Thank you so very much for reading, reviewing alerting etc. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Love as always to Kitty & Mary for being all sorts of amazing. I own nada!

Chapter 20

I woke up almost twelve hours after I lay down beside Edward who was still asleep. His arm was around me, holding me tightly against his side and it was the first night we'd spent together that he didn't hog all the room or steal the covers, which was definitely progress. It was also the first night we'd spent together that didn't involve sex but I wasn't as enthusiastic about that development.

I carefully moved his arm and got out of bed, letting my eyes linger on him for a minute or so before getting dressed as quietly as I could before heading to the door.

"That would have been the second time I woke up to find you gone." I looked back and he was smiling sleepily at me with his eyes barely open. "Where are you going?"

"To get dressed," I told him.

"You don't look naked to me," he said and I laughed.

"These are the clothes I wore yesterday." I pointed to my crinkled skirt and added, "The rest of my things are in my room."

"Bring them back here." He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "I still want you to stay here with me."

I sighed and walked back to sit on the bed with him. "I think we need to remember this is a work thing, Edward. I know I shouldn't have, but I guess I expected you to be yourself with me and you…"

"Was a complete asshole, I know." He smiled sadly and reached for my hand. "I really am sorry."

"I was going to say you were Mr. Cullen but asshole works for me," I said and then winked which seemed to make him happier. "Look, why don't we just be Mr. Cullen and Miss Swan while we're here?" I suggested but he pulled a face. "I'm serious, Edward. When you're done with Laurent and Jenks we can go back to being Bella and Edward then."

"We were supposed to have a good time just being us while we were here," he said to me and took my hand in his. "I messed it up yesterday I know, but we have today to ourselves—we aren't seeing Laurent again until tomorrow morning."

"What are you suggesting?" I asked tentatively and he took his time thinking about it.

Finally he held up his finger and grinned. "I have an idea. I have a few things that I need to take care of, so you should go and get ready."

"Um… okay." I frowned and that made him laugh loudly. "What am I dressing for?"

"If I told you that it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?" He ushered me to the door and told me to meet him outside the hotel in ninety minutes.

"Do I get a little hint?" I asked, pouting and he leaned forward to kiss the tip of my nose.

"No."

"You really are an asshole," I grumbled and he laughed. "I'll be outside in ninety minutes—try not to be late this time."

He was still laughing when he closed the door.

Help! I have an outfit emergency. I'm going out for the day but Edward won't tell me where. B x

I knew it was ridiculously early, but hopefully the words outfit emergency would prompt Amber into an immediate response.

So it's Edward again? What happened to Cockhead Cullen?

I smiled to myself. I may be referring to him as Edward, but I still plan on making him work for it. B x

Did you sleep with him? You slept with him, didn't you? A x

No! Well yes… I slept in the same bed with him… but no sex. B x

Keep up the sex embargo and really make him pay. Okay, back to your outfit emergency. What did you have in mind? A x

I have no idea where he's taking me. What if I dress in something nice and we go hiking? But what if I dress for hiking and he takes me somewhere nice? B x

Instead of a text in response, my phone started to ring and I answered it with a grin. "Hey you."

"If he knows you at all, he won't be taking you fucking hiking, Bella," Amber laughed. "Talk me through your wardrobe."

"Um…" I was back in the room so I went to the clothes hanging in the closet. "Apart from work stuff I have three cute dresses for evenings out. I have two pairs of jeans and… oh yes, I forgot about this." I pulled out a dress and smiled. "I have that Matthew Williamson dress with me—I've been waiting ages to wear it."

"The flowery one? Oh I love that and it would work—unless he-"

"Takes me hiking?" I finished.

"Just tell him the only hiking you're interested in involves considerable use of his credit card and a drive to L.A to hike around the stores."

"Now that's my kind of hiking." I giggled. "I think I brought those Lanvin wedges, they'll look good."

"See, my style and good taste transmits down a telephone and brings you inspiration," Amber said smugly. "No sex, remember?"

"No sex," I said, feeling determined.

