A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews and support. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I love it, and I'm happy you do as well.
Now, that being said…to the guest reviewer who called Kate a whore, I don't understand why you walked away with that impression, but if that's what you're going to take forward, you don't need to review anymore. You don't like the story, so just exit quietly. We don't need the negativity.
To the rest of my gorgeous friends, enjoy!
SMeyer owns. I borrow and I refuse to take in the negativity that sometimes comes into the fandom. There's no room for it. We authors do it for free, so we get nothing but your reviews as gratitude. Move on, please.
\\\
10. Bella's Date
##
"Hi, Tanya. How was your holiday?" I asked brightly on Monday morning after the Thanksgiving break.
"It was nice. How about yours? I'm sorry about your father, Bella. Carlisle told me about it. We wanted to send something, but we weren't sure where. Is there a charity to which memorials could be donated? People want to do something, and I said you wouldn't want flowers. Hell, nobody wants funeral flowers," she informed. She was right on that count. I hated the flowers that had overtaken my mother's house after the funeral, and I sure as hell didn't want them at my place.
"Thank you for that. I hated all of those damn flowers around my mom's house. We sent some to the local hospital, but the plants are still around. For me, it's just a reminder. Um, can I do some research and find a charity? I'm leaning toward the 'Fallen Heroes' fund, but maybe a cancer charity. I'll talk to Mom and get back to you, if that's okay?"
I hadn't expected anyone from my work would want to donate to a charity in memory of a man they'd never met. It was a foreign concept, but if it was the norm, I wasn't going to rock the boat.
"Carlisle's off the phone, Bella. Go on in," she instructed. I walked to the door, knocking lightly.
"Come in." He was actually a jovial man, and I liked him very much.
I opened the door and strolled in, shutting it behind me. "Mr. Cullen, I've come with good news." I held out my congratulatory letter for passing the bar to him and saw the smile on his face when he read it.
"I had no doubt, Bella. Congratulations. We'll have to celebrate. Look, I want to reiterate something to you I haven't pushed in the past. As a rule, I don't get involved in recruiting. I leave that to the associates' committee, so I have no idea how Cameron didn't pick up on the fact you were a perfect fit here. When Edward told me about your suggestion of him consolidating operations under an umbrella company, something I've been hammering on him for several years, I had to know who had him actually considering it. When I met you, I knew you would fit in her perfectly. Now, I'll keep you away from Edward's business…well, unless I need you to persuade him of something." I glanced at Carlisle to see him laughing at his comment, clearly teasing me.
"Oh, no. I'll be staying as far away as possible from any of that business. He's too temperamental for me to deal with," I joked back.
"I'd love to say you're wrong, but obviously, you know him well enough. Anyway, I'm going to keep you doing research until after the first of the year. After that, I'm going to assign you to a case I've got coming up. It's a breach of contract case, and with your experience in torts, I think you'll be a great addition to the team. I'll get you the details after the holidays.
"I expect we'll be running into each other quite often because of Edward and Esme's obligations, and I expect you to forget I'm your boss on those occasions, especially when we all retire to Bellport." At the end of the sentence, his voice took on a very "pahked the cah at Hahvahd yahd" quality which made me giggle.
"Where are you from, Mr. Cullen?" I asked.
"Chicago boy, born and raised. Met myself a 'Long Island Lolita' on Spring Break in Cancun, and I've been a goner ever since. Congratulations, again, Bella, and from here on out, call me Carlisle. You're a full-fledged member of Carter & Cullen now, and while we're a stiff-upper-lipped crowd on the outside, we're pretty informal behind closed doors. Oh, there will be a meeting of my team in the conference room on two at four o'clock. I'll see you there." I thank him and left his office, going back to my small one with a triumphant gate in my step.
I, Isabella Swan, small-town girl from a working-class family, worked at a prestigious New York law firm, dated a celebrity chef with whom I was obsessed, and felt happier than I ever had in my life. The only thing missing was being able to call my dad and gush over it with him. I was sure however, he was looking down and smiling all the while.
##
"Are you sure about this?" I asked as I stood in an elegant room being fitted at CarieO's for not one, but two, dresses for upcoming events I was to attend with Edward. It was late on Thursday the week after Thanksgiving, and the "Twelve Days" ball was on December 13.
The other event, the celebrity auction was on December 19, so getting both dresses at the same time was the only choice. I'd just have to watch my diet until the holidays so I didn't gain weight and not fit into either dress. I was sure yoga pants and a Dartmouth sweatshirt wouldn't be appropriate for either occasion.
