NSFW
Chapter 11
Time always seemed to fly when you were dreading something, and Monday was no different. Edward put his professional demeanor back on, and we were able to put the final touches on the presentation. At two o'clock, I excused myself to change my clothes before we headed out to the train station.
Edward was waiting patiently for me in the lobby outside his office, looking sexier than necessary in loose-fitting, light blue jeans and a long sleeve cotton shirt. He smiled as he took in my appearance. My travel clothes consisted of a similar long sleeve shirt, gray yoga pants and my black Chucks.
"Um, are you up for a walk?" I asked as we approached the elevator with our rolling suitcases.
He nodded. "It's pretty nice out. I don't mind."
We entered the empty elevator. "It doesn't make sense to backtrack to Suburban Station, and it'll take longer to find a cab than it will to walk the fifteen blocks. It's an easy walk though."
We stepped out of the building into bright sunlight and a blue sky, although the weather had taken a decidedly colder turn. The leaves on the few trees dotting the city streets had begun to change color in the early October air. We walked in silence for most of the way and reached 30th Street Station relatively quickly.
The station was large but easy to navigate, so I told Edward I wanted to stop for a snack before we boarded the train. Knowing we'd be on the train through dinnertime, he decided to join me. Once we both had purchased coffee and snacks, we made our way to the platform and found seats in a nearly empty car.
"I've never taken Amtrak before," Edward commented as we settled into the cushioned seats. "This is pretty nice."
"It's not a bad way to travel," I agreed, shoving my briefcase beneath my seat.
We sat quietly while a few other passengers boarded the train, but the car was still fairly empty when we began to move. I took the last sip of my coffee and placed the empty cup in the cup holder next to me before reaching down and pulling my iPod from the side pocket of my bag.
Edward stilled my arm before I could sit all the way back up. "We should talk," he said quietly.
I took a deep breath and let it out, knowing I wasn't going to be able to put this off any longer, and nodded my agreement before returning the iPod to my bag. Sitting back in my seat with my head against it, I stared blankly at the seat in front of me.
"I wanted to tell you that I was leaving for the weekend," Edward started, but I shook my head.
"You don't owe me an explanation," I insisted.
"Would you just …" He looked around the car in frustration before turning to face me in his seat. "Just let me say this, okay? There are things I want to tell you."
I tried to interrupt, but he was having none of it. He held his hand up and continued speaking. "I know you don't want to tell me anything about yourself. I get that, and believe me, I understand it. But I want to tell you this, all right? If it happens again, I don't want you to think I'm just ditching you."
I nodded, and he shifted in his seat to face me more fully. I mirrored his position.
He blew out a breath and began to speak. "When my dad passed away, my mom didn't take it so well. I was going to withdraw from school to take care of her, but she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted that my father would want me to complete my education, which I knew, but I didn't see the harm in pushing it off a little, you know?"
My head bobbed in agreement, but Edward's eyes were unfocused on the window above my shoulder.
"She was adamant. She had her best friend who lives next door, and she promised me she'd be fine. For a little while, she was doing okay." He turned his head to face our laps, so I lifted the armrest between us and scooted forward in my seat. "She'd have good days and bad, but Mrs. Webber—that's our neighbor—would call me and keep me updated.
"Right before Spring Break, Mrs. Webber called to say that she was getting worse." He let out a breath and picked up my hand, fiddling with my fingertips. Sensing he needed the contact, I didn't pull away. "We decided over the phone that she was going to need more help than our little town could provide, so Mr. and Mrs. Webber drove her to Seattle and we checked her into an in-patient facility for depression."
My mind boggled at the similarities, and it must have shown on my face.
"What?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand.
I shook my head. "Nothing."
"If you don't tell me what you're thinking, I'm going to think the worst."
"Fine," I answered. "I was just kind of amazed at the similarities between us … or between our parents. Small town, depression, nowhere to treat it." At his furrowed brow, I squeezed his hand back. "But this is your story. Go on."
He gave a slight nod. "Okay, well, to skip all the unimportant details, she basically got treatment and got better with the right meds, and she was able to go back home. By the time I graduated and was looking for a job, I was able to see that she was doing all right on her own. She actually pushed me to take the job with Volturi, saying I was only young once and I should see the country while I could.
"For the most part she's okay now, and she still has Mrs. Webber who checks in on her all the time. But every now and then she'll go through a down phase and need some help. Sometimes it's enough for Mrs. Webber or me to be there, and sometimes it's a medication change that she needs."
He looked blankly out the window again, but his fingers never stopped playing with my own. "So that's what happened this weekend. Mrs. Webber called me on Thursday not long before you came over, asking if I could come home for the weekend. I booked my ticket and then I just had to wait. And while I waited"—he looked directly at me—"I didn't want to feel. I just wanted to lose myself for a few hours. I had every intention of telling you, but once you got there it was just easier to forget."
With a sigh, he linked our fingers together. "So, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on, and I'm sorry that I basically used you on Thursday night."
