Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its characters. But I do own my brand of Darkward. S. Meyer owns everything that's Twilight.
Zoning out while at work was bad form, and I was the guilty party here. The brains of Hemlock Designs—which included me—were embroiled in a meeting with a potential client, one that could give our business a major boost.
Currently, Alice had begun with a little speech regarding her designs for the purpose of this contract, and I was… well, slacking. Her high-pitched voice was a jarring change after listening to the drone of my boss for almost half-an-hour.
My ears hurt from the impact, but I was thankful nonetheless. It was essentially the only thing that kept me from falling asleep in the middle of a major pitching.
I had been dozing off right from the beginning; it was a miracle that my boss hadn't noticed yet. Her focus was currently on securing this deal, everything else be damned.
I could say that I didn't give a shit, but in truth, I was ashamed of myself. Because giving a shit about a contract that could benefit this business was part of my job.
In all honesty, I wanted to kick myself, because the guilt that should've been seeping from my pores was just not present. Not only my body, but my mind too, was buzzing with sexual afterglow, courtesy of Edward.
Oh, I could still feel his hands and mouth on me. Okay, more than hands and mouth. Never undermine the power of a pale vampire dick…
I couldn't suppress the smile that broke across my face as I daydreamed about my 'morning after' with Edward. He had brought me breakfast in bed—cereal and fruit… at 5 A.M. Well, I had woken up at that time, and I was hungry as hell, and he was a vampire with little experience in feeding humans… so there.
After satiating my hunger, I had pulled Edward to me. Apparently, my body needed satisfaction as well, despite last night's orgasms galore. I was a little sore, I'd admit, but damn if it stopped me from wanting more of him. And as for Edward, well, he was more than happy to feed my body.
He had pulled me to the edge of the bed and dove straight in. His long, talented tongue had worked relentlessly to drive me to the edge of climax.
"How long—oh—can you last?" I had asked him while he was exploring me like a man possessed.
Can't say I wasn't curious about vampire stamina, what with the way he had drilled me last night.
Edward didn't answer me right away; he took his sweet time down there. Not that I was complaining or anything.
"All night long, Cherry, probably longer than that," he had replied with a wicked grin, then flattened the tip of his tongue on my very sensitive clit. I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly, because I was nearly delirious with the need to come.
I had wanted to ask when and with whom had he spent the longest time, but even the thought of it left a bad taste in my mouth. I certainly didn't want to think about his longest fuck with someone else while he pleasured me. Thankfully, these crazy thoughts didn't stay with me for long, as Edward proceeded to take me from behind.
Ah, the thrill of exploring new positions!
"Oh, Cherry," he had growled into my ear as he fucked the daylights out of me. "I've always wanted to fuck you like this."
"Like animals?" My response was a raspy whisper, as my throat was dry from panting so much.
"Yes, wild and deadly for me, soft and cuddly for you." I knew he'd have laughed at his own joke had we not been fucking.
"Shut up, I'm not a teddy bear!" I wanted to sound pissed, but I couldn't stop moaning as he increased the pace.
Edward had then placed his hand where we were joined. His teasing and twirling fingers were too much for me. What followed was a series of almost never-ending orgasms for me.
As for Edward… he came twice somewhere along my string of orgasms. And yet, he had remained hard. That was an opportunity for me to explore him with my mouth, and I had grabbed it with both hands. Literally.
Now, I wasn't usually keen on giving head, but Edward had me really curious, what with his vampire body and sweet tasting mouth. So I had wanted to know what he might taste like down there.
Thank God I wasn't disappointed in my endeavor. Nor was Edward.
But holy freakin' Batman, his erection was legendary! It never went down despite my best effort.
"It'll go down after a while," he had told me rather smugly. "It can't right now because of your presence. Vampire erections are difficult to be rid of."
I had wanted to know more, but he had cut me short. "Your friend Angela is coming up the stairs."