"Bella, it's perfect. The green definitely suits your skin-tone, and it accentuates your ass which Edward made plainly clear he loves. We've apologized profusely for our comments, so let go of it, sweetie. Spin," Eric ordered from his seat next to Alice on a salon-style couch, sipping champagne.
"Bells, the neckline is perfect, and Eric's right…the color is flawless on you. Again, we were overly critical, and it was wrong. I'm sorry." Alice walked over to where the seamstress was kneeling to pin the hem of the dress because I'd finally found a pair of shoes Alice and I could agree upon. They were silver and lovely, and they cost me an assload of money, but I actually had the money to buy them, so I did.
"Okay, be careful of the pins," Zetta, the seamstress ordered. I nodded and went to the changing room with Alice following. She'd apologized for her comments on Sunday, but I wasn't ready to forgive her. I hadn't done more than speak with Edward over the week because he was quite busy, and I was feeling a little fragile which I tried not to let him hear in my voice when we spoke at night.
"You can't wear a bra with it because of the 'v' in the front and back," Alice commented as she unzipped it.
"No one will be able to tell because my titties are too small anyway," I sniped.
"Bella, you're blowing this out of proportion. You need to get laid."
"You know what? I'd never in a million years comment about the fact you won't have sex without your bra because your boobs are two different sizes. I'd never say in front of Jasper you wear platform heels because you're only four-eleven instead of five-two as you claim. I'd never tell him you weren't allowed to ride the Scrambler at the Clallam County Fair because you didn't meet the height requirement and you were seventeen. I'd never tell Jasper you got veneers as a graduation gift because your teeth were fucked up.
"Any of those things would embarrass you, and I love you, so out of respect for our friendship, I'd never point out those flaws to your boyfriend. You, however, had no problem pointing out the two things I hate about myself in front of mine. Sorry if I'm a little bitter about the fact you don't hold the same respect for me. I'm surprised you left out the fact I think my thighs look like cottage cheese." I quickly changed back into my skirt and blouse, ready to get the hell out of there.
After I was dressed, I grabbed my things and left without a word to Alice or Eric. I needed to get over it, but I wasn't ready, so I took the subway home and locked myself in my room with my laptop to finish up a research assignment I'd promised someone the next day.
Just as I was about to turn in for the night, my phone chimed. It had been going off non-stop when I first left the fitting, and the messages were from Alice and Eric, but they'd stopped about nine o'clock, so I picked it up expecting it to be one of them. Thankfully, it wasn't.
I understand it was quite an afternoon. I had to fire Laurent. Esme's pissed, but he was a fucking hack. Can I call you? Zucchini Man
I chuckled as I read it and quickly dialed his number.
"What happened?" I asked when he answered after one ring.
"God, you know how I am. I pride myself on never having a ding on my record with the Health Department. You could eat off the floor in any of my kitchens, but you shouldn't have to do it, literally. Laurent dropped a boiled lobster on the floor, and then went about serving it. I'm not one to waste food, love, but if it hits the floor, it hits the trash. He argued with me he'd simply grill off the tail and it would be fine. I told him if that was the case, he should eat the fucker, and he went off on me about having OCD tendencies.
"You tell me, honestly, if I had a server come to your table with a lobster tail, and they told you that it had hit the kitchen floor just out of the boil, but it had been grilled so it was fine, would you eat it?" I could hear the anger in his voice, and while I didn't know Laurent, I was definitely on the side of not having my food hit the floor before it was served to me, grilled off or not.
"I'd probably throw up, no offense. I know how clean your kitchens are, but if I dropped something on the floor at your place, I'd throw it away, and I know how spotless it is. Did he seriously try to defend himself?" I asked. It was nice to hear someone else had a fucked-up day.
"I've told Esme he's an idiot, but she thinks he's brilliant. He's modified my menu, Bella. I plan that menu meticulously, and he's changed my recipes without my knowledge. I sent Corey, a guy who works at Seasons, into the restaurant for dinner. He ordered the stuffed flounder, and ate half of it, bringing the rest back to me. I tasted it, and it was absolutely nothing like what I serve. Esme told me I was unwilling to change, but Bella, I set the standards at my restaurants, and it didn't meet up to my standards." He sounded frantic, and I was worried.
"Okay, let me ask you something, and don't yell at me. Remember I love you very much. Was it awful?" Seemed like a relevant question.
