's schoolwork before Monday and what would be happening over the next four weeks until the end of term. To his surprise and delight, Bella was totally amenable to discussing what needed to be done and how she hoped to achieve it, telling him she expected to receive a draft lesson plan from Mrs Banner on Monday, together with the first of her assignments, and that she would then set about adapting it in order to best organise the work.
Ecstatic that Bella was being so sensible and grown up about the whole matter, Edward couldn't help but praise her, earning him a glowing blush and shy smile.
With the matter of her schooling aired and dealt with so amicably, they both relaxed, chatting about all kinds of things, from the latest author signing at SP to the state of the Euro Zone, which Edward was surprised to find Bella so informed about.
Their pleasant discourse was cruelly interrupted, however, when Edward's BlackBerry started ringing.
Putting down his glass, he picked up the phone and glanced at the display. Frowning, he apologised to Bella and then, as he answered it, he got up and walked inside.
At first, she thought it might be Tanya, but from the snatches of the one-sided conversation she overheard from where Edward was speaking in the living room, she realised it must be work. As the call went on, Edward seemed to become more agitated and she knew it was unlikely he would be coming back to the table. As if to confirm her assumption, he suddenly stalked down to his office and slammed the door.
Sighing, Bella started to clear the table, carrying everything inside and loading the dishwasher. She wrapped the leftovers and put them back in the fridge and then went back outside to wipe down the table and collect her book. The breeze had picked up, clouds scudding urgently across the sky. With the sun obscured, it was starting to feel much cooler, so she decided to pack away the sun lounger cushions as well, in case it rained.
Satisfied that everything was tidy and secure, she went back inside, closing the patio doors behind her.
Edward was sitting at the dining table, his laptop open in front of him. He looked up as Bella walked back into the room, a deep frown marring his handsome features.
Bella stopped beside the table, resting her hands on the back of the chair on the opposite side from Edward.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, concern on her face and in her voice.
Edward sighed. "No… at least, I don't think so… maybe…" Edward's hand went reflexively to his hair. "Shit, I don't know."
He looked at his computer screen and then back at Bella.
"I'm booking a flight to New York—I've managed to get us on the 11.30 flight tomorrow morning from Heathrow." He peered again at the screen, moving the cursor and rapidly tapping on the keys.
"Us?" Bella asked, confusion lacing her words.
Edward looked up, the expression on his face clearly telling her that he regarded her question as pointless and stupid.
"Yes… us! You couldn't possibly imagine I would leave you here, on your own, while I'm in New York? Now, stop asking stupid questions and please tell me you have a valid passport!"
Bella frowned at Edward's curt tone. She wondered what he would say if she told him she didn't have a passport, and for a fleeting moment was tempted to tell him just that. However, one look at his face convinced her that it would be a very bad idea to provoke him. There was a problem, though.
"Um, yeah, I had to renew it when I was 16 but, uh, it's in my room at school." She cringed as she waited for the explosion.
He didn't disappoint.
"FUCK! You mean I have to drive down to Sussex and back again today? Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he stormed, both hands gripping his hair, while Bella took a step back, releasing the chair-back and wrapping her arms around herself defensively.
Edward closed his eyes and leaned back, focussing on the ceiling rafters and trying to think calm thoughts. There was nothing to be done about it. He had to get to his Manhattan office before close of business the following day and he had to take Bella with him. Despite their newfound ease with one another, he couldn't forget that just a couple of nights ago Bella had been out drinking and God knows what else until the early hours of the morning, and it was clear to him that it would be enormously foolish to leave her behind.
He opened his eyes and lowered his gaze to Bella.
"Go and change, we need to leave as soon as possible—I do not want to spend the rest of the day sitting in a traffic jam."
His tone brooked no argument and Bella turned without a word and went upstairs to her room, silently cursing whoever had called and ruined the day for them both.
~o0o~
Monday 28 March 2011
The following morning, Bella awoke with a start when there was a sharp rap on her door and she heard Edward shout at her to get up.
Wearily, she tumbled out of bed and into the shower, dreading the moment when she would see him.
The drive to Roedean the previous afternoon had been a pretty much silent affair, with only Edward's iPod to mask the uncomfortable atmosphere. The trip there hadn't been too bad, as Edward pushed the Aston to illegal limits, which Bella supposed at least satisfied his love of speed. However, on the way back they had hit a lot of weekend travellers returning to London from the coast, and it had been slow going for much of the journey. By the time they got back to London, Edward's mood was positively black and Bella had gone straight to her room, robbed of any appetite for dinner by the misery she felt. To top it off, Jess and Lauren were out when she got there and she'd had no time to even leave them a note, as Edward had sat outside in the car with the engine running.