That one sentence had sent me into panic mode. I had shooed him off through the window and escaped to the bathroom after locking my bedroom door. Angela wasn't one to knock, because I never had guys over. That shit had been remedied, but she didn't need to know.
Gah, her return had… upset me. So much that I had nearly missed the fact that Edward could discern her approach accurately. I wondered if it was a vampire trait.
I should probably thank Angela for disturbing me and Edward, though, because if I had gone on any longer with him, I'd be full-on dozing right now. Because sex with Edward was… mind-blowing yet exhausting at the same time. Vampire versus human; it wasn't rocket science to guess who had more stamina.
Alice's voice suddenly rose to a nearly glass shattering pitch, breaking my torpor.
"The designs are multifarious and versatile; the raw material is eco-friendly. The whole collection has been designed keeping in mind everyday usage and its resultant wear and tear…"
As she prattled on and on about the awesomeness of our new designs, her eyes scanned the room and came to rest on me. She gave me a loaded look, one that said 'get your shit together'.
Damn, busted!
My cheeks burned in embarrassment. I finally straightened myself and took notice of the ongoing proceedings. It was about damn time I contributed.
After Alice was done with her part, I spoke extensively about the cost effectiveness of our products, which didn't take away their chicness. Adding a word about our speedy production system, I explained in detail about the quality control system we had. That seemed to please our potential clients. Phew!
Thank God I had done my homework yesterday. It gave me the confidence to speak extensively about the collection we were pitching, even when I was mentally still half-asleep. Christy, my boss, looked pleased by my effort, and that was a big relief.
After the meeting—where we were confident that we would secure a deal—I wanted to head straight to my room, but Alice caught up with me.
"I'm ninety-nine percent sure the contract is ours," she said with the same confidence that I felt. "So how about we celebrate with a lunch date? Christy wants to treat us all."
Fucking awesome, I finally land a hard-to-get treat from my boss, and I'm not feeling an ounce of enthusiasm.
All I wanted in that moment was to sleep to my heart's content. Fuck-a-thon exhaustion was sneaking up on me like a ninja. I was ready to collapse right there in the middle of our office lobby.
"Hello? Bella, where'd you zone out to?" Alice looked at me with concern.
"I'm not feeling up to it, actually." I lowered my gaze as lies poured forth from my mouth. "I was working late last night, preparing for the pitch and shit. Hardly got any sleep."
"Oh, really?"
When I finally caught a peek at Alice, I was a little taken aback by the look on her face. Eyes narrowed, lips pursed, she almost looked a stern school teacher who had just caught her student lying about homework.
My skin suddenly felt prickly and hot, and I wanted to bolt.
Alice didn't look at all sympathetic toward my fatigue. It almost looked as if she knew exactly what I had been up to last night (and this morning). And there was no way in fucking hell she could know about it!
Could she…?
I shook my head, as if it would banish the horrible thoughts puttering around in my head.
"Huh, humans aren't meant to pull all nighters." She gave me a weak smile, a shadow of resignation in her eyes.
Humans? Why was she talking in a weird, Edward-like manner?
I blanched, taking a step away from my best friend. "I gotta go, Alice."
"We're heading out in about an hour." She called from behind as I raced away from her. "Come if you feel better by then!"
"I'll try!" I called back, my voice nearly cracking from the panic welling up inside me.
I closed my office door and slumped against it, breathing heavily as I berated myself.
What sort of a dumbass was I? Having a clandestine fling with a vampire was bound have its ugly consequences. First of all, it wasn't going to be a normal relationship. And the accompanying secrecy… shit, I couldn't even discuss it with anyone!
I mean, what the fuck would I say to my friends?
"Hey, I'm having an affair with Edward Cullen. Yeah, he fucks like a non-stop machine. When you meet him, he may give you the creeps, but that's only natural, 'cause he's a vampire."
"Ugh! Why is everything so damn difficult for me?" I grumbled to myself, settling into my chair.
And what was up with Alice, anyway? Not that she hadn't always been a little weird—good weird, that is—but these days she was bordering on Twilight Zone-ish weird. In almost all of our interactions this past month, she'd looked like she wanted to tell me something, but backed out at the last second.