"Isn't that what we're here for?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood somewhat, but Edward didn't look amused in the least. "Sorry … I know what you meant, and you don't really owe me an apology. I mean, we really don't know that much about each other, and you're not obligated to tell me." I shrugged.
"I know I'm not obligated to tell you, Bella. But I'm an open book. You can ask me whatever you want."
"Okay." It really wasn't okay, because the more I found out about him, the more attached I was getting. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't. He was going to abandon me like everyone else, and my heart couldn't handle that again.
"But not right now," he added. "That was a long weekend, and I'm really tired."
I gave him a smile, and he shifted his position, leaning his chair back and closing his eyes. I took out my iPod and closed my own eyes while I let some relaxing music flow through me. Edward's head eventually drifted down to my shoulder, and then in a move I couldn't even comprehend, he turned and hugged me around my waist with his head on my chest.
It didn't look like a comfortable position, so I ran my fingers through his hair to try to wake him up. That only caused him to hum and hold me tighter. I decided to let him be and allowed my fingers to continue raking through the soft strands until I drifted off, trying not to let myself think about how much I liked the feel of him cuddled up to me.
We both woke with a start when the train stopped at one of the stations along our route, and without any words, we sat up and went about our business. The rest of the ride was relatively quiet as we ate our snacks and did things independent of each other. I read my book, and Edward was doing something on his laptop.
When we arrived at our stop and exited the train station, the cold evening air caused me to shiver.
"Shit," I muttered as we walked toward our hotel.
"What's the matter?"
"I didn't think about how much colder it would be up here. I brought a skirt for tomorrow," I admitted. We were approaching the hotel, but just ahead of it I could see a drug store. "I'm gonna run into that drug store and pick up some pantyhose."
"I'll come with you," Edward offered like the gentleman he was.
I quickly made my way down the aisles to the "emergency pantyhose" section. Who bought pantyhose from a drug store on a regular basis? Edward followed behind and stopped next to me, pulling my suitcase next to his and out of the way of the display.
My eyes scanned over the rack for black pantyhose in my size, but there weren't any. The only thing I could find was a pair of thigh-high hose, so I grabbed them and headed to the register.
It didn't take long for us to get back to the hotel and check in. As we stepped into the elevator, Edward said, "I think I'm gonna call it an early night. I really need to catch up on some sleep."
I nodded in understanding. "Carlisle is going to meet us in the lobby at eight thirty."
"You want to meet for breakfast before that?" he asked.
"Sure." I shrugged. "Seven forty-five in the restaurant downstairs?"
"See you then," Edward said as the doors opened on my floor.
I stepped off the elevator and turned, smiling and giving him a small wave before the doors closed. When I got into my room I decided Edward had the right idea, so I headed to the shower and then got in bed with my book.
I did my best to keep my mind off of the fact that it had been four long days since we'd been together and I was dying for his touch. It wasn't like I hadn't gone four days without an orgasm before, but it wasn't the actual orgasms I was missing. It was Edward.
Over breakfast we discussed the presentation a little more, and Edward did his best to ease my nerves. As much as my job had me presenting in front of other employees, I wasn't usually in the position of having to talk in front of the board of directors. Edward, of course, was calm and collected since this was a normal part of his job. I was glad I wouldn't have to speak too much.
Carlisle met us in the lobby and told us the car had just arrived, so we piled into the black sedan and made the fifteen minute drive to the office. He took us straight up to the executive floor and asked the receptionist to stow our luggage. Janice was an older woman and seemed very sweet, offering us coffee or water before leading us to the conference room. She didn't try to flirt with Edward, which was a relief, seeing as I was feeling rather possessive going into my fifth day of withdrawal.
Edward pulled out a chair for me and then took the seat beside me as we waited for the board members to arrive. They trickled in one by one, and Carlisle introduced us in turn. By the time the room filled up I was feeling rather out of place being the only woman in attendance. I was glad I had worn my black suit. It made me feel professional, with a skirt ending just above my knees and a simple, light pink camisole underneath the blazer. Three inch black heels gave me confidence as I stood and shook each gentleman's hand.
Once everyone was settled in their seats, Joe, the CFO of the company, began the meeting. "Carlisle, we were all very glad to hear that your team has been making progress so quickly, and we're interested to see what ideas you've come up with already."
"Thanks, Joe," Carlisle said with a nod. "I've already given the go ahead for several projects to begin implementation. I'm going to let Edward present them, along with those that need the board's approval. I think you'll be pleased with what he's come up with."
With a dip of his head, he turned the meeting over to Edward, who started up the PowerPoint presentation while I passed the handouts around the table. Standing from his seat, Edward began to address the room in his usual professional manner.
Knowing most of the presentation by heart already, I took the time to watch the faces of the men in the room. They all seemed impressed with what Edward had to say, or maybe it was just the confidence with which he said it. There were questions asked, only a few of which Edward deferred to me, but for the most part everyone agreed with the planned projects.
