Author's Chapter Notes:

I can only apologise for the delay in this chapter, but y'all will be happy to know I finally have a permanent beta, and your wait should never be this long again :)

I realise fanfic is an escape from RL, but let us all keep Japan and the Pacific in our thoughts over the next few crucial days. Thank you.

Onwards...I hope you enjoy this little peak into our Doucheward :O

Usual disclaimer applies.

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Chapter 10: Services Rendered

My hands were visibly shaking as I threw the envelope back on the table and snatched my phone from the shiny surface.

How could he? Why would he even think like that?

Apart from the anger and humiliation running through my system, I was also shocked. He thought we had slept together. Forget the fact that he was trying to pay me like some common whore; he actually thought we had slept together. Didn't he remember his conquests at all?

Maybe he suffered from short term memory loss; because he had forgotten a hell of a lot since I'd met him.

I stood from the bed, shoved my phone in my pocket, picked up the envelope and marched –yes, marched– out of the room. I saw my shoes and hair pins in the living room where I had left them, but bypassed them in my anger, intent on getting to Edward.

I stopped abruptly two feet from the stools at the kitchen island. I was literally frozen in my tracks by Edward. He had his back to me as he bent over a chopping board, his concentration solely on whatever he was doing.

Each time the knife moved in his hands or he moved the board with a quick flick of his wrist, the muscles in the shoulders I had admired the night before, rippled sinuously. Had I mentioned he was shirtless? Oh yeah, he was shirtless - just like he had been in bed last night.

Every ounce of anger I had been feeling evaporated as I watched his smooth skin contract over hard muscles with such a simple job. I was mesmerised and just a tiny bit smug that I had spent the night in his bed.

That thought opened the floodgates on the anger. He had paid me to be in his bed last night.

I threw the envelope onto the island between us, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence. The sound seemed to echo throughout the space; there was that much damned money in it.

His back stiffened as he put the knife down. I tried not to ogle the muscles in his shoulders and averted my eyes as he finally turned around.

"Bella?" His confused tone confused me, causing me to look back to him. He seemed to realize his mistake in using a tone other than one of contempt; because his face masked into a sneer. "Alice is still asleep if you're here for her."

My eyes narrowed in disbelief. He was honestly going to act like he hadn't just paid me for services rendered?

"Here for Alice? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" His eyes widened in surprise as he rested his hips back against the counter behind him. "What the fuck is this?" I pointed to the thick envelope and waited while he slowly turned his attention to it. I could pinpoint the moment he became angry.

"Why do you have that? Why the fuck have you been in my room?"

Wait, what? Was his memory so bad that he couldn't remember thirty damn minutes ago?

"Why are you angry at me? You left it in there! On top of my phone, beside me. I can't believe you." I was visibly shaking, and I was sure he could see it.

"What? You spent the night here?"

It seemed he was a bit slow in the mornings.

"I was the one in your bed, Edward! You left that money for me! Why?" I tried to stay angry, but my voice cracked at the end, and my eyes hit the floor in shame and embarrassment.

"I didn't fucking recognize you, okay! Fucking hell! I thought you were just some girl, the usual whore."

I tried to believe that he didn't mean it the way it sounded, but it still slashed straight across my chest. I felt winded. He thought of me the exact way I thought of my mother. That was how he saw me.

"The usual whore," I muttered, more to myself than anyone.

"Bella, you know that's not what I meant." His voice was hard, but there were softer tones floating around the edges. It wasn't all ice. At least that was what my imagination was telling me.

"No? It wouldn't be the first time, Edward."

"Fuck, you know what? Forget it. If anything, it should have been the other way around." He lifted his hand from the counter at his hip and pinched the bridge of his nose. Now I was the one being slow. I had no idea what he meant. Typical for me, I let my dumbness show.

"Huh?"

"The money. You should have been paying me."