"No dry humping, oral or finger touching either. You can kiss the guy but keep it clean and let him beg. Let him know that assholeish behaviour is not acceptable and comes with severe punishment." She yawned.

"Go back to sleep and I'll call you later, okay?" I told her and she hummed sleepily in response.

"Love ya," she said and then the line went dead.

I threw my phone on the bed and started getting ready. Ninety minutes was too much time and after taking much longer than needed on my hair and makeup I was left to think about last night and what I'd said to Edward.

"I love you."

What was I thinking? At least if I'd said it in my sleep I had no control, but sitting there wide awake gave me no plausible reason for denial. I shook my head and turned on the television, flicking through all the channels and finding nothing I wanted to watch. I saw a weather forecast predict another bright and warm day, which made my choice of outfit seem appropriate—I just wondered if Edward's personal forecast was also warm and bright or if his included the possibility of dark clouds and thundery storms?

Despite the fact I was ready with to time to spare, I still managed to be five minutes late to meet Edward. As I walked through the doors I saw him leaning against an old silver sports car, he stood up straight and smiled when he saw me.

"You're late," he said.

"At least you were waiting out here in lovely sunshine—I had to wait for you in the cold yesterday," I told him.

"Do you like the car?" he asked excitedly. "It's an Aston Martin DB5, the ultimate James Bond car."

"Does Aston Martin pay you to name drop them at every opportunity or should I start covering the tail pipes of cars we pass in the street?" I teased, walking over to him slowly.

"I was going to say with this car anything is possible—but not when you're around. You look beautiful," he murmured and pressed his lips once to mine.

Edward was in a white, long sleeved cotton sweater, beige cargo pants and sneakers, which looked incredibly sexy, but also incredibly casual. I looked down at my dress and shoes and felt extremely overdressed.

"Where are we going?" I asked nervously, fiddling with my purse. "Maybe I should go and get changed?"

"Absolutely not," he said, kissing me again. "You're perfect as you are."

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing?" I asked him and he laughed. "It caused me serious conflict trying to decide what to wear. I'm still not convinced I chose the right thing."

"I'm hungry." He grabbed my hand brought it to his mouth, kissing it. "I have a breakfast hamper in the trunk so firstly we're going somewhere scenic to eat it."

"And then?" I pressed as he opened the car door for me.

"And then, we're going sightseeing and for now that's as much information as you're getting." He smirked and closed the door.

Somewhere scenic turned out to be East Beach Picnic Area with incredible views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge—it was definitely the prettiest breakfast I'd ever had. Edward set out the food, which consisted of croissants, fruit, and freshly squeezed orange juice, on a picnic bench overlooking the bay.

"Croissant?" he offered and I nodded. "Juice?"

"Why thank you," I said politely.

No dinner the previous night meant we both had a ferocious appetite and the only thing left over was a few crumbs and an apple core. After we'd finished, I asked, "Exactly what sights are we seeing?"

"There." He pointed to Alcatraz Island and said, "I've always wanted to go."

"So for our day out together you're taking me to jail?" I hadn't expected this and I was definitely not dressed for it. "I don't mean to sound like the ultimate whiny girl here, but have you seen my shoes? They're not exactly designed for a trek around The Rock."

"I'll buy you some new shoes," he said and then clamped his hand over my mouth when I tried to argue. "Sh, Bella. It'll be fun."

I tugged his hand away and stuck out my tongue. "It will be something… fun just isn't the word I would have chosen personally."

"Trust me." He gathered up our things and held out his hand. "Come on, Miss Swan. Let's spend some time together in the slammer."

I let him pull me to the car, purposely dragging my feet which made him laugh. As he put the basket into the trunk his phone began to ring. I peeked at the caller display and knew that a day out together on Alcatraz was not happening today.

"Good morning, Jenks," Edward said coolly and pressed the speaker button. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you today. I thought Mr. Marchand wanted to meet tomorrow morning."

"Change of plan. My client is ready to talk right now and he wants to tell you his story," Jenks said smugly. "I tried reaching you at the hotel."

"I'm enjoying breakfast outside," he told him. "When does Mr. Marchand want to meet?"

