Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just own this story, not the characters.
All Human. Pairings do not start out how they will end. Bella x Edward eventually.
Rated M for language, illegal activity, sex and violence.
Many thanks to my betas Ange and Kirsten!
Here it is! Edward and Bella's first date . . . ta dah! Hope you all enjoy it. Let me know if you do
Chapter 11 – Saturday in the Park
EPOV
I, Edward Masen was going on a date. None of my friends would believe it. As I was deciding what to wear on the date, I also tried to think back to the last time I had been on one. Wow, I really needed a life.
My personal life had taken a back seat for as long as I could remember, and if I actually thought about it, I guess I never really cared before. No woman had really inspired me enough to even want to go out with them. The only thing I cared about was making money and being on top, and I have pretty much conquered that. There was nothing I couldn't buy if I wanted it, I travelled anywhere I wanted to at any given time and had the world at my fingertips.
Yeah, Edward Masen definitely didn't need any woman around to nag his ass and spend all his money.
However, Panty Girl was sexy and a little mysterious. There was something about her that made me want to find out more and it was unnerving. I was not sure what it was – and it made me a little uneasy for some reason. She was beautiful, warm and a little introverted which made it all the more fun to get to know her. Today should be a great day, and for the first time in a long while, I was looking forward to spending time with a woman.
Everyone knew it wasn't cool to show up too early on a date – especially a first date. On the flip side, if you showed up too late, it looked like you were being disrespectful.
With all of that being said, I arrived at six minutes after four o'clock and found my date waiting for me on a bench outside the art museum. I couldn't get over how naturally beautiful she was. She wore a peach colored sun dress with these cute, ballet slippers on her feet. Her hair was pinned up with a few strands hanging down on the sides and her big, brown eyes were shielded by her sunglasses.
Bella stood up as soon as she saw me and waved her hand. "Hi, Edward!"
"Hey Bella! It's nice to finally approach you without one of us bumping into the other, huh?" We both laughed, which broke the ice.
"Very true. Not to mention I'm wearing actual clothes, too!" she exclaimed and there was the cute blush again. I was beginning to really like that. It was also good to see she could joke about it.
I put my hands in my pockets because I didn't know what else to do with them. In actuality, I did know what I wanted to do with them, but this was the first date, after all, and I had to act like a gentleman or there would be no second date. "Damn the bad luck!" I chuckled after speaking, hoping she knew I was just kidding.
She smiled, so I assumed she did. "Okay, I'm ready to play tourist. I have my camera, bottled water, comfy shoes . . . did I forget anything?" She patted her bag; making it known her things were in there.
"Sounds like you're ready. I have a few places in mind I think you definitely need to see, but probably haven't heard too much about. It's fun to go to the obscure parts of a city to actually see its roots and culture. The first place I'd like to go to is Little Havana. Have you been there yet?"
Bella put a strand of hair behind her ear. "The only place I've been is to work, the gym and my condo. I haven't had time to visit any tourist spots, so I'm anxious to see what Miami has to offer!"
"All right, then let's get a move on! My car is just around the corner." I had agonized about which car to drive today, because I didn't want to flaunt my wealth in front of her just yet. Most of the cars I could have chosen would do just that, so I picked the red Jeep Wrangler convertible for comfort. Since it got hotter this time of year, it was also a convertible to keep us cooled off.
I ran over to the passenger side door and held it open for her. One thing my mom had always taught me was to be a gentleman, although I usually never had to use those skills since I didn't date. I also never cared enough about a woman to even want to do that before, until now. Weird. We hopped in the Jeep and headed down to one of my favorite places in Miami, which only took us about 30 minutes.
"So, Edward Anthony, what do you do for fun? I know you like to work out, obviously, but tell me a little bit about yourself." I was glad Bella decided to start the conversation first because I didn't want to come off as too nosy.
