EMOTIONAL WARFARE

I'm baaaack! Sorry for the wait. RL has been killer. As always, thanks for the reviews. I hope you like the chapter. Beta services are provided by Dollybigmomma.

Chapter 12

BELLA

"Fuck," I whispered as we entered the expensive boutique.

It turned out that Edward had forgotten to inform me about some all-important ladies' luncheon that required I wear an expensive and most likely obnoxious hat. This sucked because I had tons of them at home. Now, I was stuck in a store with Alice, Rose, Lexi, Megan, Esme, and Victoria, and I was trying to hide.

"Bella!" Alice stormed over. Damn, she'd found me. "What about this?" she asked, holding up a giant pink hat with feathers surrounding the brim.

I hated pink.

"Nah," I shook my head, "It's not really my style."

"Damn," she put it back on the shelf.

"Ooh," Victoria gushed, picking up a pair of purple peep-toed pumps and placing them under her arm. So far, she had three pairs of jeans, five pairs of shoes, and one evening gown. Impressive given we'd only been here twenty minutes.

"I can't believe Edward forgot to tell you to bring a hat," Esme shook her head. "That boy can be scatterbrained like his father sometimes," she giggled, trying on a green hat with peacock feathers on it.

"What are you wearing?" Rose asked, holding a red hat and a brown hat in either hand. "That might make it easier to choose."

"Mine is black and red," Victoria held up a black dress with red polka dots on it. It had a 1940's screen siren vibe to it. It was very her.

"How about this?" Rose handed her the red hat. It had cranberries and red tulle around it. "It matches the style."

"Hmm," Vic placed the hat on her head and the dress over her body. "I like it. Thanks," she smiled, going off to find more shit to buy.

"What about you?" Alice asked me.

"It's a simple black and white dress," I informed. Before we left, I had gotten it out of my suitcase and put it in the car. I didn't know how long it would take to find a hat to match.

"This would be nice," she held up a small black hat with black feathers sticking out of the top.

"I guess," I grabbed it, satisfied that I'd found something.

They were just hats. I didn't get why it was such a big deal.

We shopped for another thirty minutes. Since I was done, I took the time to call Edward and let him know how upset I was that I didn't get a chance to wear one of my own hats. Luckily, we were soon checking out.

"Is this hat for the Annual Luncheon?" the cashier asked looking at the computer screen. I nodded my head. "I'm sorry, but someone has already bought this hat for that luncheon."

"That's okay," I waved it off, going into my wallet to grab some money.

"We don't sell more than one style of a hat that's already promised to a function," she apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Shit," I hissed looking around the store.

"It's going to be impossible to find a suitable hat this late," Alice pouted, giving the girls some candy. "How about this one?" she held up a fuchsia hat. Did I mention that I hated pink? "It could be a pop of color. Just add some fuchsia shoes."

The hat had to be at least two feet tall with flowers, feathers, and what looked to be a bird on it.

"I know it's weird," she excused, "But it's something. I doubt this will be the most extreme one there," she soothed.

There was no way in Hell I was wearing that. I was not that weird.

"No," Vic put the hat back. "Bella hates all variations of the color pink." I loved her.

"Well," Rose walked around another section of hats, "There has to be a compromise. You can't go without a hat."

"Unfortunately," Esme breathed, "You can't. It'll be the first time you'll meet most of these ladies. You'd never live it down."

Over a hat? Who did that?

"It's ridiculous," Esme whispered. "I plan the thing every year and even I know it's ridiculous."

"This blows," I looked over the selection again. "Why don't men…"

I had an idea!

"Where's the men's side?" I asked Alice.

Once we reached the other end of the store, I found this awesome man's hat. It was black with a white silk border and looked like a hybrid between a fedora and a top hat.

"This," I smiled picking it up.

"That's a boy's hat," Megan pointed out confused.

"Not for long," I smiled, walking over to the accessories side.

I found a piece of black and white netting that could double as a small veil, a medium-sized silver jeweled broach, and a couple of light blue feathers.

"What are you doing?" Lexi asked as I dug in my purse for my little emergency sewing kit, looking for some thread.

"I have no clue," I said, handing the cashier a wad of money.

We were the first to arrive at the club. Since Esme was the head planner, she had to make sure everything was in place. I took the time to get ready. My dress was simple. It was white with a black border on the neck and a black design in the middle. It was knee-length and hopefully appropriate for the function. I paired the dress with classic black Prada peep-toed pumps and some black Gucci shades.