He took a few deep breaths, and sighed. "If I went into any other restaurant in New York and ordered it, would I send it back? No. But, that's not the point. I pride myself on the consistency of my meals. If you come into Go Fish for the stuffed flounder every Wednesday night when it's the Chef's Special, it should taste exactly the same. I ran into a regular customer as I was leaving tonight, and they congratulated me on the new special. It wasn't mine, Bella, it was his."
Okay, so my boyfriend was having a little meltdown over the fact someone created something people liked better than his? I knew the man had an ego and he was driven, much like me, so I couldn't fault him for it. It was his restaurant which should guarantee his recipes would be followed meticulously, but maybe Esme had encouraged Laurent to play with it a bit?
I thought about the predicament, and only one thing came to mind. I was stepping out on the high dive with him, but it seemed logical, so I went with it. "Okay, so you and Esme own the restaurant together. If more flounder is being sold since he changed the recipe, isn't that a good thing for both of you?"
The snort of derision let me know my approach wasn't going to make any headway and his lack of response only punctuated it. "How about this, sweetheart? There's this guy on one of the food channels who goes into another person's place and challenges them to a cooking challenge. Why don't you do that? Invite friends to come in and challenge him to a stuffed flounder cook-off. Get two impartial judges…maybe fellow chefs or even Shani…to come in and judge, and may the best man win?
"Honey, I understand you have your recipes for each restaurant, but maybe sometimes there's room for growth and change? Hell, I don't know, baby. I'm not a chef." I was on edge because I was afraid I'd pissed him off. It wasn't my place to criticize him, but we all had to grow sometime.
And that realization reminded me of my behavior earlier in the day. I'd ripped Alice a new one, and likely made her feel worse than I felt the day she did it to me, and what did I have by way of satisfaction? Nothing. I needed to apologize.
"Maybe you're right. We just had our first anniversary at the restaurant, and maybe I am too controlling. I'll think about it. Maybe I could make it a charity event and set a price for a complete three course meal. Actually, honey, that's a great idea. I'll allow that jackoff to make what he wants, but it has to be an appetizer, a flounder dish, and a dessert. I'll get two judges to come in, and if his recipes win, I'll step away and leave the restaurant to Esme. You'll come, right?"
"When?" I was as busy as him, but I'd support him as much as I could.
"I've got no time until after New Year's, really. Maybe the weekend after New Year's when all the heavy-hitters are back in town. Fuck if I know. So, how'd the fitting go?" I knew he'd already heard from Eric, so I laughed.
"You already know, jackass. Alice and I had a screaming fight in the dressing room, and I'm sure your brother heard every word. I need to apologize to Alice, but I wasn't to that point earlier today. So, do you have plans tomorrow night?" I asked. I needed to see him, and I hoped he could find some free time for me.
"If you're asking me out for a date, I'll make sure I'm free, Miss Swan. You asking me out actually turns me on. So, what did you have in mind?" He sounded quite excited, which had me racking my brain for anything to do.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow night at seven. Attire is casual, Chef. You might want to pack a diddy bag with fresh underwear and a toothbrush," I teased, hearing the sexy laugh.
"Well, I'm intrigued. I look forward to it. I'll let you go because I'm sure you've got some sort of thing to research, but I'll be ready for our date. I love you, Bella." I closed my eyes because it was so wonderful to hear.
"I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow night, Zucchini Man." I hung up after he quit laughing.
I hurried out of my room and found Rosalie and Alice sitting in the kitchen, both looking forlorn. "Alice, I'm sorry for being such a horrible bitch. I won't take the easy way out that I've been up-and-down all year. I'll just say I'm sorry and you didn't deserve it." I hugged her and we shared a few tears before pulling away and sitting at the table.
"I need help. I want to take Edward on a date, and I want it to be simple, especially in light of the fact we've got these fancy parties coming up. I was thinking maybe pizza and beer, followed by ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza. Is that too cheesy?" I asked, begging them for input.
"Well, Emmett swears Lombardi's is the best pizza in the city. It's very casual. It's over in Little Italy near Chinatown. I'd actually suggest the ice skating before because mixing beer and ice sounds like you ending up in the emergency room," Rosalie offered.
"She's got a point there. I've got a connection at the ice rink. The guy who empties the trash at CariO's works at the rink form 5:00 till 9:00 during the season. If I slip him a fifty, he'll make sure you can get in when you want. Please don't balk. Let me do this as a gesture of how sorry I am regarding what happened.
