{The Client}

Summary- I have nothing to fear but fear itself. And my incompetent stylist. I just asked for Spanx, but his hand is raised and…this isn't going to end well.

Characters- Edward, Bella, and their many shenanigans.

Rated M- Don't tell me you're just in it for the malarkey.

Chapter 14: Hungry? Why Wait? Said No Bum Ever

We partied until five in the morning.

When I say we, I would like to include the majority of my posse, but alas, that was not the case.

Alice spent most of the time at the after-party taking bites out of my dress, Edward continued refilling my chocolate fountain, and Jess kept threatening to quit.

By the time the sun was ready to rise, we all piled into the limousine and crashed at my place. I fell into a deep sleep on my bed, still covered in cake, only to awake with Alice licking my leg.

When I stated earlier that I had wanted to get intimate with a Cullen, this is not what I had in mind.

"Alice!" I say, groggily. "Cut it out!"

She wipes her mouth, looking up at me remorsefully. "I just wanted extra sprinkles! So good…"

I allow her to take a few more bites before pushing her away. "I need to shower. And change my bed sheets. And eat breakfast. Are the others awake?"

Alice shrugs, licking her fingers. "I don't know. I've been in here the whole time."

"You spent the night…in my room?"

"Don't judge me, Bella. You have a dress made of delicious, buttery cake; I couldn't resist myself." Alice stands up from the bed, lending out an icing-filled hand. "If it makes you feel any better, I ate most of the cake from your torso. Had you not been so persistent in rolling over, you would have been cake-free by now."

I glance down, seeing a slight nibble on my right breast. "I feel molested."

"You shouldn't. But if you need help in the shower-"

"I don't!" I nearly shout, rushing off to my bathroom.

It takes two minutes to push against the door and another three of threatening to call the police before I am left on my own.

When I am finally under the hot, steaming water, I pause slightly, thinking I hear heavy breathing behind me.

Even though I see no one, there's a nagging suspicion the cake on my lower back didn't wash off by itself.

"Damn it!"

Slamming the cell phone down on the floor, Edward rubs his hands through his hair, pulling it tightly despite the pain.

He had one week left until James came looking for him. According to his contract, he wouldn't get paid until the end of the month, and if he asked for an advance, Bella would get suspicious.

This is what happens when you had your name on several hit lists.

James "Crazy Eyes" Coven was not the mother-fucker you wanted waiting for you when you walked out onto the streets alone. More than once, Edward had dodged the man he owed thousands of dollars to. A recovering gambler, Edward had straightened up his ways, but a debt was a debt.

"Edward?" One knock and a dripping, wet Bella enters his room with only her towel wrapped around her body.

"Hey you." He attempts to smile, forgetting his troubles as Bella sits on his lap.

"Sleep well?" She wraps her arms around him, and he inhales her vanilla scent. Though his mind is troubled, he vaguely pushes his distress to the side to return her affection. He didn't know how it had happened, but Bella was making him into a weak man. Her confession at the awards ceremony the previous night had left him feeling quite torn.

"I slept alright. How about you?" His fingers run through her wet curls, oblivious to how he should be behaving.

"Okay, I guess. I woke up to your sister licking my leg."

Edward laughs, not surprised in the slightest. "She's addicted to sugar. I should have warned you. Once, she stole a candy bar from a homeless man."

"No way!" Bella exclaims in shock.

"Yep. Next thing we know, she is running down the street with a whole gang of hobos chasing her down in retaliation. We found her huddled in a dumpster, her mouth covered in chocolate."

"Did she even buy him another one? Or apologize?"

Edward pauses, reliving the memory. "Let's just say she's not welcome anywhere near Downtown and Main. There's an entire alley with her picture drawn on cardboard boxes."

Bella giggles. "That's awful. I'm glad there's one sane Cullen. She's leaving this week, right?"

"Probably tomorrow. She's got classes," Edward explains. "She just wanted to check up on me. See if I was doing alright."

And staying out of trouble.

At least they both had agreed telling Bella the truth wasn't an option. They had tried, that's what counted. So if Bella thought he was a model, so be it. He didn't want to be the one to break her heart.

"Hey! I almost forgot!" Bella wiggles in Edward's lap, creating a friction that sends him into overdrive. He winces, adjusting her body in a different position.