I stepped back, not quite believing he could be so cruel. I felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been unceremoniously dropped on me as I started quivering. This time it was a culmination of anger and pure humiliation.

"Not that you even deserve my time at the moment, but I came here last night to help! Alice had almost as much to drink as you, but she was worried about you. Let me ask you one thing, Casanova; can you even fucking remember where you were last night? Or how about how you got back here? Or maybe, who helped you get from the bar to your bed?"

The slight falter in his facial expression was all I needed.

"No, I didn't think so. You are so messed up that it's gone beyond funny. You make me sick. Don't ever talk to me like that again, Edward. And trust me, this is the last time I try to fucking help, okay?"

I turned on my bare heel, wondering how I had managed to keep my voice so eerily calm. Maybe it was from years of hearing my mom do the same thing. You know the way parents can shout at you without actually raising their voices? Yeah, exactly like that.

"Aw, come on, Bella. I might not remember much, but it couldn't have been that bad! Maybe you could refresh my memory…" His voice followed me into the living area, where I grabbed my heels with trembling hands and headed for the door.

Why wasn't I setting him straight? He honestly thought we had slept together.

I turned back to find him watching me, apprehension only faintly hidden in his eyes. "You make me sick, remember? Don't come near me – ever."

I opened the door and stepped out into the California heat. The second the door was closed behind me, the tears started again. How could I have let myself believe that we were getting somewhere the night before? How could I have tricked myself into thinking that drunk Edward was someone to put my faith in?

Despite my trembling form, however, I was proud of myself. I had just stuck up for myself. He may have still been smug, but I hadn't let him walk all over me like our previous meetings. I was learning. I was growing.

A hysterical laugh bubbled out of me as the tears continued. I hadn't moved from their doorstep, and as I raked in a shuddering breath, I heard an almighty crash from inside the bungalow. I jumped at the sound before hastily moving away, but Edward's cursing followed me down the shaded path.

What had he smashed? Why was he so angry? Had he heard me laughing? Had he known I was still standing there, shaking like a leaf?

Why was he always so cruel when he was sober? He hadn't even seemed hungover. I mean, his eyes were still misty, but they were better than the night before, and that was common for someone who had been so drunk, right?

I barely felt the harsh gravel on the soft soles of my feet when I reached the front of the hotel, too focused on getting as far away as possible. I was frantically trying to rid myself of the steady stream of tears when I felt a large hand on my elbow.

I gasped as it yanked me to a standstill before letting me go.

"Miss Swan?" I couldn't place the voice, but when I turned around I wished it was anyone else.

Jacob Black looked at me with a mix of concern and accusation in his eyes. I hadn't even realized until then that the state I was in screamed "walk of shame." My face flamed, and I looked around desperately, only slightly relieved that there was only a valet and bellboy in the area.

"Are you okay?"

Fuck, how did I answer that? Somehow, the lie came easily. "I just got some upsetting news." I waved my phone between us. "I need to get back to my hotel." I had no idea how to get back; it was hardly like there were taxis just sitting around waiting on guests. This place was far too exclusive for that.

"Maybe putting your shoes on would help?" He smirked, but it wasn't cocky or conceited. He was trying to lighten the mood, and I was beyond thankful.

"Oh no, trust me, I'm better off without them." We both chuckled as I waved my heels around in the space between us. I had been trying to look decent for Edward when I had pulled my clothes on. They hadn't been high-end fashion, but the fact that I had slipped some heels on with my jeans, instead of my Converse, said a lot.

"I'm heading out. Do you want a lift?" His eyes darted behind me, and I followed his gaze. The valet from last night was slipping out of a slate grey Vanquish; and my eyes widened. That was a nice car. If I had been previously unsure–because it was Jacob–his car had sealed the deal.

"I'd love one. Thank you." He smiled easily and waved me to the passenger door before opening it for me.