For the hat, I took the netting and stitched it along the bottom of the white silk border. I then lifted the netting so it wouldn't be obvious that it had been sewn on. On the tie of the border, I pinned the silver jeweled broach I'd bought to add a little sparkle. Face it, sparkly made everything better. To add a finishing touch, I grabbed one of the bigger blue feathers and placed it along the border as well. Before I put it on, Vic handed me some bobby pins, and I rolled my hair into a simple rolled chignon at the base of my neck. Very classic indeed.

"Sexy Mama," Vic hugged my side as we walk towards the dining room. "Let's slut up the place," she giggled, opening the door.

The dining room was beautiful. The lighting was somewhat dim, and there was a faint presence of pink and green lights that gave the place a nice glow. Coordinating flower arrangements covered every table, and the chairs and silverware had been meticulously set.

I looked around to see that the luncheon was in full swing. It seemed that the majority of the guests had arrived while Vic and I were getting ready, although I couldn't see most of the women's faces because their hats were so big. One lady had a falcon on the side of her face. A real falcon. I doubted it was fake. Another hat looked like a gigantic silver cloud was swirling around this one lady's head.

Alice was right. That fuchsia piece of crap would have gone unnoticed.

"Bella, Victoria," I heard Esme calling us over. I walked over, trying not to stare at the bizarre things these women had on their heads. Esme went for a more classic approach. She had on a nice red wide-brimmed hat that fanned out, showing her beautiful face. It popped against her black dress and red pumps. Her long bronze hair flowed down her back.

"I love your hat," Alice smiled, giving me a thumbs-up. She opted for an ivory dress with a darker ivory and brown hat. It reminded me of the fascinator hats people wore to the royal wedding.

"You look pretty," Lexi and Megan said in unison. Their hats looked adorable. Lexi's looked like a melted scoop of ice cream with a cherry on top. Megan's was in the shape of an orange butterfly.

"Thank you," I hugged them.

"Oh, Becca," Heidi interrupted, "You made it," she deadpanned. "What an…interesting hat choice for you," she smirked.

"I love being different," I patted my hat.

Heidi's hat was fuchsia with a gigantic ball of black tulle on top. Then there was a ball of fuchsia feathers on top of that layer. She looked stupid.

"Different you are," Tanya added, staring me up and down.

"Bella," Esme grabbed my hand and pulled me next to her, "I'd like for you to meet Jane Ingram," she smiled.

"Hello," I shook her hand.

"So you're the one Esme has been bragging about," Jane grinned looking at me. "It seems like Edward is quite taken with you," she teased.

"I'm taken with him, too," I blushed, thinking about the hot make-out session we'd had yesterday. It was so…random. I loved it.

"I've known Edward since he was in diapers," Jane gushed. "I went to school with Carlisle…and Heidi," she hissed, looking at Heidi and rolling her eyes.

"It was a pleasure," Heidi deadpanned.

"Cool," Vic entered the conversation, "I didn't know the four of you knew each other that long."

"Oh, no," Jane waved Vic off, "Esme didn't join our little group until college," she informed, nudging Esme who blushed. "We went to Dartmouth. Esme pledged the same sorority that Heidi and I were in," she smiled. "She was my little," she pinched Esme's cheek. "Heidi, unfortunately, was my roommate," she pointed her thumb in Heidi's direction.

"After that, we were inseparable," Esme gushed.

"Yeah," Heidi rolled her eyes.

"Everyone in the group had a role," Jane laughed. "Esme was the quiet good girl…"

"Jane was the…" Esme started.

"Slut," Heidi interrupted.

"Yeah," Jane nodded her head, "and Heidi was the bitch," she pointed to Heidi. "It's funny how some things never change," she stared Heidi in the eyes.

"Like your need for makeup," Heidi countered. "Do you need to borrow some?" she asked Jane, taking a compact out of her purse.

"No thanks," Jane declined, "I'm allergic to cheap generic brands," she shook her hands.

Victoria didn't even try to hide her laughter at the comeback.

"Okay," Esme stepped in, "I'm going to go kick things off. You ladies take a seat," she calmly ordered before going up to the mic.

"Hello, ladies," she started, "I'd like to thank you all for taking time out of your holidays to be here and support our cause," she clapped and others followed. "We have several charities here today, all with great causes and looking for a little love. So don't go easy on your purse strings, please, ladies," she joked. "Every cent will go to a charitable cause. So find it in your hearts to dig deep," she grinned. "Thank you," she nodded before going to sit down.

"Great as usual," Jane complimented Esme.

"How's London?" Esme asked.

"Fabulous," Jane replied. "How are the children?"

"Great," Esme smiled pointing to Alice. "How's James?"

"Still fucking anything with a hole," Jane rolled her eyes.

"Who is James?" Victoria asked, suddenly interested.

