A/N: Another Wednesday, another snowy day! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 26:

BPOV

I don't care what Edward says, no one looks hot in overalls. Especially ones completely covered in six different colors of paint. Except maybe Rosalie. How the hell does she still look amazing in these painters clothes Edward bought us? Alice is more adorable than ever, with her little baby belly straining against the white denim. Emmett, Jasper, Jake, and Edward are rocking their overalls, but they were made for men so that's not a fair comparison. Well, they may not be flattering to my figure, but damn are they comfortable!

All of our friends have been here at the new house all day helping us clean, paint, and move in some essential furniture. When Edward invited everyone over for a painting party I thought there would be a lot of complaining, but not only did everyone show up, we've actually had a ton of fun. We're taking a break at the moment, all sitting on the living room floor with a drop cloth stretched wall to wall, eating greasy pizza right out of the box. No one thought to bring plates or napkins so I am forced to wipe my greasy fingers on the overalls.

"Bella, did you get any paint on the walls?" Jake asks laughing at my clothes.

I give him my middle finger which I notice also has paint on it. He has a good point; I can hardly even tell that these overalls used to be white. They are now a combination of Crab Apple, Winter Sage, Midnight Tangerine, and Cream Puff which have all mixed together to look more like Mud Pie.

"Yours don't look dirty at all. Have you been helping us paint, or are you just here to eat?" I shoot back.

"Children, children," Rosalie scolds playfully. "Bella is obviously slathering paint all over herself hoping that Edward will lay her out later to use as a human palette."

Jake tosses the slice of pizza in his hand down to the drop cloth and puffs out his cheeks like he's about to hurl. "Thanks for that visual, Blondie. Really top notch."

The other guys laugh, even Jasper. I'm happy that all my friends are getting comfortable with one another. I no longer feel like my Forks friends are in one group and Edward's family is in another. We're here together hanging out and it's a really great feeling.

While we eat Angela and I talk wedding planning. I'm not all that interested in details like centerpieces or table gifts, I have Alice for all that. Instead, Ang and I talk about bigger decisions like locations for the reception. She and Jacob will be getting married in May. I'm not familiar with what my responsibilities are as maid of honor, but from what I remember of Alice's wedding I'll get to plan the bachelorette party. I'm about to ask her if she's had any ideas about what she wants to do when I hear Rose mention Full Exposure.

"So how many members do you have now, Edward?" Rose asks.

"Yesterday's roster had 132 members. We had to turn away over fifty other people though," he replies.

Angela looks to me with confusion on her face and asks, "What makes a person be rejected? If you don't mind my asking."

"We don't mind," I assure her. I'm actually really happy she's inserting herself into our club talk. "Usually a person will be denied membership if they can't supply the clean bill of health from their doctor. Club policy also requires a recommendation letter from a prior dominant or submissive, and there's a $300 application fee. Jenks does a background check to make sure there's no criminal record, and everyone must sign a nondisclosure agreement to protect other members' privacy."

"Wow. That actually makes me feel a little better about you being there, knowing Mr. Jenks takes all those precautions," Angela says.

"It's a safe place," I reply, and for the first time in a long time I really believe the words. I feel Edward's hand stretch across the drop cloth and squeeze mine.

It's been easier to talk about the club in front of Jake and Angela lately. Jacob still acts grossed out now and then but his outspoken disapproval has really died down. I'm not ready to say Kinky Catie gave Edward and I a blessing in disguise when she outted us, but forcing the issue to light has given Jake more perspective on what it's been like for me to hide my true self and he has more tolerance as a result. And I also think that Edward proposing did a lot to bolster Jake's trust. Regardless of what Jake and I have been to one another over the years, he's always been very protective of me. Seeing that Edward wants to marry me proved to Jake that Edward must feel just as strongly about me as he feels about Angela.

"Are you guys going to put a play room in here?" Alice asks Edward. "I could design it for you."

He looks at me and smiles. We've talked about whether or not to invest in a play room since we plan to have a family in the not so distant future. It was the first discussion we had about having babies that didn't get heated. I don't know if it was easier because we're getting better at discussing our feelings or because debating the baby issue is like beating a dead horse at this point. I've been writing about babies a lot in my submissive journal, and even went so far as to jot down a few possible names.

"We're going to use one of the smaller bedrooms for now, and when we have a baby in the house we'll have to reevaluate," Edward answers her happily.

I'm not sure Alice even heard the end of his sentence because the second he said the word baby she began squealing. "When are you going to start trying, Bella?" she demands excitedly.