"He wants you to come out to his house and talk without any prying ears." Jenks laughed. "He extended his invite to your assistant, can she be there?"

"I don't understand why he needs her there." Edward sounded defensive and I waited for him to turn to Cullen again.

"I think he was quite taken aback by the way you dismissed her yesterday," Jenks said, sounding disinterested. "He has a sensitive side that I don't quite understand."

"Miss Swan will be with us," he said, looking apologetically at me.

"Then we look forward to seeing you."

Jenks hung up and Edward sighed. "So much for Alcatraz."

"We can go to jail another time." I smiled and stood tall to kiss his cheek. "Right now, Mr. Cullen, you have a very important client to deal with."

TBMOA

I suggested going back to my room to change but Edward had refused, insisting I went to the meeting just as I was. As soon as we got back to the hotel, Edward had Emmett come to his suite and they talked about what the plan of action was going to be for lunch with Laurent.

Edward wanted to sit back and listen to what Laurent had to say before making him any kind of offer. Then, when Edward decided if he was still as keen to secure the deal, he would put forward one of two contracts. The first was the starter offer, one they fully expected Jenks to refuse; the second was the serious contract and the one Emmett thought would be impossible for him to turn down.

I was still dubious about the story itself—a tell-all book about a powerful man cheating on his wife wasn't literature to me, it was just trashy newspaper material and I was surprised Edward wanted this deal as badly as he did. I kept my mouth shut because it wasn't my job to get involved with this, but the whole concept didn't sit well with me.

Laurent sent a car to collect us and we rolled up to a very impressive looking house on the outskirts of the city. Laurent was waiting outside for us, smiling. "How does an aide to Governor Charles afford a place like this?" I whispered to Edward. "An unemployed aide, I should add."

"Jenks is probably footing the bill," Edward told me, but leaned over to Emmett and added, "When we're done here, we need to find out who this belongs to."

The car rolled to a stop and Laurent came straight to the door to help me out of the car. "Miss Swan, I'm so pleased you came. May I show you around?"

"Laurent, I think we need to get on with business," Jenks said curtly.

"We have plenty of time for that," Laurent dismissed him and turned his attention back to me. "You are beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you." I glanced at Edward who tried to remain impassive, but I knew that look and I could see he was all sorts of pissed beneath the surface. "Maybe you could show me around later, Mr. Marchand."

Lauren looked at Edward and smiled. "Later then, but I insist we also share a drink together. It would be such a waste for you to travel home without the opportunity to get to know you better."

Edward cleared his throat and said, "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Follow me," Jenks said and showed us into a dining room with a huge table in the centre and a bar in the corner. He looked at me and inclined his head towards the bar. "Miss Swan, maybe you can get us some drinks?"

I didn't want to act out in front of a client so important to Edward, so instead of telling him to get off his fat ass and pour his own drink, I nodded. "Of course."

"Sit down, Bella," Edward said softly and held out a chair for me. "Jenks, Miss Swan isn't a bartender, nor does she work for you. I'm sure you can pour your own drink, I know I can."

Jenks looked angry but let it go and we all sat at the table. Laurent started talking almost immediately, "Let's get to the point, shall we," he suggested and Edward agreed. "As you are aware I served as an aide to Governor Michael Charles for several years."

"How did you come to be in that position?" Emmett asked.

"Does that matter?" Laurent asked and Emmett nodded. "Very well. I was a friend of the family and out of work. I was first employed as Mr. Charles' driver and over the years I became a close confidante and friend."

"That's why there is no concern over confidentiality clauses." Jenks smiled smugly. "Michael Charles didn't think it necessary."

"That seems very strange for that family, given their background," Edward said dubiously. "Surely they would have insisted?"

"I don't think his parents were aware he was so relaxed with his staff. Besides, Governor Charles likes to do things his way and his way involves trust. He trusted me," Laurent said and I shook my head in disgust. He spotted it and asked, "That displeases you?"

Everyone looked at me and I thought about saying no, but decided to go with the truth. "Yeah, it displeases me. You were supposed to be his friend and yet you're about to sell this story to us or whoever might give you the best offer. I don't think a true friend would ever do that."