"My good-for-nothing son," she answered. "He's just like his father."

"Oh," I suddenly perked up, "James." I slowly looked to Victoria knowingly. She kicked me under the table.

I had yet to grill Victoria on her dealings with James. There was definitely something there.

"Bella," Jane started, "Since you're dating my honorary nephew, I must ask you a few questions."

"Shoot," I smiled.

"Where are you from?"

"New York."

"What kind of…"

"Bella here is a little 'sensitive' about her background," Heidi interrupted. "She's very guarded… secretive."

She was obviously pissed that I hadn't revealed who my family was. I was willing to bet that she probably thought I was just a poor gold-digger. She would shit herself if she found out who my parents actually were.

"Oh," Jane conceded.

"I just don't like it when people interrogate me," I rolled my eyes.

"No secrets here," Vic lied, trying to ease the tension. "She's just plain ol' Bella Swan."

"Swan…" Jane muttered. "Why does that name sound familiar?" she asked, like she was thinking.

Good luck, lady. Not many people knew my dad's last name. He only went by his first name. Apparently, he had reached god status like Madonna…or Beyoncé. It was weird.

"Oh!" her eyes sparked up, "How's your mother?" she asked. "Last I heard she was pregnant," she added.

Shit.

How did she know who my mother was?

"You know Bella's mother?" Heidi asked, suddenly interested. "How is she?"

"Oh no!" Vic shouted as she "accidently" spilled her drink all over Jane's dress.

"Ahhh…fuck!" Jane stomped her foot.

"I'm so sorry," Victoria apologized. "I'll pay for cleaning that." She got up with Jane, "I'll help you," she volunteered, going with Jane to the bathroom. I felt my phone buzz with a text.

Victoria: I'll stall her as long as possible.

How did Jane know who my mother was? Renee' didn't even share my last name. She didn't even raise me. This had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"Esme, you did a wonderful job with decorating," I smiled, hoping to change the subject.

It worked…on everyone but Heidi and Tanya. I could feel their gaze on me, studying what I was hiding from them. Every so often, they'd look around in search of Jane. I knew as soon as they saw her, they'd pounce to gain more information. I hoped Victoria was good at creating bigger diversions.

The next hour or so was spent listening to a presentation about great donation opportunities and talking to heads of several non-profit organizations. I ended up donating fifty thousand dollars to an organization that was set up for donating medical equipment to help train doctors in third-world countries. Then, I networked with the CEO of Tom Shoes about doing a "Most Eligible" auction at Harvard where the proceeds would help their business. Overall, it was a good experience.

"Nice save," Heidi said, standing next to me at one of the refreshment tables. I looked around for Alice, Rose, or Esme and saw nothing. I was stuck with her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told her, taking a sip of juice.

"I get it," she waved it off, "You don't want anyone to know about your parents," she had figured it out. "I know how overwhelming being around so many people with wealth can be," she patted my shoulder. "At least I can imagine," she said condescendingly.

She was so misguided.

"I have to…"

"Listen," she looked me in the eye, "I know it may seem like I'm being hard on you," she stepped closer, "but I'm just trying to protect everyone." She raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down, "Edward is very…attached to you. I'll admit that," she nodded her head, "But to weigh five months against seven years…" she huffed, "Come on, Bella, we both know you're smarter than that," she ended with a slight giggle.

"Riley is a phase. You are, too," she said, talking of Tanya's new boyfriend. "Tanya just wants to savor the different flavors of life before getting tied down. She did what was best for the both of them at the time." She paused and looked me in the eye again. "Make no mistake, Bella, Edward isn't over Tanya. Eventually, they'll get back together. They're meant for each other." She finished her glass of champagne and walked away.

Bitch.

Edward was over Tanya. I mean come on. How could he not see how much of a bitch she was? Plus, she was getting fat. I hated to sound mean, but really. I looked over to see Tanya's gut poking out. Either she was getting fat or she needed to buy bigger clothes. It was probably both. Plus, we had made out yesterday…for real. He didn't seem like a person who would just do that for kicks…right? Heidi was just fucking with my head. It was not going to work.

Edward was over Tanya.

He had to be.

Right?

"Okay," Vic rushed over out of breath, "Jane is at the bar on the south side of the club," she informed. "I've been buying her drinks for the past forty-five minutes. She's tanked," Vic giggled. "She's actually hilarious as shit," she reflected. "I think I might have a girl crush on her," she realized amused.

"She's James' mother," I reminded her.

"Bella…" she warned.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. "I'm just making an observation. He came by looking for you at Lexi's party."

"I'm aware," she narrowed her eyes at me.

"So…" I led off.