No way was I going to divulge my secret, underground dealings and scare the girl off right away. Hell, as a matter of fact, the only people who knew I was in the business were the ones who worked with me. "Well, I love to travel and have been to quite a few places in the world. My favorite countries to visit are Australia and Greece and in the States, it's California. I played baseball in high school, but hurt my elbow which kept me from getting a scholarship as a pitcher, and last but not least, I'm a stress smoker." Whew. Trying to get around what I did for a living was a little difficult.
"Interesting, I've never been to either of those countries, but I'd love to visit them some day. I totally suck at most sports, but can hold my own in yoga class and I dislike smoking. A lot." Bella smiled, but crinkled her nose up to let me know she meant what she said.
"Duly noted." Note to self – don't smoke in front of Panty Girl. "Your turn to tell me about yourself. You don't get out of divulging your hidden secrets, you know." I laughed because no way could this girl have secrets like I did! I turned the corner down Calle Ocho, otherwise known as SW 8th St. Good thing I had done my research before we left, because I happened to know there was a street festival going on this afternoon.
Bella bit down on her bottom lip like she was deep in thought which was sexy as hell. "Um, okay. Let's see. . . I'm originally from Washington State where the weather usually stinks. Growing up, I got stuck going fishing with my dad, so I'm pretty good hooking bait, and I love Italian food."
"Italian food, huh? Would you be willing to try Cuban food? I happen to know the owner of a great restaurant here, and I guarantee you won't find any better." We finally arrived and due to the street festival taking most of the parking spaces, it was a little difficult to find a spot. After driving around for what seemed like an eternity, someone finally pulled out, and I whipped the Jeep in the spot quickly.
Bella started to open her door, but I ran around to her side in an instant. Heck, I was amazing myself with my behavior. "Cuban food sounds great. What's going on down here today? It looks like a festival of some sort."
"Little Havana has a street festival every now and then, so when I heard about it, I thought it'd be a great place to show you the local culture." I led Bella toward the booths in the street, which was filled with different vendors and artists. Musicians played their local songs and the people were dressed in authentic clothing from their homeland.
We strolled around the festival for awhile longer looking at various trinkets, paintings and sculptures when all of a sudden Bella's stomach started growling.
"Hmm, is someone getting hungry?" I turned and looked at her seeing that blush again. It was cute as hell.
"Yes, I guess so," she said while putting her hand up to her stomach. "That's so embarrassing!"
"Hey, don't worry about it. I was getting hungry too, so I'm glad your stomach decided to let us know." We walked down a block to the Versailles restaurant where the owner, Marco greeted us at the door.
"Edward, mi amigo! Ha sido mucho tiempo? ¿Cómo ha estado haciendo?" Marco asked, as he shook my hand and glanced over at Bella. "¿Quién es tu amigo encantadora dama?"
"Hola, Marco! Esto es Bella, un amigo mío. Quería traer al mejor restaurante en Miami." I thought I'd reply in Spanish to impress Bella, who was looking at both of us at the moment and holding out her hand for Marco. I didn't want to embarrass her as I knew she probably didn't speak Spanish. Just as I was about to translate, she spoke up.
"Encantado de conocerle, Marco. Me encanta tu ciudad y escucho que su restaurante es excelente. Estoy muriendo de hambre así que lo que me recomienda?" She finished shaking Marco's hand and I just stood there dumbfounded.
"You speak Spanish? Why didn't you tell me that?" Gee, she said she had been in Miami for a short while, so she was either a fast learner or she had taken it in school.
"I took Spanish as an elective in college," she said, as she winked at me while Marco led us over to a table. We sat down and after we ordered our food in Spanish, of course, we talked a little more.
"I'm amazed you speak Spanish so well. How long have you been speaking it?" Curiosity got the best of me, and I suddenly felt the urge to know everything there was about this girl.
Bella thought carefully a moment and then spoke. "Um, I also had a friend who was fluent. He taught me a lot as well, and I guess I picked it up from. We were friends the last couple of years of college."