My cheeks flush because now all eyes in room are on me. "I'm not sure, Alice. But it will be after the wedding for sure," I say calmly.

"This is so exciting," she continues. "Jazz and I are going to buy a house in this neighborhood, I promise. Then we can walk our kids to the bus stop together, and join the same soccer teams, and car pool to ballet lessons!"

I laugh, not feeling as intimidated by her vision as I might have been six months ago. "Slow down, crazy woman. I said after the wedding."

"Well, when is that going to be? Have you two slackers even picked a date yet?"

Edward and I smile at each other, because as a matter of fact we have chosen a date. Esme was kind enough to look into the available Saturdays at her and Carlisle's church here in Seattle and emailed the dates to me a week ago. I've been in such a good mood this past month with the club opening being so successful, followed by such a great reintroduction to the theater that night, and then making settlement on this house. As a result I've had a 'bring it on' attitude towards everything Edward's thrown at me. We had a discussion about joining the theater's schedule of performers at Full Exposure, and I think it might be a real possibility. We've also recently talked about what kind of wedding we want and when to start a family. So, when Esme's email appeared in my inbox I was more than willing to call the church and make a reservation.

"Bella, stop giving Edward your bedroom eyes. And you're both grinning like idiots. What are you keeping from me?" Alice demands. She looks so funny with her hands on her hips and what looks like a small basketball stuffed under her overalls. "Come on, Beeeeellaaa!"

"Okay, okay. We decided on June 25th," I say putting her out of her misery.

"Yes! That is doable. I'll have two months to lose the baby weight. I can do that," she says nodding her head firmly.

Rose and Angela giggle at Alice's enthusiasm and conversation drifts to other topics. After we finish eating, our happy helpers break into two groups so we can tackle the last two rooms that need painting. Jake, Angela, Alice, and Jasper head up to the master bedroom with two gallons of Sahara Winds, or yellowy brown if you were to ask any of the guys. Rose, Emmett, Edward, and I finish the living room off with a fresh coat of white paint on all the trim and crown molding.

"So how are things back in Port Angeles?" Edward asks Em and Rose.

"Business is good," Rose replies.

"There was a guy the other day that asked where you were," Emmett adds. "He said he wants an experienced trainer and heard you were the best."

"I don't train anymore," Edward reminds him while dipping a paintbrush into the white paint can.

"Duh, I told him that. I offered to train him but he lives in Seattle. So when I told him that's where the great Edward Cullen now resides he asked me to just pass along the offer."

"His offer?" I chime in. "You make it sound like a business arrangement."

"He's willing to pay a hundred bucks an hour and said he and his buddy will both join your club if you're as good as everyone claims," Emmett says leaning his elbow on the fireplace mantle. "Shit, this was already painted! Fuck!"

Rosalie rolls her eyes and throws Emmett a hand towel. "Idiot."

"Thanks, babe, love you too," he replies winking at her with a grin on his face.

Edward is frowning and keeps his eyes focused on the crown molding above his head. He's standing on the third rung of the step ladder, his ass looking mighty fine. "That's a generous offer, but do you even know this guy?" he asks Emmett.

I like that we're talking about training. I wish Edward was more open to the idea but he's been dead set against it ever since we became a serious couple. Edward trained Emmett with my assistance back when we first started dating, and there's been one other trainee since then. We've been through so much as a couple; I hardly think this could give us issues.

Emmett is wiping paint off his arm as he replies, "No, 'cause he's not one of our regulars. I think his name was Tom, but whatever the case, you'll have to vet him out before he joins Full Exposure."

I'm caught staring at Edward's ass when he looks down to ask me what I think. He smiles. "Eyes are up here, babe" he teases. "What do you think about training this Tom guy?"

"You're really considering it?" I ask, blushing from being called out on my ass stare.

Edward shrugs. "Well, I know we've been back and forth with the idea of performing on a regular basis again. Maybe training would be a better way to get familiar with the club scene. There's less pressure with just one other man and his submissive than a room full of people."

"I'd love to assist you in training again. I thought you worried how it would affect our relationship?"

"I certainly wouldn't let Tom fuck you," he replies quickly. "And we did alright when it was Emmett."

"Fuck yeah you did," Emmett says. "And thanks to your exodus from Port Angeles, I am now top dog at Coming Attractions."

Rose laughs out loud. "You think you're the hottest shit at the club now, do you?" she asks with amusement in her voice. "I'm pretty sure I hear Peter's name mentioned more than yours."

"Is that so?" Emmett says walking across the open room towards Rose. "Well then, I think I need to schedule a scene with my submissive that's so hot and so shocking that no one in the audience will even remember that Peter's ever performed there."