I slid in, careful not to touch anything that wasn't necessary. I must have been too obvious because Jacob chuckled before shutting the door after me. I watched him walk confidently around the front of the car and couldn't help but compare him to Jasper and Edward.

According to Alice his job didn't exactly speak volumes for his personality, and coupled with his confidence and looks, it was obvious he was pretty cocky himself. He had nothing on Edward though.

Jasper had seemed pretty laid-back, just enjoying life and living as quietly as possible. Sure, he was still featured heavily in the tabloids, but from a reader's perspective, he was never actually doing anything to get the attention. Usually it was him sitting courtside at a basketball game with some friends or out having dinner with his sister.

You wouldn't find Jasper falling out of a club with a girl on each arm or doing shots off a supermodel in the back room, or trying to get into the driver's side of his car when he was clearly close to passing out.

Jasper was almost a model citizen compared to his best friend, and I wondered where Jacob fit in this world. Maybe he was more like me, floating along the outside but doing pretty damn well for himself at the same time. Or maybe I was just trying to find similarities in us to justify the attention he gave me.

His eyes continually darted to my face as he drove, as if he wanted to ask me something but wasn't sure how to. He had seemed to want to charm me last night, so did all that mean he was interested? Did all that mean I wanted him to be interested?

"So, where am I taking you?" Jacob's voice broke through the silence, but I was one hundred percent sure that wasn't what he was going to ask me.

"Sunset Tower."

He looked momentarily taken aback by my answer.

"What?"

"How did you get a room at Sunset Tower? Has it been booked for months or something?"

I furrowed my brow; I hadn't realized it was that sought after. Our trip here had been slightly out of the blue, so Renee couldn't have booked it in advance.

"No, we only booked our flights out here last week. My manager booked the suite at the same time."

"She must have pulled all the right strings. It might not be out of the way like Marmont but it's only got seventy-five rooms."

That surprised me too. I hadn't ever really paid any attention to how big the place was. Overall, though, I didn't want to think about what kind of strings my mother was capable of pulling. I suppressed a shiver as Jacob pulled away from a stop light.

I sat back in my seat, relaxed by the cool leather on my skin and the barely there sound of the car moving along. It really was a sexy car; now, I just had to decide whether it was the car making Jacob look sexy or if he actually was. If I could have managed to disengage my thoughts from Edward for five minutes, I might have been able to make up my mind.

Edward was a grade-A asshole, treated all those around him with the least amount of respect and thought he was God's gift to the world. Yet I was still ridiculously attracted to him. Not just physically–because yes, he was unworldly gorgeous–but I was drawn to his very presence, as if some clichéd string pulled me closer to him whenever we were near one another.

I yearned for some sort of recognition from him – something to show me I wasn't going mad and that he could feel it too. I wanted to remain naïve, to continue to think that he was just having a bad week and he'd snap out of it. I wanted to believe that he was attracted to me too. I just wanted him. God, did I ever.

"What's with the scowl?" Jacob's question jolted me out of my musing, and I turned to him with a practiced smile.

"I don't think my manager will be too pleased I stayed out all night. I'm hoping she's not in when we get there." I shrugged as Jacob's smirk grew wider.

"You and Edward got some sort of arrangement?" It didn't escape my notice that he practically spat his final word.

"Arrangement? You think I'm sleeping with Edward Cullen? What kind of girl do you think I am?" Yes, I was completely aware that contradicted everything I had just been thinking.

"Well, doesn't every girl? He manages to screw whoever he wants. I don't think he even realizes some of the women he's had."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's probably totally oblivious that he was the cause of more than one high profile divorce when he was living it up in New York. He's either a fantastic actor or he genuinely doesn't care."

My stomach dropped, and I felt the bile rising in my throat. His list of activities was growing by the day, and I was wishing more and more that I knew none of it.

"Divorces?"

"I mean, obviously it's not all his fault. Supermodels aren't the smartest of girls or the ones he sleeps with at least. I guess their husbands weren't particularly keen on competing with the 'Edward Cullen experience.'"