I just felt a pang of jealousy about someone I never knew, which was a strange feeling because I never got jealous. "Cool. You speak it very well, so I figured it was something like that. Well, I thought the next stop we'd make would be to Coral Castle. Have you ever heard of it?"
"Oh, isn't that the place that one man built on his own – and he built it for his fiancée that left him because he was poor? I saw something about that on the Discovery Channel! That's awesome!" Bella eyes lit up and they looked more beautiful than ever.
About that time, our food came and it was delicious as always. Bella loved it too and it was nice to see a girl who actually ate a plate full of food. Girls usually ordered salad or some shit like that because they were afraid to eat in front of their date.
"I'm excited to see it too, because I've only been there during the day. You know it's been compared to Stonehenge and ancient Greek temples? It's totally amazing!" I finished my food and Bella was almost done with hers when we heard the Mission: Impossible theme. We both looked down at our phones and then laughed.
It was her phone this time and she didn't even glance at the display before she answered it. "Hi, Dad. I'm eating dinner at the moment, so would it be okay to call you back later?"
She looked up at me and mouthed "I'm sorry", and I waved my hand to tell her that it was fine. Bella was so easy to have a conversation with and I was actually having a great time, which was unbelievable. I didn't date women because most of them were either after my money or were a total bore to be around. Bella didn't know I was wealthy so I thought I'd keep that to myself for awhile.
Bella was trying to get her father off the phone, but I could tell he kept asking her questions. "Yes. Uh-huh. That's correct. It's all finished and I will fax the information to you tomorrow, okay? If that's all you need, I really need to get going." Again, Bella looked at me apologetically. "…with a friend, yes. Just a friend, Dad, that's it. Okay, thanks and I'll talk to you later. Bye!" She clicked her phone shut and laid it on the table.
"I am so sorry! As you could tell, that was my dad. He's quite nosy."
"Not a problem. Is everything all right?" I asked her as one of the servers came by with the check. As I pulled out my wallet, Bella reached for her purse. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Edward, you are not buying my dinner. I am perfectly capable of paying my own way." She made a move to get her cash out when I put my hand over hers – and dammit if the electric feeling hit me again. What was that?
Bella gazed over where our hands were joined when I spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken, I was the one who asked you out. That means I pay; however, you should take a look at the check."
As she turned the check over, there was a big smiley face drawn on it. Almost immediately, Bella started laughing. "Am I missing something here?"
"I think its Marco's idea of saying that dinner is on him tonight," I responded, standing up and moving around the table to pull her chair out for her. "I've known him for quite some time so he's just showing us some hospitality. If you excuse me for one minute, I'm going to go and thank him." I walked toward the back of the restaurant near the kitchen where I knew Marco would be located. About three years ago, I had heard through the grapevine that Versailles was in some financial trouble, so I had made a generous contribution to bring it back from bankruptcy. Ever since then, Marco hadn't let me pay one dinner bill. Go figure.
After thanking Marco, Bella and I hopped in the Jeep for a short drive over to Homestead and the Coral Castle. I was pretty excited to see this at nighttime because I heard it was awesome. It didn't take too long to get there, and I could tell that Bella was excited as well.
We parked across the street and went over to the ticket booth. Before she could argue about the money thing again, I walked up first and handed them the money. "No arguments, please. Again, I asked you out, let me do this."
"All right, but next time is on me." Bella stepped aside and waited outside of the forming line. Hmm, so there's a next time, huh? That's encouraging. I knew I'd love to go out with her again and as shocked as I am to think that, I couldn't wait.
The sculpture garden was a thing of beauty. We walked around and "oohed" and "aahed" at almost everything we saw.