"Bella you know I love you as a sister, and I wasn't thinking. I'm very sorry. Let me do this," she pleaded. I couldn't deny her, so I agreed, and at the end of the night, I had a plan. Rosalie set me up with a car service she used at her job as a broker, and Alice gave me an early Christmas gift of a gorgeous red cashmere sweater to wear on the date. I was excited, and when I went to bed, I was quite the happy girl.
##
I was nervous as the town car pulled up in front of Irish Eyes. "Gabriel, I'll be right back. Do I look okay?" I asked as I opened the leather jacket Rosalie had insisted I borrow. I had a black beanie on my head, strategically placed by Alice, of course.
"Miss Swan, you're a lovely woman, and if I wasn't happily married for fifteen years, I'd steal you away myself. Oh, don't forget these," he responded as he handed me the most masculine holiday bouquet I could find. It was pinecones, pine sprigs, a bit of holly, and a single red rose in the middle. I hoped Edward appreciated it for the gesture, because I'd never done anything like it in my life.
I walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. He opened it with a huge smile on his face, and I felt rush of love I had for the man.
"Good evening, Cupcake. What's this?" he asked as he pointed to the vase.
"Um, I'm courting you. This is for you," I responded as I handed him the Christmas bouquet.
He pulled me inside and took the vase from me. "I have to tell you, Cupcake, this is the first time anyone has ever brought me any type of floral arrangement. I kind of like this courting thing. So, you've planned a date. Am I appropriately dressed?" He was walking sex in a black turtleneck with a pair of jeans, worn very well. God, he was hot.
"I'd say you'll need a coat for what I've planned." I was fucking salivating, but I had a date to pull off, so I tried very hard to play it cool. I knew I sucked at it, but he pulled out a wool coat and a pair of gloves, grabbing a leather bag and leading me back down the stairs to the car.
I opened the door for him and heard him laugh. He climbed in and settled on the seat with me beside him.
"Edward, this is Gabriel. Gabe, this is my boyfriend, Edward Masen. We're ready." Gabriel nodded, and we were off toward mid-town.
"You look adorable, love. I like this, you planning the date. You willing to give me a hint?" he teased as he kissed my cheek.
"Nope. You've surprised me on more than one occasion, so my turn."
We chatted about his day and my day, and when we pulled up to the 49th Street entrance, Gabriel jumped out and opened the door on my side, offering a hand to help me out. Edward climbed out after me, and the smile on his face was perfectly lovely.
"Gabe, thank you. We'll cab it for the rest of the night if you'll just drop Edward's bag at the apartment, please? It was nice to meet you," I told him. He kissed my hand and offered Edward a wink as he climbed into the car and left us.
"Are we ice skating?" he asked.
"I've never done it before, but I thought it might be fun to try."
We walked up to the booth, seeing a sign they were closed from eight to nine. I knocked on the window and saw a guy look up with a smile. He slid the window open and chuckled at the look of uncertainly on my face. "Bella Swan?" I nodded, and he walked out.
"Sizes?"
"I'm a seven. Edward?" I asked. The rink was empty, and it appeared to be closed, but somehow Alice had wrangled an hour of ice time for me and I'd never be able to repay her for it.
"Twelve." Edward looked at me and winked. Oh, yes he was.
After we had on the skates, I looked at the kid, whose name was Jam…I didn't ask why…and he asked, "So, you want Christmas music or regular music or what?"
"Christmas, please?" I asked as I ventured out onto the ice after tying my skates. I'd never in my fucking life ice skated before, but I was going with the spirit of trying new things, so like a baby foal, I stumbled out.
Of course, Edward soared out and grabbed me by the waist to hold me upright. "Fuck, you're a figure skater, aren't you?"
"Not at all. I played hockey when I was a kid, but Es was the figure skater in our family. So, Miss Swan, you rented the ice rink at Rockefeller Center for me? I'm impressed. I'd have never thought of this."
I was quite happy to hear it regardless of how unsure I was on the ice. I stumbled a few times and moved to the rail so I didn't fall and bust my ass. Andy Williams was singing Christmas music over the speakers and people were watching us and smiling. I was surprisingly having a great time.
Edward skated over to where I was slowly making my way around the rink, taking my hands and placing them on his shoulders. "Trust me?"
I nodded and held onto him as he moved us around the ice. I was a giggling mess because he held me and turned me and kissed me, never missing one step the whole time.