"He…" she huffed. "Shit!" she hissed before ducking and running out of the room.

Huh?

"Bella?" I looked up to see James waving me over. "Have you seen Victoria?"

"No," I lied. If she ran when she saw him, she obviously didn't want to talk.

"Damn it," he growled, stalking out of the room in search of her.

"How is everything going?" Esme tapped me on the shoulder. "I know meeting all these people can be a little overwhelming," she took a sip of a Mimosa.

"It's okay," I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess."

I never really liked fundraisers. In my opinion, it seemed like people donated just to be seen donating by others. I would bet half of these people wouldn't donate another cent to charity until the next luncheon. It was a bit bogus.

"You're handling it better than I did," Esme chuckled, sitting in a nearby chair.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"When Carlisle's mother introduced me to these women," she started shaking her head, "I got so nervous I was nauseous."

"Why?" I asked confused. "Aren't you used to the whole society thing?"

"Bella," she looked me in the eye, "I grew up middle class. I was raised by my grandparents on their farm in Tennessee," she informed. "I didn't grow up with money. I wasn't poor by any means, but I wasn't 'Cullen' rich, either," she told me.

"Really?"

I smiled at that fact. There was an elegant quality about Esme that screamed class. It was almost regal. Given her background, it was funny that she had more class than most of the pure bluebloods around here.

"You feel out of place," she saw through me, "Don't you."

"I always feel out of place," I confided looking at her.

"I did, too," she confessed, grabbing my hand. "I'd never been to a luncheon, or a benefit, or a ball…or any 'high society' event until I met Carlisle," she giggled. "Things adjust," she nudged me. "I made them fit me. I must say, I think I'm doing a hell of a job," she smirked. At that moment, I saw a little of Edward's smile in hers.

"I agree," I smiled with her.

"They need people like us," she pointed to the crowd of women. "We pull them back down to earth," she finished. She pulled me up by my hand, "Let's get back to our table."

"Esme," Jane giggled, hugging Esme's side, "I missed you. You and Carlisle should visit me in London," she whispered before burping.

Where was Victoria?

"Okay, sweetie," Esme unwrapped Jane's arms from around her and guided her back to the table.

"Sorry," Vic came back looking around, "I left her unattended for two minutes. I was hiding from James and she got away," she huffed out of breath. "I think she's too drunk to be coherent, anyway," she waved it off.

We walked back to the table to see Jane scooting her chair away from Heidi. Esme looked embarrassed and Alice and Rose were trying not to laugh. Lexi and Megan were too busy eating ice cream to know what was going on.

"Get away from me, Heidi," Jane scooted her chair away more, "Stop being so damn nosy."

"Jane!" Esme hissed, trying to scoot Jane's chair back.

"Ahhh, Bella," Jane pinched my cheek, "You're so pretty…and wholesome," she finished before slowly looking away at Tanya. "You're a definite improvement," she whispered to me…loudly. Everyone heard her.

"This is the best fundraiser I've ever been to," Vic chuckled, grabbing some champagne from a tray.

"Becca," Heidi flipped her hair, attempting to regain some composure, "We were just talking about your family," she smirked at me.

"No we weren't," Jane shook her head. "She kept asking me questions. I can't answer because I'm too drunk to remember," she informed. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell her," she patted my lap.

"Jane is exaggerating a little."

"Pssh," Jane spat, "And I'm a natural blonde," she retorted.

"Here," Esme deadpanned, grabbing a bottle of champagne and gave it to Jane.

"Yaaaaay," Jane whispered and poured a full flute.

"That's us in the next thirty years," Vic giggled, pointing to Esme and Jane.

"I look forward to it," I smiled, taking a bite out of an apple.

"Tanya, sweetie," Heidi called her daughter, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Mother," Tanya smiled, looking at me.

"Tanya is practically a virtuoso on the violin," Heidi bragged. "She volunteered to play a little song for us at the luncheon."

"That's nice," Vic smirked, tapping me under the table. I rolled my eyes.

"Every summer, we'd fly her off to Europe to study under the greats," Heidi boasted. "She was even accepted into Julliard."

"That's great," I said, eating some more fruit. "Why didn't you go?"

"I didn't want to."

"Then why did you audition?"

"I just wanted to prove that I could do it," Tanya sighed. "There's no real money in the arts."

"Did you audition for any performing arts schools?" Heidi asked me. "You've told us you play the violin as well."

"No," I shrugged my shoulders. "I played as more of a…" I paused, looking for the right word. Obligation? Bribe? Seeking of approval? "Hobby," I finished.

"Oh," Heidi faked a pout, "Pity."