"I cannot believe one man carved out all of these stones by himself with no modern machinery or assistance from anyone – and he was only five feet tall and weighed 100 pounds! And to think that most of the carved rock weighed many tons; I just don't understand how he did it by himself!" Bella really enjoyed the park and needless to say, I was amazed at her enthusiasm and curiosity. It was nice to spend time with a woman who was smart and not all fluff for once.
"Yeah, and it took over 1,000 tons of coral rock to construct all the walls, towers, furniture and other objects. No one knows for sure how he did it all himself. It's sad that his fiancée never saw any of it too." I whispered this last statement to her so no one else could hear. "He must have either really pissed her off or he had a really small dick."
Bella leaned in closer to me and laughed quietly. It was the closest we had been all night, and it was all I could do to not grab and kiss the hell out of her. I knew it was too early to do that but the horny side of me was thinking even worse thoughts.
"Are you having a good time so far?" I knew she liked the park, but my question had a double meaning to it.
"Yes, I am. Thank you so much for showing me the fun side of Miami, Edward. It's been a great night! I never knew such things existed here, and it's so nice to have such a cute tour guide as well." Bella tilted her head and her hair covered her eyes a little. Her shyness came through again, but her words spoke with confidence.
"I'm glad you let me show you around. It's been my pleasure. There's a lot more to see of Miami but places are closed this time of night. Would you like to get a nightcap somewhere?" I knew it was getting late, but for some reason, I didn't want the night to end. When did I turn in to such a wimp?
"Uh, sure that'd be great! I do have an early day tomorrow, but I have time for one drink."
"Awesome!" I put my hand at the small of her back and led her back to the Jeep. Miami Beach had a beautiful hotel with an awesome bar that overlooked the ocean. Since I was a frequent customer, there wouldn't be a problem getting a seat.
During the drive, I wanted nothing more than to grab her hand and hold it. She was so damn sexy it was just so hard to keep my hands from touching her. Bella didn't seem the type to jump in bed with the first guy she met, and I needed to be respectful of that. It got harder throughout the night to be a gentleman, being the horn dog that I was.
Walking up to the hotel, we noticed a big crowd and I was a little nervous someone might recognize me. Instead of going in the front door, I walked us around toward the back. "Good evening Mr. M−," the host was getting ready to seat us, and I had to cut him off before he said my last name.
"Hello, Antonio. My usual table please." I guided Bella to follow our host towards the back of the bar. If she heard him almost use my last name, she didn't say anything, so that was good.
Antonio just looked at me quizzically, and I slipped him a fifty dollar bill. The look I gave him let him know I wanted him to disappear quickly.
"Well, you're just the celebrity everywhere we go, huh? Should I be asking for your autograph or something?" Bella giggled and there was that gorgeous smile I had seen all night. I couldn't get enough of it.
"No, not a celebrity, I just get around a lot. I'm not the domestic type, so I don't cook often which leaves me no choice but to eat out." Whew. This lying thing usually came easy for me but I struggled tonight for some reason.
"Well, I happen to be an excellent cook so maybe I can make you dinner sometime," Bella admitted as she picked up the drink menu.
"Is that an invitation because I never turn down a home cooked meal?" I asked, hoping she was asking me out on a date this time.
"Why, yes, I believe it is. Do you have anything special you like to eat?" Oh, I wish she wouldn't have asked me that. The things I was picturing in my head. . . Bella lying naked in my bed with a can of whipped cream and strawberries came to mind. Not to mention a jar of chocolate syrup, dripping it slowly over her whole body, my tongue licking it up ever so slowly. . .
"Did you hear me, Edward?" Shit, she must've said something, and I was too busy fantasizing about us to hear it.
"Sorry, my mind wandered for a second. Could you repeat the question?" Damn, I'd better quit daydreaming.
"That man over at the bar must know you because he's staring a hole through us right now. Do you recognize him?" Bella nodded her head towards the bar at a man who was in his early 20's, with dark hair and was holding up his glass, tipping it our way.