"Look out for number one I always say," Jenks laughed. "Michael Charles is the one doing underhanded and deceitful things, Miss Swan. My client is just refusing to cover for him anymore."

Edward looked at me and shook his head discreetly. "Please continue, Mr. Marchand."

"Outwardly, Michael Charles lives the perfect life. He is handsome, well-educated with a beautiful wife and a promising career in politics. Inwardly, he is much different. I think the pressure of being from such a prominent family pushed him into a life he never really wanted." Laurent paused and sighed. "When I was still his driver, he would talk to me like we were in a confessional. It was during one of these conversations that he revealed that his marriage was all for show."

"In what way?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Excuse my bluntness here, but Michael preferred balls to breasts." Laurent smiled and Emmett let out a long, drawn out whistle. "Given his notoriety, he had to be extremely discreet but over the years there were several men that I knew of who shared a close relationship with him. I used to drive him to and from a rented apartment he would use purely for those encounters."

"Did anybody in his family know?" Edward asked, writing notes on his pad.

"He told me that he approached his mother and father years earlier to tell them how he felt, but they refused to believe him. They are very good at manipulating people and they convinced Michael it was a phase and acted like nothing had ever happened. He tried to put his feelings aside and bowed to their pressure and threats and eventually married Mallory when he was twenty-seven. He wanted to make things work with her, but it t never quite works out that way though, does it?" Laurent smiled ruefully and I leaned forward, eagerly listening for more.

Maybe it was a good idea for a book after all.

"With all due respect," Edward began to say, "This may be a good potential story, but driving him to and from rendezvous with his secret lovers isn't enough. We need much more to justify going to print with this."

"Oh there's more," Jenks smirked. "But we need to start talking numbers."

"Not yet," Laurent said, ignoring Jenks' protests. "I know how it works, Mr. Cullen. You hear what I have to say, make me a half-hearted offer so that when you pull the real one out of the bag I accept without any hesitation. Correct me if I'm wrong?"

Edward said nothing, but I could see the wry smile on his face.

"I'll be up front and give you the entire story, so you, in turn, can put forward your best offer. No games. Hopefully, we can come to an understanding and I can get to work. I have no interest in courting a hundred other publishers, but I will if I'm not satisfied with your offer." Laurent waited for Edward to acknowledge.

"That works for us." Edward nodded once and then said to Jenks in amusement, "I don't think he needs you at all."

"You're making a mistake laying all your cards out on the table now. You need to hold something back," Jenks grunted in response and then wiped his sweaty forehead with handkerchief.

"I don't have time for games, Mr. Jenks," Laurent told him sternly. "If you don't like the way I'm approaching this, feel free to leave. I'm sure there are plenty of agents more than willing to work with me."

Jenks didn't reply and Laurent took this as a sign that he wasn't going anywhere. "Where was I? Oh yes, Mr. Cullen, you wanted the juicy details."

I was doubly intrigued, even Emmett had started leaning forward on the table listening eagerly. Edward was the only one to maintain his cool and nonchalant approach; sitting back in his chair with the most poker-faced expression I'd ever seen.

"As I said, over the years there was more than one man in his life and after one of these relationships ended, Michael was distraught. We sat in the car outside his house for almost three hours talking and for the first time in my life, I found I was attracted to another man. I don't know to this day if it was the taboo of involving myself with someone forbidden, the vulnerability I saw in a man perceived to be so strong and powerful, or if it was just simple attraction, but after that moment my entire world changed." Laurent whispered to me," It had always been women up until that point."

"Um… oh… okay," I said, not sure how I was supposed to react to that statement.

"Mr. Marchand, please." Edward gestured to him to continue.

Laurent nodded and carried on, "Michael felt it too and over the next few weeks, our relationship developed into something more. We spent as much time together as we could and he even promoted me to his aide in order to grant us more time together. No one suspected anything—why would they? Even his wife still has no idea."

A silence fell on the table and for a few minutes no one spoke. Emmett was clearly shocked at the turn in conversation, but Edward was writing down question after question.