My mother decided that I would be a virtuoso at the violin and piano when I was only two. From then on, she flew the world's best teachers to her house in New York to teach me. When I was twelve, I was asked, or more liked begged…then forced…to play the violin as a guest of the Russian orchestra for an entire summer. While kids my age were running around on the playground enjoying life, I was getting cracked on the knuckles with a stick for hitting a note wrong. I stopped playing publicly when I was seventeen, as soon as I moved out from my mother's house. Now, you couldn't pay me to play in front of an audience. I still practiced, but no one was allowed to hear me. Ever.

The strains of Tanya sounding her first note pulled me out of my flashback. She was playing…Moonlight Sonata?

Seriously?

I tried to hide my giggle. People always mistook that song as a testament of skill. The chord progressions weren't that difficult. I never liked that song. I'd mastered it when I was about seven or eight.

Then, Heidi challenged me to play. I could tell what she was doing. She was certain Tanya was better than I was and was trying to embarrass me in front of the Connecticut elite. I wasn't going to play into it. I could play universes around Tanya. I didn't need to prove it to anyone.

"Go on," Vic pushed me.

"No," I shook my head and Esme apologized with her eyes.

"I suppose not everyone is up to a challenge," Heidi smirked.

"Oh, no she didn't," Vic hissed at me. "Show those bitches who's boss, girl," she whispered at me.

"Vic," I rolled my eyes, "It's not that…"

As I was about to decline again, I looked to the stage to see Heidi and Tanya share a look of victory as they took time to look away from each other and stare at me. I felt their gaze hit me as they looked me up and down, shaking their heads haughtily before Tanya flipped her hair abruptly and walked off stage.

Vic gasped, "Did you see that?"

"Yeah." I got up and walked over to Esme.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," I waved it off. "I'll play," I sighed and Esme smiled. "I tend to play a little…differently than Tanya," I advised with a subtle smile. Esme raised her brow as I went to ask Tanya for her violin.

"Good luck," she sneered, handing me the instrument. It wasn't my Stradivarius, but it would have to do.

The first thing I did was tune it. I wouldn't have put it past the bitch to mess with the pegs to fuck up my performance. I was right to do so. I sent a smirk her way as I re-tuned the violin.

I didn't really remember playing for almost fifteen minutes. I just remembered the sounds of awe as my fingers whizzed through the notes of Bach's Chaconne in D minor. My fingers were going to feel numb afterwards. It seemed that as quickly as I began playing, I was finished. I heard the sounds of Jane laughing at Heidi and pointing at her amongst the sounds of applause.

After that, the luncheon ended and I was ready to leave.

"Wow," Alice hugged me, "I haven't heard someone play like that in…ever, really," she said thoughtfully.

"Tanya is probably blowing a gasket by now," Rose giggled.

"Her and Heidi both," Alice laughed. "Heidi and Tanya pride themselves on Tanya's stellar violin skills. You should've seen Tanya's face when you started playing."

"Oh, well…" I shrugged, going outside.

Maybe Edward was outside. I knew the guys were playing golf. Hopefully, they were finished.

They were finished alright. I spotted Edward…in a corner…talking to Tanya….and her ugly ass hat. She was pushing her boobs in his face and leaning close to him. In Edward's defense, he probably didn't know that she was doing it on purpose. I wanted to pull her hair out. I looked to see Heidi staring at me and smiling. I thought about what she had said earlier.

MINE!

"Hello, lover," I smiled, giggling at my nickname for him.

"Hey, sweetie," he replied, staring into my eyes. "How was your day?"

Every time I looked into Edward's eyes…like really stared at them…I found myself in awe. They were so beautiful. I didn't know why he hid them behind his glasses. They were so pure, like his spirit. Plus, I had never seen a shade of green eyes that were so dark and rich. He looked turned on all the time.

It was sexy.

"It's better, now that you're here," I flirted, standing on my tiptoes. "I missed you," I leaned in to kiss him, "So much," I added, planting my lips onto his. He received my invitation, entangling his tongue with my own and massaging it.

He was such a good kisser. Why would anyone dump him?

"Mmm," I moaned as he hugged my waist close to his and threaded a hand through my hair. I stayed close, exploring his mouth with my own, thinking about last night and how it felt to have his hands roam around my body and the electric shock I felt at his touch. I found my panties moist at the memory.

Grab my ass!

I smiled inwardly as I heard Tanya huff and stomp off.

"I missed you, too," he smiled after I revealed how I had missed talking to him today. It felt weird not having him around, especially since he had ignored me like I had the plague yesterday. It was nice to know that he missed me, too.

Our reunion was cut short by Alice tugging me away so we could go shopping….again.