It was so unfair. None of this was her fault, and how was she to know she would need her passport so urgently?
Sighing, she got out of the shower, dried herself and got dressed. As she was keen not to annoy Edward any more than he already was, she put on a pair of skinny black jeans, a fitted white blouse and a pair of low-heeled black ankle boots—the breezy weather of the previous afternoon having been a harbinger of more seasonal temperatures, the thermometer having dropped several degrees overnight. Finally, she pulled her short, black Chanel tweed jacket from the wardrobe, together with her knee-length black wool coat, which she'd had the foresight to grab when she was back at Roedean, along with some additional clothes and a bigger suitcase. Last night, she had checked the weather in New York and it was pretty chilly, so she knew she might need a coat when they got there.
~o0o~
After a non-existent breakfast of tea for Bella and coffee for Edward, Tyler had arrived to collect their bags and put them in the Bentley, and they had been on their way. Bella was dreading the idea of sitting next to a monosyllabic Edward on the long flight, but she had charged the batteries in her iPod and her Kindle so that she would have plenty to occupy her. Her laptop was in her case, Edward having reminded her—completely superfluously, she thought, crossly—that being in New York would not preclude her from doing her school work.
On the way to the airport, Edward was preoccupied, checking emails which had come in overnight, and tapping out responses and instructions. He knew he was being unreasonable and unfair to Bella—the call from his CFO yesterday had thrown him for a loop and he knew he was taking it out on her, but he just couldn't help it. If what Mike had said was true, then someone was definitely buying and consolidating shares. Under normal circumstances, it might not have mattered, because even if all other shares besides his and Bella's were acquired by one individual or corporation, he and Bella would still be the majority shareholders. However, two things had spurred Edward into immediate action. First of all, Mike now had information on the possible identity of the nebulous purchaser, and, as far as Edward was concerned, it wasn't good news. At all. And, added to this, was the unknown quantity which he had come to refer to in his head as 'the Bella conundrum.' In just a few months, she would have control of her shares and could theoretically sell them to anyone she wanted—and should the mystery buyer acquire them, either directly or non-directly, then it was going to bring a whole shit-storm down on their heads.
It was this concern, and Bella's current emotional volatility, which was driving his current actions, and the uncertainty was making him bad tempered, with Bella right in his line of fire. The fact that he was having to drag her half-way around the world just so that he knew where she was and what she was doing, rather than having her safely tucked away at Roedean, was further grist to his anger mill. He knew that despite the tension between them, it was far better that he ignore her for the moment, rather than allow her the opportunity to rile him further.
They both were relieved when Tyler pulled up outside Terminal 5 at Heathrow, and Bella looked forward to slipping away from Edward for an hour to do some shopping, once they got through to Departures.
~o0o~
The low hum of the aircraft penetrated Edward's thoughts as he sat in his First Class seat on the British Airways Boeing 747, two hours into the flight. Bella had dozed off not long after they had eaten breakfast and he had found it both distracting and disconcerting when she had started mumbling in her sleep, at one point nearly giving himself whiplash when he heard his name uttered in a soft, breathy moan.
That was when he got out his own iPod in order to drown out further distractions from his travelling companion. They wouldn't be landing for several hours, and if she kept that up, he was likely to be arrested for introducing Bella to the 'Mile High Club' right there in the First Class cabin.
With his earbuds in, Edward forced his mind back to the contents of his laptop screen, continuing to work until lunch was served.
~o0o~
"Bella." Edward gently shook her shoulder, earning him a soft 'hmmm.'
"Bella, wake up," his voice now a little more insistent.
"Ummmhhh," she moaned, opening one eye to see Edward crouched beside her, at eye level. She smiled at him sleepily, the lovely dream she'd been having about him still lingering at the forefront of her memory.
Edward couldn't help but return her smile, but then was a little taken aback as Bella's eyes widened suddenly and her whole face lit up in a florid blush.
"My, my, what were you dreaming about?" he chuckled, her reaction to him making him wonder if he might be the star of said dream.
Bella scrambled up out of her seat, refusing now to meet Edward's gaze, letting her hair fall around her face to shield her from the focus of her discomfiture. She knew it was foolish—it wasn't like he could read her mind, for goodness' sake—but the dream had been so real, so… graphic, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed when she thought about the things he had done to her in her dream.
"I need to pee," she whispered, making a dash for the lavatory.