"How long did all of this go on for?" Edward asked.

"Almost a year," Laurent told us and then he looked down at the table. "It all came to a head when I wanted more. I didn't want to be the one who enjoyed secret trysts or stolen moments in hotels. I told him that it wasn't enough—I needed to be the one he shared his life with."

"He ended it?"

"I left him with no choice. I said either he chose me or I was walking away. I couldn't live like that anymore—I had fallen in love with him and I told him so." Laurent looked visibly upset and that hit a nerve… it was almost like he was describing the relationship I had with Edward, albeit on a much smaller scale.

"And the proof?" Edward continued and Laurent took a moment to compose himself.

"I have emails from his private account, voicemails, and even some images of us I took with my phone… risqué images." Laurent held up his phone and showed us one of the pictures which involved a very naked Governor.

"Risqué indeed," Emmett said.

"I think that's more than enough show and tell for now," Jenks interceded and rubbed his hands together. Now we talk numbers and don't come in with a silly secondary offer, Cullen. You and I both know this is a story you want."

Edward nodded and drummed his fingers on the desk. "Controversial story."

"Controversy sells." Jenks shrugged and I shook my head in disgust.

"We were thinking," Edward began to say, but Laurent stopped him and looked at me.

"I would like to hear what Miss Swan has to say." He smiled. "I had a valid reason for insisting you come here. I wanted to hear someone's opinion that had no interest in this story—no financial motivation for seeing it published."

"Laurent, who cares what-" Jenks snapped but Laurent dismissed him quickly.

"Please, Miss Swan," he said again.

"I think you never really loved him," I said bluntly and Laurent seemed taken aback.

"Oh? What gave you that idea? I loved him very much—I still love him."

"How can you say you loved him when you're selling your story to the highest bidder? A story that will ruin his life… however fabricated his life is. Surely causing him pain would cause you pain?" I saw Edward watching me and his expression was like stone. "You knew who you were getting involved with, Mr. Marchand. You knew that he was living this double life with no intention of ever going public with his sexuality and yet you're punishing him for it now. Sometimes you have to be prepared to stand back and support people and let them have their time to shine. If you really felt any kind of love for him you'd understand you can't just destroy him when you don't get the typical happy ending. Putting others first and accepting people the way they are—that's love—not selling your soul to anyone who offers you a dollar."

It felt like my rant was more a vent about my own fucked up relationship with the man sitting a few feet away. Emmett looked amused, Jenks furious, and Edward's expression hadn't changed.

"I see," Laurent mused, looking at me intently.

"Now they have the full story, maybe you and Miss Swan can take the tour of the house now, Laurent?" Jenks instructed his client who looked conflicted. "We can deal with the details."

"Is that okay?" Laurent asked me and I nodded.

Edward didn't look in my direction and I wondered if my emotional word-vomit had offended him somehow. I followed Laurent out of the room and waited for him to show me around, instead he took us into the garden and we sat down at a small table.

"This house was a pay off by Michael's parents," he said.

"They knew about you?" I asked, shocked.

Laurent smiled. "I left out something in there—something I wasn't intending on sharing with anyone. When I gave Michael the ultimatum, he chose me. He was going to quit politics, leave his wife and we talked about setting up a bar or café of our own in the Caribbean."

"What happened?" I asked and he leaned back in his chair.

"He made the mistake of telling his parents of his intentions. The power they have is staggering and once again they bullied him into staying put and ending things with me. I got an email… this email." He pulled out his phone and showed me.

I can't do this. I'm sorry. I've worked too hard for too long to throw it all away now. Please forgive me.

"His parents showed up with the keys to this place." He looked around the grounds and then put his face in his hands. "They wanted me to sign a non-disclosure and when I refused they said they said they'd take the keys back. I told them, I didn't want this house or anything else from them, but Michael intervened one last time. He insisted I take the house so he knew I was safe and tore up the agreement. That was the last I heard from any of the Charles' family."

It was sad, undeniably sad, but it still bothered me that he was planning to sell him out like that. "I understand you're upset, but if you do this, any chance you had of getting him back—however remote—is gone."