I forced out a short laugh, desperate to hide the way my breathing had become shallow. I feel like I'm about to hyperventilate. I knew he had problems, that he was different, but I don't want to hear about it. In my naïve mind, I want him to stay on his pedestal, where he is simply beautiful and talented.

The more Jacob spoke, the more my fantasy fell away. What kind of girl did it make me if I still wanted to know Edward, still wanted his attention and thrived when I got it?

I felt sick as Jacob pulled up outside my hotel. Maybe I am more like my mother than I realize. I now know exactly what Edward is like, and yet, I still want him, more than I have wanted anything else.

I steadied my breathing, fighting the queasiness that had flooded over me.

"Hey, uh…can I ask you something?"

I swivelled my head around at the intrusion into the silence. Why hadn't I gotten out of his car? We hadn't exactly spoken much, but it seemed out of sorts for Jacob to be nervous. That, in turn, made the queasiness increase. I wasn't sure I was going to like where this was going.

"Uh, yeah, I suppose."

He laughed at my less than eloquent answer. "I know you're new in town and everything. Do you maybe want to grab a drink sometime?"

Oh God, was he asking me out?

"I'm underage…" Fuck, what kind of answer was that? It was glaringly obvious I was neither used to nor good at these situations. Thankfully he only chuckled warmly.

"Okay, uh, how about I take you out for dinner then? Fill you in on all the gossip. Teach you the ways of the Angelenos."

"Huh?"

"You're in Los Angeles now, Bella. We do things differently here…especially when you're part of the elite group." He smirked at me, but I couldn't find it in me to care that it actually annoyed me. Unlike Edward, his smirk wasn't sexily cocky, it was just cocky.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Call me sometime." I blindly reached for the handle, in a daze that I had actually just agreed to go on a date.

He called a goodbye after me and was peeled away from the hotel before I had even stepped away from the door. He must have been in a rush.

I wandered my way through the hotel lobby, reaching the elevator and stepping in without looking around me. For the second day in a row, I completely missed the young blonde guy watching me a little too closely and the fact that he had his phone pointed straight at me.

I had just agreed to go on a date with a guy Alice may or may not have warned me off of the night before. A guy I barely knew anything about, except the less than glowing review Alice, again, had given me last night.

I hadn't even been in L.A. a week, and I already had a date, the closest thing to a best friend I'd ever had, a new job and someone I was pretty sure hated me with a passion.

I smirked to myself in the mirrored glass of the elevator. I was chanting 'there's a fine line between love and hate' in my head. What was I, five?

When I reached my room, I blew a breath out in relief. Renee wasn't back yet. I threw my key card on the side table and padded my way through to my bedroom.

With a flick of a switch, the blinds lowered, and my room got darker and darker. I didn't bother seeing to my raw feet, only falling onto the top of my bed and rolling myself in the duvet. I had a few hours before I needed to be back at the studio, and I wanted to spend them in oblivion.

I set the alarm, rolled over and fell into a shallow nap. I was no longer surprised when Edward's face swam behind my eyelids. What did surprise me was the pain I saw in his stance and his eyes as he reached for me.

He had never reached for me before. He had always been aloof. He would never need me, but in that moment, he did. However, just when my hand made contact he morphed into Jacob, and the contact was no longer comfortable. His gaze was fierce and angry, and I awoke in a sweat when his too large, too warm hand clamped over my mouth.

That was weird.

"Walking out the door this morning,

Wondering what it is that's going on with you.

Thinking of a way to say I'm sorry,

For something I'm not sure I do.

So come on baby, let me in and show me what this really is, `cause,

Something must have made you say that,

What did I do to make you say that to me?

Something must have made you so mad,

What can I do to make you say come back to me?"

Author's Chapter End Notes:

Song without Goolging it?

So, what do we think? Doucheward is becoming more complex by the day...no?

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