"Okay, but hurry up, because they're going to be switching on the seatbelt sign in a minute," Edward called to her disappearing back.
A few minutes later, chivvied along by a flight attendant, Bella was back in her seat with her seatbelt on, as they made their approach to JFK. She was glad to note that Edward's mood seemed to have improved somewhat, and she allowed herself to feel a little excited about being back in New York. She hoped, despite the fact that he was clearly worried about something, she might get to spend some time with Edward.
~o0o~
The limousine which had collected them from JFK deposited Edward and Bella outside Edward's condo in Battery Park, from whence a porter appeared with a luggage trolley, onto which he loaded their bags.
Entering the lobby, they were greeted by the concierge, Marcus.
"Good afternoon, Mr Cullen, welcome home." He smiled at Edward and then transferred his attention to Bella, frowning for a moment until recognition suddenly dawned. "Ms Swan, is that you? My goodness, how lovely to see you, and all grown up too. Welcome back to New York." His eyes sparkled with warmth and good humour and Bella was ridiculously pleased that he remembered her.
"Thank you… uh, Marcus? It's lovely to be here," she told him, returning the smile he gave her when she was able to recall his name.
Edward looked on, feeling irrationally irritated by the exchange.
"Is everything okay with the apartment, Marcus?" Edward interjected curtly, arching an enquiring brow.
"Oh yes, sir, all is quite in order. The cleaners were here early this morning, the rooms have been aired, and fresh linens put out. I also arranged for groceries to be delivered as per your instructions, so you should have enough to tide you over for the next two or three days. Just let me know if you need anything else, sir."
"Thank you, Marcus, I will."
And, with that, Edward turned towards the elevators, urging Bella on by the simple expedient of placing his hand on the small of her back and propelling her forward to where the porter was waiting.
As soon as Edward opened the door to his penthouse, whilst he dispatched the porter, Bella walked straight over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the corner apartment, taking in the breath-taking view, west to the Jersey Shore, and north to the skyscrapers of Manhattan, dominated by the Empire State Building. She hugged herself, trying to contain the excitement which was bubbling up inside her, but Edward's hand on her shoulder gave her away as she jumped and let out a squeal.
Edward couldn't help but chuckle at Bella, as she turned a gleeful face up to him.
"Excited much?" he laughed.
"Oh, Edward, it's… oooh, I'm so excited to be here!" she exclaimed breathily.
He patted her shoulder and walked away towards the kitchen, slipping off his jacket and tossing it over the back of a sofa on his way.
"Do you want something to drink?" he called over his shoulder.
Bella turned away from the window and followed him across the room.
"Please—Lord, I'm spitting feathers. Do you have any tea—like, real tea, not that gnat's wee Americans call tea?"
"Annnnddd, straight in with the insults," Edward laughed.
"Oh, don't give me that, you know it's poxy stuff, not even worth boiling the kettle for," Bella huffed, crossing her arms and giving him a defiant look.
Shaking his head, Edward went to one of the overhead cupboards, rummaged around for a moment and then let out a triumphant "Ha!" Turning back to Bella he shook a yellow box at her.
"Here you go, I thought I still had some—Twinning's English Breakfast Tea. Will that do, your Ladyship?" he smirked.
"Perfect, Jeeves. Now, put the kettle on and make a brew before I die of dehydration," she deadpanned.
Edward cocked an eyebrow at her, but said nothing, turning to pick up the kettle and fill it at the sink.
Five minutes later, Bella was sitting on the couch, clasping a steaming mug of tea. Edward grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and dropped down next to her, letting his head fall back against the cushions and closing his eyes.
Bella had already kicked off her bo0ts and now pulled her legs up under her, turning to the side to look at Edward, taking in his patrician profile, which was so at odds with the burnished chaos of his hair.
He's so beautiful, he literally makes my heart ache.
She shook her head to rid it of the errant and unhelpful thought, the slight movement seeming to rouse Edward from his meditative state.
He turned his head to look at her, his gaze pensive.
"I truly am sorry about all this, Bella." His voice was soft, a little regretful.
She opened her mouth to protest but he stalled her by lifting his hand and pressing two fingers to her lips.
The urge to kiss them was so overwhelming that she had to jerk her head away, causing Edward to drop his hand immediately, his eyes widening in horror.
"Sorry… I'm sorry—"
He sat up suddenly, running both hands through the mess atop his head.
Don't touch her. Don't touch her. Don't touch her. You fucking idiot, what were you thinking?
Bella put down her tea and reached her hand out to him, trying to indicate that he hadn't upset her, but he leapt to his feet and started pacing.