"I love you, Bella," he whispered in my ear from behind me as he guided me around the ice, holding me tightly so I didn't fall. In my heart, I knew he'd never let me fall, and I was so fucking giddy about it, it wasn't funny.
After our hour of ice time, we settled onto the benches and changed from skates to our shoes. Edward looked like he'd had fun, and I was over-the-moon thrilled about it.
"Jam" took our skates and wished us a Merry Christmas as we left. We walked to Lombardi's, and I saw the smile on Edward's face. "You're a perfect date. I love this place."
We finally got a table and ordered a small pizza. "Chef's choice," I announced.
"Okay, small with meatballs, roasted peppers and extra cheese. I'll have a Coke. Babe?"
"Coke, please. Actually, can we get the pizza to go? We'll have the breadsticks and sauce while we wait. Thanks," I ordered. I decided we'd eat the pizza later, but we could have an appetizer. It was the decent thing to do, right?
After the waitress left, I turned to look at the beautiful man in front of me with a huge smile on his face. "Well, that's interesting. Funny, you don't seem the aggressive type. I guess you'll want to eat the pizza after you trick me into sleeping with you? What if I'm not that easy?"
At his comment, I laughed loudly. He wasn't easy at all. Actually, he was the most complicated man I'd ever meet in my life, but I wanted to get him alone because it had been a while, so I was praying I had any feminine charms that would coax him to want to go home with me.
"I was hoping if I fed you, I could take you back to my place, ply you with liquor and the pizza of your choice, and then maybe coax you into my bed. I'm sorry for my ulterior motives, but you're quite the little sexpot," I teased as our appetizer and drinks were delivered. I flipped the girl my credit card and waited for Edward to say something.
"So, I was right. This was all just a ploy to get me into your bed?"
I sighed as I chewed my breadstick and followed up with a sip of my soda. "You've figured me out. I'm only interested in you for your mind, body, and heart. I'm sorry I'm not more sophisticated, but I took a shot."
He pulled his chair over next to mine and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple as he pulled a breadstick from the plate. "I need you to understand this, because this is really important to me. In all my life, I've never, ever, had a girl ask me out, plan a date, and court me. Those were your words, right?"
"Well, yes. You deserve to be courted, and maybe I'm not great at it, but I'll get better, I promise."
"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you with all my heart. This is…hell, I've never had anything like this happen to me in my life. You're the first woman who's ever…fuck, you're perfect. HEY! I've found the perfect girl!" He shouted it to the entire restaurant, and people clapped around us. He kissed me deeply, and in that moment, I actually felt like the perfect girl. It was pretty fucking great. Who knew I'd be great at wooing?
##
"Brush your teeth, Chef," I instructed after I caught my breath and went to the kitchen to heat the pizza. He'd been all over me in the cab, not that I'd objected at all, and we'd bumped around the walls a few times as we made our way to my bedroom. The girls were gone, thank God, but I'd caught Rose and Dr. Emmett on the couch a few times, so there was no way I wasn't going to have my way with Edward on it.
When we finally reached my bedroom, he'd stripped me quickly and I struggled to get his clothes off. Finally, I had the gorgeous man naked, and I pushed him down on my mattress. "So, what are you going to do to me now?" he asked with a smirk.
I giggled. "Well, I paid for dinner, so I think you owe me a little something, handsome."
He laughed as he flipped us, him on top. "So, I give off the easy vibe? I'm not sure if that's good or bad," he taunted as he slipped inside me. Oh, it was very good.
"I'll tell you if it's good or bad in a few minutes," I told him as I pulled him down to kiss him as we began moving against each other.
He had a swivel. I didn't know if it was a learned move, and if it was, I didn't want to ask where he picked it up. That swivel, though, hit every good thing in my body, and after more of them than I could count, with me gasping, nibbling, screaming a little, and finally yelling his name as my mind blew, that swivel was my undoing. The way he hissed, "Fuck, yes, Bella," I was pretty sure he was happy with the outcome.
I determined I was very good at planning and carrying out a date…after the second time when we ate the pizza and he took me on the kitchen table because it was just that good. I'd scrub it down and not tell the girls, but every time I sat there with a cup of coffee and a bagel, I'd remember it and smile. It was pretty good to be Bella Swan as I fell into an exhausted sleep on his chest. Life was pretty damn doog…I mean, good. Mind blown…not responsible.
\\\
E/N: sorry about the rant above, but I didn't think the review…well, my skin is thick, but sometimes…
So, how as the date? A bit of fluff, but necessary.
Till tomoroow…xoxo