Bella grabs the remote to the flat screen from the night stand, switching to several channels before finding what she's looking for. "Ekkk! I can't wait to say what they said about my dress! Did you notice everyone's expressions last night?"

Edward nods, peering forward to listen more closely. He had spent hours upon hours creating Bella's gown, every detail performed to execution from the Cooking Channel.

"Welcome back to the Celebrity Network!" Bone Givers announces. "You are watching Style Cops with our Academy Awards fashion overview. We've gone through the lists, from Kristen Stewart dazzling in Chanel to Jennifer Lawrence amazing the world in Dior. And now, for our Worst Dressed Celebrity…"

"Wait, did I miss something? Was I in the top ten?" Bella squints her eyes, as if to search for her image in the flashing background.

"This starlet, which is usually known for her plain and lackluster gowns decided to throw us all for a loop."

"You said it, Givers!" the co-host agrees. "While she may have thought she looked delicious, she was downright atrocious. I mean, who in the heck dresses like this to an award show? The award show of the year. In my opinion, this wasn't the Worst Dressed of the night, she's the Worst Dressed of the CENTURY! So tell us, who deserves this recognition, without a shadow of a doubt?"

"The Worst Dressed award goes to…drumroll please…Bella Swan for her inedible, revolting, cake catastrophe!"

The confetti falls, but before Bella can be humiliated anymore, I shut off the television.

Edward shakes his head, obviously disagreeing with their decision. "Where did we go wrong?"

"WE!" Bella's voice shrieks as she jumps from the bed. "WE? You have got to be kidding me! This is your fault! You did this! You were supposed to be changing my image! Believe in me, you said. You'll be an icon, you said! You need more chocolate, you said! Why, oh, why did I ever listen to you?"

Bella's rage is far from over as she starts throwing pillows as ammunition.

Edward uses his hands to block to her soft missiles. They are soft, but damn, she's got good aim. Why did women have so many pillows?

"Bella, listen, I thought you looked fantastic. You can't listen to everyone's opinion!"

"I'm an actress! Everyone's opinion DOES matter! That's my career, Edward. Do you even realize what you've done? Directors won't take me seriously. Oh, gosh, I'm ruined. No one will hire me ever again. I'm going to end up on the street and Alice is going to come by and steal the only candy I've got…"

Bella rambles in fragmented sentences as Edward grumbles internally at his mistake. He didn't realize the damage he had caused. All he knew was that he had to fix it. Bella's reputation was on the line and if she fired him now, then all would be lost. Not only was he upset for hurting her, but for letting her down. He had to fix this.

Grabbing her wrists and pulling her closely, he hugs her tight, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. "I'll make it better, Bella, I swear."

Bella remains in his embrace, but does not return the affection. "You better, Edward. Because you're not getting paid until you fix this mess!"

Edward freezes in his position, stunned at her words. No paycheck? If he didn't get compensated, James would have his ass.

Think, Edward, think. You've been rationalizing too far ahead, trying to be some huge fashion expert. Keep it simple. Bella looked fine before you got ahold of her. Just take her original style and twist it so that she's still her, just better.

Edward releases Bella, searching through his bag for the one object he needed to transform Bella Swan into the fashion star he knew she could be.

"What are you looking for?" Bella asks, sniffling loudly.

Edward ignores her, until he finds a container of red paint. "Go downstairs and get breakfast, Bella. I've got a lot of work to do. I'm going to do my best to make this up to you. I'll call you up here in a few hours, I promise."

Bella retreats to her room, grabs a robe, and curses out Alice for licking her bed comforter. When Edward is assured she is completely out of sight, he enters Bella's humungous shoe closet, paintbrush in hand.

When Edward first met Bella, she was wearing heels with the bottoms colored in red marker. It was amateur, at best. If red soled heels was what she wanted, then red soled heels she would get.

As Edward settled onto the floor and opened his container, he noted how odd it was that Bella had only colored shoes from a guy named Christian Louboutin.

Not only would he repaint those heels, he grabbed several pairs of Prada, Jimmy Choo and Balenciaga, all still in their respective boxes.

Three thousand dollars for one pair? Edward shook his head in disgust at the price stickers labeled on the sides.

When he was finished, Bella's shoes would be priceless.

Thanks for reading & keep on laughing.

XOXO,

ThisIsReallyHappening