Shit. What the hell was Alec doing here? He was going to ruin my cover for sure. I used him occasionally as one of my drivers, more recently on a drug run we did a few months ago. Emmett and I liked him because he had such a baby face and was so charming, he could talk his way out of anything. By the time I waved back, he was already heading our way. Damn!
"Hey Eddie!" Alec yelled halfway across the bar. Bella smiled and glanced over in my direction. My eyes gave Bella a look that said I'm sorry and she waved her hand like it was no big deal.
I stood up quickly and tried to head him off. I moved in between him and Bella and acted like I shook his hand. What I actually did was whisper to him to not say a word about what I did for a living – at all. Alec got the hint when I squeezed his forearm in a death grip too.
"So, Eddie – who's your pretty companion tonight? Can I buy you a drink Miss?" Alec always hit on beautiful women and he made no exception tonight as well.
Bella started to speak but I cut her off. "I'm paying for Bella's drink. Thanks anyway, Alec. What brings you here?"
"Oh, I'm supposed to meet Brian, you know the guy you hi-," Alec stopped as I stomped on his foot under the table - pretty hard. "I mean, the guy you said hi to when I saw you at the diner the other day." Alec started to say the guy I hired along with him to run our drugs up north, and that is exactly why I didn't want him at our table. He was a motor mouth who didn't know when to shut up.
Bella looked at Alec suspiciously and I needed to change the subject fast. "So, Bella this is Alec, a friend of the family. We were neighbors growing up and went to the same school." All of that information was complete bullshit but she didn't know that.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Alec. I'm Bella Swan." She put her hand out for Alec to shake it and instead he kissed the top of her knuckles. Like I said, he was a charmer.
"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Swan. Now what's a pretty girl like you doing with the likes of ole' Eddie Ma-shiiittt!" This time I had pinched Alec as hard as I could under the table. He couldn't tell Bella my last name just yet. We had only just gone out on our first date and I hoped there would be more. No way was I ready for her to know my identity.
Bella scrunched her eyebrows together and I needed to get her a drink fast. "Bella, what would you like to drink?"
She stared at Alec like he was on something and I asked her again what she wanted to drink.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just take a glass of Chardonnay, please." I could see the wheels turning in Bella's head and started to get nervous. Hopefully she hadn't figured out who I was yet. Damn Alec!
Alec was still rubbing his thigh where I pinched him when he finally spoke again. "So, Bella, how do you know Edward?" Alec's head turned toward me and his eyebrows were raised as if asking me if it was okay to ask that question. Actually, I'm surprised he said anything at all after the punishment I gave him.
Bella and I just looked over at each other and laughed. "Well, that's quite the funny story. I visited a lingerie store about a month ago and was in the dressing room when I stepped out to look at myself in the mirror. When I did, I swung the door open right into Edward and then collided on top of him in nothing but my bra and panties. Needless to say, it was quite embarrassing!" Bella exclaimed as she put her fingers through her hair.
"Really? Man, that's priceless! I can honestly say I've never heard that one before. Gee, Eddie what were you doing in a women's dressing room - of a lingerie store too, no doubt?" Alec asked.
If I could somehow punch him again, I sure as hell would. I mean, does the guy have no filter on his mouth?
"Uh, well it was, uh –"
"So what do you do for a living, Alec?" Bella tried to save me from embarrassment, which I was thankful for, but her question didn't make me feel too much better. Geez, I needed to get rid of him.
I turned to face him and again, gave him the evil eye. He knew he'd better be making something up pretty damn quick. As he was thinking of something to say, I took my phone out under the table and texted him.
"I, uh, drive cars for a living," he said, not looking at me at all.
"Oh, really? What kind of cars do you drive? Are you a race car driver . . . public transportation or something?" Bella tried to act interested, but I doubted she could care less. She made small talk and this needed to end. It was getting way too uncomfortable.
I texted Alec under the table to find an excuse to leave ASAP.