God, I had enough weirdness in my life because of Edward, I didn't need it from my friends as well!
And coming back to Edward, I still didn't know about his mysterious errand. Though he had assured me—while I ate my breakfast—that it had nothing to do with another woman, human or not. But he hadn't elaborated.
It was obvious that he was reluctant to tell me. And that just made me all the more uneasy about the whole issue.
How bad could it be?
I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with his hunting and feeding. Try as I might, I couldn't block this issue from my thoughts. Edward was a vampire, and vampires drank blood. Which meant that he was hunting people on a regular basis.
People like me and Alice? After all, he had attacked me in the past… No, he had told me something this morning, when I had offered him some of my cereal…
"I already ate."
"When?"
"Last night only."
I had fallen silent then, trying to tamp down revolting feelings that were surging inside me. He had killed someone just before he had come to meet me. An innocent human life had been taken.
As if reading my mind, he had offered this little explanation of sorts, then— "I don't hunt average, mundane humans, Bella, if that is what's bothering you," he had said with a tight smile.
When I asked him to be specific, he had hedged and tried to distract me with luring kisses. I resisted, but then he offered to explain everything regarding himself on the coming Saturday, no holds barred.
"I don't believe you," I had muttered in frustration, even though it was a terribly tempting offer. "You always promise, and then you break it. Look how you didn't explain anything last night!"
"I got distracted last night. And you don't have the time to listen to it all right now. It'll take a whole evening to explain. Let it be Saturday, and then Sunday will be ours as well. I promise not to break my promise to explain everything."
With that little bit of wheedling, he had my consent for a round of morning sex. His power of persuasion was impressive indeed. Or maybe I was too greedy for sex to care about an instant confession.
Or perhaps, I was trying to stall whatever he was going to tell me, subconsciously apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to stomach it.
I sighed and dropped my head to the table. Come Saturday, I'd know where I stood with Edward. Oh, but I probably needed to put whatever I wanted to know on a list, so that I remembered it all when I met with him.
In a frenzy, I grabbed a notepad and began to write...
#######################################################################
What I need to know-
1. The fucking errand.
2. Details about his eating habits.
3. What sort of relationship is this, whatever it is between us.
4. How long will it last?
5. Should it be a secret affair, or be made public, i.e, should my friends know about us.
6. What if any of my acquaintances find out?
7. How come I never suffer any marks after he drinks from me?
8. How did he know about Angela returning home before she actually stepped inside the apartment?
#######################################################################
I tore off the page and reread my list numerous times. It looked exhaustive enough. I decided that if anything else came to mind, I'd add it to the list as I went.
Okay, so that was cleared, somewhat. Phew!
My intercom beeped then; my boss's number was flashing and demanding attention. I sighed and answered the line.
"Bella! I heard that you're not coming with us for lunch?"
Uh, oh…
"Christy, I'm really sorry, but I'm not feeling well." Practiced lie.
"Oh? What happened? You looked fine at the meeting." God, I thought she wasn't paying attention to me.
"I was up late preparing for the meeting, so I'm feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. Nothing serious, though."
"Then you should come. I believe we're all suffering from that, honey."
Argh! No choice, I guess.
"Umm, alright, I'll come."
"Oh, yes you will. Treat's on me, and you know that I won't be taking you to some cheap deli or the like."
She hung up before I could respond. I fumed and kicked my table. How did Alice put up with her? She was Alice's stepmother, and they appeared to be amiable toward each other, but I swear, Christy could fit right into the evil stepmother persona.
Maybe her beef was only with me. Nevertheless, I'd go to this lunch, alright. And I'd make sure to order the most expensive stuff served at whatever ritzy restaurant she was taking us to. Ha!
"I see you made it." Alice smirked at me from the opposite side of the restaurant table.
"Yep, Christy is very persuasive," I muttered, looking apprehensively at my food. Turned out that the most expensive dish wasn't the most palatable. One word to define my current misery with food: Yuck!