"We went shopping already," I complained as we drove away in Esme's Range Rover.

"We have to initiate you and Vic into our club," Rose giggled, massaging our shoulders.

"It's…" Esme started, like she was a game show host.

"LINGERIE DAY!" Rose and Alice shouted.

"Yaaaaay!" Vic clapped her hands. "I love lingerie!"

"Huh?" I asked. I was confused.

"Every year, when all the Cullen ladies get together, we all go out shopping to buy some sexy items for our men," Alice smiled.

"We never invited Tanya," Rose told me with a serious face.

"It's a nice way for us to get away, do something for ourselves and bond," Esme smiled.

"Oh," I nodded my head.

"Besides," Alice smirked, "Judging by how I found you and Edward before we left, I think Bella could use some sexy lingerie," she giggled.

"I know, right?" Vic tickled my side.

"James will love it," I smirked at her and she stopped immediately.

"What's with you two?" Rose questioned.

"Stay away," Alice warned, "He's a douche."

"I know," Vic rolled her eyes.

"Here we are," Esme announced, pulling into a parking lot.

The building looked to be very unassuming. It appeared to be a small warehouse of some sort. Esme walked to the door and there was a gold speaker. She pressed the call button.

"Hello," a female voice called, "This is Taboo. How may I help you?"

"This is Esme Cullen," Esme announced herself. "My party and I have a reservation," she said and the door opened.

We walked in and I noticed the store was very sexy in a chic way. All the walls were black with a gold design running along the middle. There was black and white checkered tile along the floor and a huge gold and crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling. The place seemed to have three floors and a tall winding staircase in the middle of the base floor.

"Hello, ladies," a woman who appeared in her late twenties approached us. "We're glad to have you back with us," she smiled, leading us to the elevator. "This is your suite," she announced as we stepped off the lift.

"It's lovely," Esme smiled, looking around.

The walls of the room were blood red and a black chandelier gave the room a dark glow to it. It went well with the dark oak wood floors and white fur rug beneath our feet. It was very True Blood.

"We took the liberty of picking out some pieces we'd like for you to try," the woman showed us to several racks of lingerie. "Some are sample sizes. Others are the same sizes you requested the last time you were here," she pointed out. "Feel free to look in the catalogue for any other pieces you want to try," she handed each of us a book. "Call downstairs if you need anything," she added before she left us.

"I like this one," Esme said pulling a dark gold and blue slip from a rack.

"With these?" Alice said holding up a blue thong.

Huh?

"I know," Rose gagged. "If I helped my mom pick out lingerie for my dad, I'd die."

"Shut it," Alice griped as she rifled through the racks.

"This is cute," Vic smiled, picking out a dark green bra and ruffled panty set.

"Yeah," Rose nodded her head, "Redheads look good in green."

"What about you?" Esme asked me, sitting down to look through a catalogue.

"Uh…" I started. It was weird shopping for lingerie when Edward and I weren't having sex. "I…"

"Ooh, Bella," Alice ran over with a catalogue, showing me a page, "This would look hot on you."

It was a black bra, panty, and garter set with what looked to be a diamond bow closure.

"Sexy," Victoria agreed, going through the pages.

"You might give Edward a heart attack," Rose giggled, coming back with a red nightie.

"This looks cute," I said, holding up a light blue camisole with dark embroidery. It came with dark blue panties and the whole thing was see-through.

"For starters," Alice nodded her head.

"Let's try this stuff on," Vic encouraged and we each went to our own dressing room.

Feeling more awkward by the second, I stripped off my clothes and tried on the lingerie. Even though the top and bottoms were sheer, the placement of the embroidery left something to the imagination. I liked the way the blue looked on my skin. Before going out, I looked myself over in the mirror and checked how my ass looked in the cheeky panties.

"I'm not a lesbian or anything," I heard Vic's voice as I turned around, "but you have a really nice ass."

"Vic," I hissed, "What are you…"

"We're gonna see you in it, anyway," she whispered. "You have a great rack, too," she held my arms out so she could inspect me.

"So I've been told," I shook my head, thinking of what Lexi and Megan had said a couple of days ago. "I hate trying on clothes."

"Why?" she asked. "You have a hot body. You modeled for like four years…in Europe. This is nothing."

"I hated it then, too," I pointed out.

"Edward will like it," she smiled. I couldn't help but think of last night.

I blushed.

"Spill, you ho," she whispered, sitting on a stool.

"What?"

"You didn't forget that I walked in on you this morning…in nothing but some tiny silk boy shorts," she grinned. "What happened? Are you a woman now?" she asked, playing with the bra she had on.

"No," I rolled my eyes. "We…fooled around," I admitted nervously.