The one main stumbling block came from the Chief Information Officer, Demetri. He didn't seem to like the idea of our office staff going around the Help Desk he had put in place. Edward calmly backed up his suggestion, switching off the main presentation in favor of some statistics from other companies. He explained that the Help Desk would still be used and every incident tracked, but the employees would enjoy quicker response time and less downtime if they were allowed to approach Garrett directly. Garrett would then be responsible for ensuring the incident was tracked, something which he had already agreed to.
Demetri deferred any agreement on the change until he could research it further, and Edward promised to send the additional statistics to him along with testimonials from some of his former clients. Once that was settled, we took a quick break to eat the lunch that had been brought in for us.
"That was great, the way you handled that," I whispered to Edward when he placed his plate of food down and took his seat.
"Thanks." He shrugged. "I pretty much anticipated his reaction. That's the way it always is when someone feels like you're attacking their pet project." He took a bite of his sandwich.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't have known how to handle it," I admitted, nibbling thoughtfully on a potato chip.
"That's why I'm good at what I do, and you're good at what you do. I could never put together the kinds of training manuals you do. I'm more of a 'big picture' kind of guy."
The meeting ended with some time to spare before Edward and I had to make our way back to the train station, so I told him I was going to change my clothes before we left. I had been admiring him in his tailored suit all day, and I was somewhat disappointed when he said he was going to do the same.
I stepped into the deserted ladies room and pushed my suitcase up against the far wall. The large, open space was pristine, and I was pretty sure Janice was the only one who used it on a regular basis. I took a paper towel from the holder and wet it down, pressing it first to my forehead and then my neck. When I heard the squeak of the door opening, I was surprised to see Edward entering the bathroom.
"I think you're lost," I told him with a smirk, placing the towel on the counter.
I heard the lock click as he stood in front of the door and stared at me. He shook his head and began stalking toward me, still looking fuckhot in his navy blue suit and blue and silver striped tie.
"All I've been able to think about," he said as he got closer, backing me up to the wall, "since the drug store last night is seeing these thigh-highs on your fantastic legs." He reached his hand down to the edge of my skirt, skimming his palm upward and taking the material with him. "Do you have any idea how distracting this was all day?"
He reached the top of the hose and looked down between us, rubbing his fingers along the strip of skin above them. He lifted my leg and pulled it around his thigh.
"Edward, we can't do this here," I protested weakly.
"No one's coming in here," he said lowly, dipping his head down and kissing my neck. His other hand gripped my waist, pulling me into him so I could feel how hard he was. "God, I've missed touching you."
I whimpered, and his hand moved up my bare skin, focusing on the flesh of my ass that was accessible around my thong. The small triangle of material was doing a piss poor job of containing my arousal.
Edward shifted us so one of his thighs was between my legs and his hand could access me from the front. His fingers zeroed in on the drenched material between my legs. "Fuck, Bella. I wanna feel you come on my fingers."
Before I could protest, he had moved the fabric aside and pushed two fingers inside of me. His mouth captured mine as he swallowed my groan. He continued to kiss me as his fingers expertly worked me over, his thumb brushing my clit in tight circles. I was wound so tightly from missing his touch that in no time, I was gripping his shoulders and thrusting my hips in rhythm with his hand.
His other hand deftly opened the button of my blazer and surrounded my breast, heat searing me through the thin material of my bra and camisole. I moaned as he pinched my nipple, and before I knew it I was biting his lip and coming on his fingers.
He slowed his movements as I came down from my high but didn't remove his fingers. He looked down between us again and groaned. "That is so fuckin' hot," he said before slowly pulling his fingers out.
My leg dropped down to the floor as he backed away. He held his fingers up and looked me in the eye as he sucked them into his mouth. "Tonight … when we get home …" he promised, and then he turned on his heel and walked out of the bathroom.
My head hit the wall behind me as I realized what had happened. I had just broken one of my own rules.
A/N: So, that happened. Let me hear your thoughts! I was able to respond to reviews for the last chapter—those of you who have read my other stories know how much I enjoy interacting with you, but life has just been too busy lately. I did want to address a couple of things from some who were not signed in.
How does she know he's not married or separated and has a child in Seattle? – Well, she didn't (before this chapter) know that, and no matter what, she has to decide whether she believes what he says, and more importantly, if it matters to her. I'll give you that this Bella probably would be bothered by a wife, but if he's got a kid, is that really an issue in this "casual" relationship? Remember, this is Bella's viewpoint, not my own!
They need to talk about Edward's past. Bella is cool with a one night stand but regardless of condoms how clean is Edward? – Technically, that question should apply to Bella as well since she has had her fair share of one night stands. They are using condoms, but since we don't see every single interaction between them (I don't think I can write that many lemons!), we can guess that they may have discussed some of this stuff. And if not, maybe they will at some point in the future.
Several people asked if there would be an EPOV outtake, and the answer right now is "maybe." I don't currently have anything planned, but if you tell me what you'd like to see, I will consider it. You may want to wait though, because I have a feeling you'll be more anxious to know what's going through Edward's head later in the story. These two still have a long way to go!
There will be a bit of a time jump in the next chapter, and I think it will give you what most of you have been waiting for—Bella's past.
Sorry for such a long note! See you on Monday.