"Hmm, she really wanted to reward everyone who contributed toward this deal." Alice appeared to be happy with her food. Well, it looked delicious.
I stared at her plate with unfulfilled yearning. "Well, bad timing for me. But I appreciate her efforts."
Alice glanced in Christy's direction, who was chattering away on her cellphone while the people sitting adjacent just stared at her in reverence. They were her employees, after all, to whom she hadn't given much notice until now.
At least it was entertaining to watch from the sidelines.
I had chosen to sit at the far side of the table, as far away from her as possible. Alice came over to sit with me.
"You know you're brilliant, right?" Alice said, her attention back on me.
"O-kay, I just don't know how to respond to that, Al." Really, what was she on about?
She shrugged. "Just saying. You did so well today, even when you were so under-prepared. But I knew that you would be able to handle it all."
Hey, wait a sec! Under-prepared? What?
"Umm, I wasn't under-prepared." Okay, I was, somewhat, but what did she know about it?
"Oh? You looked so tired right from the beginning," she replied, her eyes taking on a distant look. "As if you spent the entire night at the gym."
Crickets…
Why was I having a feeling of déjà vu? Maybe because Weird Alice was back again, and in full force.
I sputtered, choking on whatever foulness I had just nibbled from my fork. Alice, like a dear friend, offered me a glass of water.
"You can eat some of mine, you know," she said with a concerned look on her face. "We can share. I won't be able to finish it all on my own, anyway."
Needless to say, I jumped at the offer. Figuratively, that is.
Alice was weird but she was also a very caring and attentive friend. I mean, she had her moments, like she was having right now, but she always had my best interests at heart. Likewise from my side.
We ate in peace then, and I returned my dish, citing a heretofore unknown allergy. Good riddance!
Dessert was the best part of the meal. Once again, Alice and I shared ours. I was hoping that this congenial exchange would keep the weird bits of Alice in check. She was currently preoccupied, gushing about the fudge that we had just eaten. That gave me some relief.
Alice was actually planning on ordering another serving of fudge, never the one to count calories. Our server wasn't present, so she scanned the area to locate him.
That's when it happened.
Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. Her gaze was fixed on something, or someone in the general direction of the entrance. I turned in my seat to see what had garnered such an extreme reaction.
The entrance way was a bit crowded, as a particularly large group of people was just making its way inside the restaurant. I looked back at Alice as I asked what was wrong. She didn't respond, instead continuing to stare in the same direction in mute horror.
Okay, this was getting beyond weird now.
I shot up from my chair and perused the entrance area again. I was about to turn back to Alice when something familiar caught my attention.
A guy with blond hair.
Oh my fucking God, please tell me it ain't so!
Without thinking, I rushed toward the entrance, my heart thumping with adrenaline. Foolhardy as it was, I needed to know if it was the same guy. More than that, I needed to know if he was a vampire.
I couldn't get to him fast enough; the crowd of incoming patrons was blocking my way. But that didn't mean that I was unable to recognize him. I was entirely sure that he was the same guy I saw that night outside the club.
I couldn't see his face clearly, but his hair was the thing that sealed it. It was distinct in its appearance, falling in waves over his eyes and the back of his neck. I remembered it well from that night.
His gait was also tellingly familiar. Just like Edward, he walked with superior grace and confidence. I could be wrong, but I believe that very few humans can walk with such eerily perfect poise.
I tried, with my best possible efforts, to reach him, but it was not to be. He was moving away fast, with long strides, as if he wanted to avoid me. That only made me all the more suspicious.
I was contemplating following him outside, chasing him down the street or something, when alarmed cries drew my attention back to Alice.
Something was terribly wrong.
There, at the table, Alice had collapsed against her seat. Her face was red and she was wheezing. She was struggling to breathe.
Oh God, she was having an asthma attack!
Thanks for your warm reviews, I'm always greedy for them. :)
Next update-next week.
Special thanks to Emavalexis, my darling beta.