"Define fooled around."

"After I saw Edward's junk, he avoided me the whole day," I started. "I wanted to even the playing field so I…showed him my boobs," I blushed.

"What?" she choked. "You flashed him?"

"No. I straddled him and showed him my boobs. "

"Oh," she settled down. "Was he impressed?" she asked, pointing to my chest. "You do have a nice pair on you."

"Yeah," I blushed and Vic got up to hug me.

"I'm so proud," she beamed. "How far?"

"Vic…" It felt awkward discussing whatever Edward and I had going on.

"Don't deny me," she poked my boob. "I've wanted to dish with you for like seven years."

"Well," I started, "He was looking…like really looking," I blushed. "I don't know what came over me. I asked him to kiss me and he did."

"You made out?"

"And dry humped," I added, face-palming myself. "It felt great," I admitted.

"Did he…" she started, making the infamous pumping hand gesture.

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "He's huge."

"Yes," she hugged me again, "This is progress," she smiled. "You two are so meant for each other," she shook her head. "You're both awkward as shit."

That was not what Heidi said.

"What?" she asked.

Shit. I said that out loud.

"You said what out loud?" she asked.

"Come out here!" Alice shouted at us through the door.

"Okay, Alice!" I left the room quickly, eager to get away from Victoria.

"What do you think?" Vic asked, twirling around.

"Nice."

"Very nice," Rose elaborated.

"Your abs are amazing," I poked Rose's stomach.

"Three hundred crunches a day will do that," she replied, tapping her abs.

"That blue looks nice on you," Alice said standing next to me.

"Thanks," I looked myself over in the big mirror.

"I wish I had big boobs," Alice pouted, looking at our reflections in the mirror.

"Then you'd fall over," Rose joked.

"Whose phone is that?" Esme asked as I heard the sound of my phone ringing.

"Mine," I took responsibility and looked for my phone. It rang again. "Where is it?" I asked.

"Check under the couch," Alice suggested.

"Ugh," I got down on all-fours to look under the couch. I was pretty sure my asshole was exposed to the entire world. "Found it!" I announced and looked at the text.

Dad: What are you doing?

Seriously? He was still trying to act parental.

Me: Seriously?

I hit send and turned my phone off.

"I'm here with those requests," the woman from earlier came in with two garments.

"Right over there," Vic pointed at me.

"Okay," the lady came over to me, "I'll have to help you with this one," she held up the black piece. "It's quite expensive. You're the only lady to ever request it."

"I didn't…"

"She'll try it," Vic interrupted me, dragging me back into the dressing room.

"I don't want to try this on," I said and the lady pouted and put the garment back in the bag.

"Yes, she does," Vic argued. "Besides, we have to finish what we were talking about," she said.

"Okay, fine." The woman took the garment back out.

"Details," Vic ordered. "Who do I have to kill?"

"Why do you think I'm upset?" I asked, taking off my bra. I covered myself on instinct.

"Because you won't tell me," she retorted. "If you took it with a grain of salt, you'd laugh about it and tell me."

"It's not that bad," I told her as I put the black silk and mesh bra on. I tweaked my nips so you couldn't see them through the fabric. I wouldn't lie. The material felt soft against my skin. No wonder it was expensive. The salesperson took over from there, hooking the diamond closure across my back and the straps to the rest of the bra.

"Ooh pretty," Vic's eyes glazed. "Anyway, what happened?" she asked as I took off the blue cheeky panties. "Tell me," she turned around to give me some privacy.

"It was just Heidi's attempt at mind fuckery," I said, putting on the black panties and making sure the garter holds wouldn't poke me.

"Which was…" she waved forward, turning back around.

"Well…" I started as the lady helped me put on the stockings and attached the diamond closures to the straps. "She went on and on about how Tanya and Edward are meant for each other. She then said that Riley was a phase and so was I and eventually Tanya would get him back," I paused.

"She basically called you a temp," Vic deadpanned.

"Yeah," I said as the lady tightened the straps.

"Bitch," the saleslady whispered.

"What?" we shrieked in unison.

"No! Not you," she waved her hands in surrender. "You were talking about Heidi Denali, right?"

"Uh huh," we nodded our heads.

"That's who I was talking about," she seethed. "She always comes here. Every time, she makes the most obscene demands. She acts like it's our fault the sample sizes don't fit her fat ass," she raved. "Sometimes, I just want to say, 'Lady, you're in your fifties. You can't wear the same size and styles as a twenty-year-old,'" she paused. "She made one of our seamstresses let out a sample size for her because she didn't want anyone to know that she's a size ten," she giggled.

"Shit," Vic laughed, holding her stomach.