"I think that chance is already long gone."

"It will be if you sell that story to us." I touched his arm gently. "I don't blame you for being angry with him but you knew what you were getting yourself into—you can't punish him for that."

"I don't think your boss is going to be pleased if you talk me out of selling my story." He laughed once and I shrugged.

"He'll get over it."

We sat out in the sunshine for a while and I listened as he told me all about the romantic things they'd shared and places they'd been—to me it seemed like he was talking himself out of selling the story. We were still chatting when Edward found us.

"I think we need to talk," he said and Laurent nodded.

I stood up to leave, but Edward shook his head. "This won't take long."

"Where's Jenks?" Laurent asked.

"Emmett's filling his head with phoney numbers." Edward smiled and leaned forward on the table. "You're not going through with this, are you?"

"Someone pointed out the damage will likely become irreparable if I do." Laurent winked at me and I cringed.

To my surprise Edward laughed. "She's very good at making you see what you need to do to make things right."

"Now what?" Laurent asked.

"We tell my employers that your proof was unsubstantiated and it was too high a risk to print without any evidence. You tell Jenks his services are no longer required and let us be there when you do." Edward looked weirdly happy at the drastic turn of events.

"It's a shame, because it would have made a great book," I sighed. "If there was an ending that didn't involve the main character being a total sell-out of course."

Edward's brow furrowed and then a more calculative look formed on his face. "That's something we could talk about."

"I don't follow," Laurent said, puzzled. "What would there be to talk about?"

"Maybe instead of Laurent and Michael… we could have John and Fred. Instead of Governor of Texas, we could say Senator of North Carolina or Florida."

"Fiction instead of fact?" I said and Edward nodded. "The Senator's Chauffeur—the ultimate forbidden romance."

"You'd print that?" Laurent asked sceptically.

"We would have to make changes to ensure that no connection could be made to the Charles' of course and we could publish under a different name to keep Michael completely out of the picture. Take some time and think about it—but whenever you want to talk, give me a call." Edward slid his card across the table. "I can set you up with a good agent if you don't retain Jenks."

Laurent looked astounded—almost emotional. "I'm not sure what to say. Thank you."

"Just remember—a different ending please," I laughed. "Maybe they could buy a bar somewhere in the Caribbean and live happily ever after."

"Maybe they will." He nodded.

"We'll be on our way," Edward said, and then stood up to shake Laurent's hand.

"How long will you be in the city?" he asked us.

"Now that our business is concluded we need to return to Seattle." Edward looked at me and smiled sadly. "I'd hoped to spend a few more days here."

"Well, anytime you're back in the city, you're most welcome to stay here. I have plenty of room." Laurent walked over to me and hugged me. "I am sorry I didn't get to spend more time with you, Miss. Swan."

"Bella, please," I told him.

"Michael is the only man I've ever been involved with," he told me deliberately. "I am still appreciative of a beautiful woman. Maybe we could go out to dinner this evening and enjoy some time together?"

"Um… I…"

"She has plans tonight," Edward said deliberately.

"I see," he said with a knowing smile. "Just to point out, if she was mine I wouldn't have kicked her out of the restaurant at the request of an overweight, sweaty man."

"No, you would have just tried to sell the story to a publishing company," Edward retorted and Laurent laughed.

"Touché."

We returned to the dining room and Laurent announced to Jenks that he'd changed his mind and was no longer interested in selling his story. For a moment I thought Jenks was going to burst into tears, but he just turned an unhealthy shade of red and slammed his fist down on the table.

"Why would you change your mind?" he seethed.

"I wanted a happy ending," Laurent said simply.

"Don't we all," Edward added with a sweet smile just for me.

Edward…

I wonder if I left my balls in Seattle? Wherever they are, I can't believe I just let that happen. Did I do nothing to stop Laurent change his mind because deep down I agreed with Bella or to make her happy? I am so fucked. Ball-less and fucked. Ball-less, fucked, and about to go home much earlier than planned. Fuck.

More to come next week!

Teaser up in the Facebook group if you want to have a look just let me know.

TTFN

Katy