"Um, I drive a . . . taxi. Yessiree, I'm a taxi driver. I'm currently looking for other work but that's what I'm doing at the moment." Alec's phone buzzed and he picked it up to look at it.
About that time, the server arrived at the table with our drinks. I had ordered a Jack and Coke, and as soon as the server handed it over, I drank it down in one gulp.
"Wow, you must be really thirsty," Bella said as she raised her glass to take a sip.
"Yeah, this heat is really getting to me," I replied. Little did she know, it was in more ways than one.
Alec sat his phone down. "It looks like I got called in to work. Sorry, but I guess I'll have to cut our conversation short." He stood up and scooted his chair out while not taking one second to glance my way.
"Oh, really? Man, that's too bad," I muttered, acting like I was sad to see him leave.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Bella said, as she stood up to say goodbye.
"Likewise Alec. I'll call you later." That's a promise I intended to keep. The fucker messed in my business and it was beginning to piss me off.
"He was nice. A little on the strange side, though, but nice." Leave it to Bella to be polite.
"Yeah, he must've been drinking here for awhile, I guess. How's your wine?"
"It's great. Edward, I just wanted to tell you again what a wonderful time I've had tonight. You're a lot of fun to hang out with." Even though it was pretty dark in the bar, I could see that she was blushing. Every time her face reddened I became more captivated with this woman – she was so charming and easy to be around.
"I've had a great time too. Thanks for agreeing to let me show you around. Um, would you mind if I asked you out again sometime?" I figured I might as well try my luck while she was in a good mood.
"Yeah, I'd like that a lot." Bella finished up her drink and yawned. It was getting late so I got the bill and left the money on the table.
We arrived back at the art museum around 2:00 am. "Can I give you a lift home or did you drive here?" I didn't want to just dump her off alone in the middle of the night.
"Oh, I have my car parked over on the north side of the museum. I can walk over there." Bella started getting out of the Jeep and I stopped her.
"No way! I'll drive you over there. You're not walking on the other side of the museum at this time of night."
"It's no problem. I can take care of myself, Edward. No need to be so chivalrous, I can handle it." Bella got out of the Jeep again and I hopped out on the other side.
"At least let me walk you over there. It is very late, you know." I didn't know why I was being so persistent because I usually just dumped a girl off, but Bella seemed different.
"It's really not necessary, but I appreciate the gesture." Bella stopped at the side of the car and we stood close together for a few seconds. Our hands rubbed against each other so I grabbed them and kissed her on her knuckles.
"Thanks for agreeing to go out with me, Bella," I whispered. I really wanted to make a move to kiss her good night, but wasn't sure if it was something I should do. For once in my life, I wanted to do things right.
"I'll call you soon, okay?" Boy, Edward, nice clichéd statement. . . With that being said, I bent down and kissed her on the cheek. I figured that was the best move at the moment.
I could feel Bella's breath on my neck for a second and I started to get aroused. My God, if her breathing on me did that, I could only imagine how my body would react to her in bed. "That'd be great. I'd like that."
And just like that, she walked into the dark around the corner. I stayed in the parking lot until I saw a car pull out and drive away. I couldn't tell because it was dark, but I could've sworn it resembled one of C&M's company cars. Oh well, I got in my Jeep and drove home, with a warm feeling in my stomach. That was one of the best nights I've had in a long, long time.
So, what did everyone think of BxE's first date? Translations are at the bottom for their restaurant visit. Did Bella catch on to Alec's ramblings at all? Will Bella find out who she's really dating?
We shall see…! Reviews are appreciated so I know what you think of their date. Please!
Link to Coral Castle: /
Translation: (Marco) Edward, my friend. It's been a long time. How've you been? Who is your lovely lady friend?
(Edward) This is Bella a friend of mine. I wanted to take her to the best restaurant in Miami.
(Bella) Nice to meet you, Marco. I love your city and I hear your restaurant is great. I'm starving, so what do you recommend?