"Look, I know this isn't ideal, Bella, but we just need to make the best of things. And I know we just got here, but I have to get to the office, so I'm going to take a shower and change—I need to leave in the next half an hour. I'm sorry to leave you on your own as soon as we arrive, but there's nothing to be done about it."
He stopped pacing and looked at her, but she had dropped her head and was staring into her mug, which was once again clasped between her hands.
"Bella? Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she responded, her voice barely audible, as she continued to stare into her tea.
Edward sighed, then sat back down on the sofa, his body angled towards where she was perched on the edge.
"I hope you know I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important, Bella. It's the company—it's nothing for you to worry about, but it's important I deal with a… situation that's arisen."
He dipped his head to try and make eye contact with Bella, who finally looked up at him.
"It's okay, honestly, and I do understand. But will you tell me about it…about what's going on… when you can?" She met his gaze, biting her lip.
"It's complicated, Bella—" he started.
"Edward, please. Don't treat me like a child. I mean, I know I haven't acted in the most mature way of late, but that doesn't negate the fact that I'll soon be 18 and I will then have more than a vested interest in what happens at SP. So, I think I'm… um… well, I think I'm entitled to know a little of what's going on, you know?"
Bella was desperately trying not to piss Edward off, but she did want to make the point that she had a right to know about the business she was going to inherit.
Edward just looked at her, his gaze intense, and she really started to think she had made him angry again, but then he closed his eyes and dropped his head for a moment, before looking back at her, a somewhat determined set to his jaw.
"You're right, Bella, and I apologise. SP has been my responsibility and my sole focus for so long, that I tend to forget that it's not mine… well, not completely." He gave her a small, crooked smile, the one which did rather odd things to her.
"Okay, new plan. How about this, hmm? You come up to the office with me now and I'll introduce you to a few people. Then, while I sort out things and talk with my CFO, you could maybe go do some shopping or something, and then, when I'm done, we could meet up and have an early dinner. What do you think?"
Once again, Edward turned the full force of his dazzling smile on Bella, and she knew that if he asked her to walk across hot coals for him, she would. She couldn't help but return his smile, particularly as he seemed so pleased with his plan.
"That would be brilliant, Edward, really. I'd love to come to the office and meet everyone, and dinner sounds fab, thank you," she gushed, unable to contain her delight that Edward was finally letting her into the business.
Bella wasn't so naïve as to assume he would suddenly start asking her opinion about work-related matters, or including her in the decision-making process, but just the fact that he was willing to introduce her to the people who worked for him—and ultimately her—was real progress in her eyes. She was more excited about this than the fact that he had invited her out for dinner… well, perhaps as excited might be more accurate.
"Good, I'm glad. However, one big question remains," he said, a speculative look on his face.
Bella looked at him quizzically, trying to figure out what he could possibly mean. "Wh-what?" she asked timidly, worried now that whatever it was might mean he would change his mind.
"Can you be ready to go in—" Edward looked at his watch— "25 minutes?" He crooked an eyebrow at her, his expression serious.
Bella laughed. "Just watch me!"
She jumped up, taking him by surprise, and quickly crossed the room to grab her case. "Same room as last time?"
Edward nodded, and she disappeared from view.
~o0o~
Twenty-three minutes later, Edward exited his room, pulling on a dark, charcoal suit jacket as he walked into the great room. He stopped dead when he saw that Bella was sitting at the breakfast bar, legs crossed, dressed in a dark navy suit, with a skirt which stopped several inches above her knees. It was teamed with a silvery silk camisole beneath the jacket, and navy pumps with three-inch heels. Her thick, mahogany hair was twisted up on top of her head and secured with a silver comb, and she looked every inch the svelte, sophisticated business woman.
Sliding off her bar stool, she picked up a navy shoulder bag from the counter and walked towards him.
"I'm ready if you are," she told him, a smile playing across her lips. "Will I do?"
Edward stared at her, momentarily robbed of speech. Fortunately, the door buzzer pulled him out of his stupor.
"Um, that must be the driver," he said, going around her to get to the intercom. As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder to see she had turned to watch him. "But you, um… you look great… fantastic. Yes… very good," he told her, almost bumping into the wall as he reached the door. He punched the button on the console, looking at the video screen in front of him. Seemingly satisfied, he barked that they would be right down..
Bella giggled softly at his discomfiture, glad that it was someone else being clumsy for a change.
She joined him at the door and he opened it to let her through, his hand once again at the small of her back as he ushered her out, locking the door behind him.
END NOTES:
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