"Little does she know that her husband is fucking his secretary," she revealed. "He opened an account for her at the store and everything. She's a regular," she nodded her head. "She buys some pretty skanky stuff. But at least she's not a bitch like Heidi."

"No way."

"Way," she started again, smoothing out the garment on my body. "Don't get me started on her daughters…the implant twins," she rolled her eyes. "The young one is okay, but the older two? Vom!" she shook in disgust. "The blonde one…Tara…"

"Tanya," we corrected.

"Yeah, Tanya," she started again, "She came in with her mother a couple of days ago. She threw a shit fit when the size two lingerie wouldn't fit her anymore. She started crying," she giggled. "She's gotten a little chunky if you ask me."

"I know, right?" Vic nodded her head.

"There's nothing wrong with being a size eight," she rolled her eyes.

"What's your name?" Vic asked.

"Katherine," she answered, looking me over with approval.

"Do you want to party with us sometime?" Vic shook her hand. "You're cool as fuck."

"Sure," she shrugged her shoulders and gave me a thumbs-up. "You look hot by the way," she told me before leaving.

"You've gotta get this," Vic gushed as I looked in the mirror. "Guys, look!" Vic shouted, pulling me out of the dressing room.

"Oh…"

"My…"

"God!"

"What?" I asked playing with the strings of the garter.

"If I had a cock, it would be sooo hard right now. Da-yum," Rose said in approval.

"Bella," Alice whispered, "You look hot."

"You kind of have to get it now," Esme added.

"Isn't it a bit much?" I asked looking behind me at the diamond design in the back. "It looks nice," I admitted, "But…"

"It can be your special occasion lingerie," Alice beamed.

"I'm not…"

"The tribe has spoken," Victoria cut me off. "You're buying it."

"Fine," I huffed, walking back into the dressing room.

I felt a little stupid that I was about to buy lingerie when I didn't even have a boyfriend. Then, I took into account that I was shopping for lingerie with my fake boyfriend's family and I felt a whole other level of awkwardness.

I looked at myself in the mirror again. I did look nice in it. I loved the way the soft material felt. The black provided a nice contrast to my pale skin. I would admit that I felt a little sexy.

I wondered what Edward would do if he saw me in this?

I shook my head as Katherine came back in the room and helped me out of the garment.

After that, Rose forced me into a red and black corset with red ruffled panties and a whip. That was interesting. We fooled around for another hour or so, trying on various sexy ensembles, until it was time for us to go. Katherine had already brought the black items to the register for me. It couldn't hurt to buy them. He wouldn't see them, anyway.

"Okay," Katherine put the last garment into a bag and put scented tissue paper in it. "Your total comes up to…" she paused, entering in some numbers. "$24,798.61," she smiled.

"What?" I gasped.

How expensive was this shit?

"There's around four carats of diamonds in that black ensemble, plus all the handmade silk and lace," she reminded me. "It's a pricy ensemble."

"Stop acting like you can't afford it," Vic rolled her eyes and handed a cashier her credit card. "Use the force," she said in a ghostly voice, taking out my wallet and grabbing my credit card.

"Oh shit," Katherine whispered as Victoria placed my card in her hand. "This is…this is…" she paused, holding the card into the light. "Is this a…?"

"Yes," I said awkwardly, "It's a Black Diamond card," I admitted.

"They exist!" she gasped. "I never thought I'd get to see one," she looked the card over reverently. "Who do you know?" she asked, rubbing the card against her cheek.

"She's her daddy's princess," Vic giggled.

"Please," I rolled my eyes.

"Wow," Katherine shook her head, swiping the card through the machine. "You just made my day," she smiled, handing me my card back.

"See you soon," Vic waved as we walked back to the girls.

Everyone else headed home while I rode with Esme back to the club to pick up Lexi and Megan. We had left them at the club's daycare while we went shopping. Lucky girls.

"Edward had an asthma attack!" Alice shouted as we entered the house.

"What?" Esme said nervously, getting out her cell phone.

"Is he okay?" Lexi asked worried.

"He's okay," Alice calmed down. "Someone had an inhaler with them," she sat down. "It could've been a bad one."

"Edward hasn't had an attack in years," Esme informed. "I wonder what happened."

"I'm just glad he's okay," I yawned.

I found myself getting sleepier and sleepier by the minute. I'd been going and going all day. I hadn't had any time to relax.

"I think I'm going to take a little nap," I told the girls.

"Okay," Esme said. "We'll order some pizza for dinner."

I gave Esme a hug and headed for mine and Edward's room. Today had certainly been eventful and I was ready for some down time. I just hoped Edward was okay and would be home soon.