Rose giggles as Emmett scoops her off the ground and wraps her legs around his waist. She moans as he presses her up against one of the living room walls that has already been painted. It's great seeing Rose and Emmett so happy but I'm really worried about what they're doing to the fresh coat of paint. I really hope it's dried completely.

Emmett grinds his hips against her and I'm about to clear my throat to get them to snap out of their little lust bubble just as I hear a scream coming from upstairs. Edward's head turns towards the stairwell and I drop my paint brush in the nearest tray before running up the stairs.

"Jesus, fuck what is all this stuff?" I hear Jacob scream just as Edward and I reach the second floor.

Rose and Emmett are a few steps behind us. We all enter the master bedroom to find Jake and Angela peering into one of the larger cardboard boxes labeled TOWELS. Alice is giggling at Jake's horrified expression and I have to admit, as scared as I was a moment ago, I feel like laughing now too.

Jacob is holding up a five point harness with a dildo attached to the center strap. I glance around at the other faces in the room and see that Angela is blushing and Jasper is biting his lower lip to keep from laughing.

"Why were you opening boxes, Jake?" I ask, not knowing what else to say.

"Alice dripped some paint on the carpet. I opened this box to get something to wipe it up with and found your dungeon toy treasure chest instead! Why the hell is this box marked TOWELS?" he asks still perturbed by his discovery.

Edward coughs to disguise a laugh and steps forward to help me out. "We hired movers, Jacob. We thought it best not to label any of the boxes KINKY SEX TOYS."

Jacob rolls his eyes and Emmett guffaws behind me. "What the fuck is this thing anyway?" Jacob asks me tossing the harness down onto the top of the box he found it in.

"It's part of a sex swing. The dildo gets inserted first, and when the woman is hanging, her weight pushes it deeper inside while the man... does whatever else he's going to do," I explain as vaguely as possible feeling my face heat just a little.

"Sweet, I want one," Rose exclaims walking over to inspect the harness. She lifts it up, turning it over in her hands a few times.

"That's fucking gross," Jacob says. "I just thought of something. Please tell me you washed that after using it. I lifted the damn thing out of the box by the dick!"

Everyone laughs, even Angela. I was only embarrassed by Jacob's discovery because I didn't know how Angela would react. I'm happy she hasn't run screaming from the room. Talking about BDSM and then handling the actual props are two different things. Luckily, she wasn't the one who opened the box.

"Do you put the dildo in her pussy or her ass?" Emmett asks stepping forward and taking the harness from Rose's hands. She cocks an eyebrow at him and grins.

"It can be either, but we've only tried it in the pussy so far," Edward answers casually, as if Emmett was asking a completely normal question.

Jasper approaches the other guys to get a closer look. "It works in the ass, huh? That sounds really hot. What else do you have in here?"

Alice does a little happy dance behind Jasper's back. It's rare that he shows an interest in broadening their sexual horizons. I lift my hand in the air in Alice's direction and she slaps me an air high five.

Jasper and Emmett pull a few other items out of the box. I would be more upset about their snooping if it didn't sort of make me feel proud to own things even Rose has never seen before. Are Edward and I really that kinky? I laugh to myself, thinking that yes, we probably are.

"What's this?" Jasper asks Edward.

"Vibrating cock ring," he replies.

"And this?" Emmett adds holding up one of my favorites.

"Nipple gel. It stimulates and makes them hot and tingly."

"Can we please stop with the sex toy show and tell?" Jacob moans.

"Prude," Rose quips.

"Hey, I'm not a prude," Jacob scoffs. "I'll have you know I've done a number of different... Whoa, what the fuck... I have never seen anything like that in my life!"

Emmett slaps him on the back laughing. "Really? Now I know what to get you for Christmas, Jakey!"

Jake backs up far enough to where Emmett can't touch him. "Don't you fucking dare," he warns pointing a finger at Emmett.

Rose laughs and takes the object from Emmett's hand. "What's wrong Jacob? You've never experienced a cock cage before? Shame, shame."

Angela's eyes bulge and steps back to where Jacob stands, hiding her face against his chest while her shoulders shake with laughter.

"Stop teasing him, you guys," I admonish my friends. I think we've pushed Jake as far as he can go tonight. The cock cage appears to be his breaking point. "Let's all go back to painting so we can get this finished. I have beer and tequila downstairs for all my good little helpers..."

"Fuck these toys," Emmett declares throwing the items back in the box. "Get back to work people, I wanna do some shots!"

EPOV

The next morning I wake up with a bit of a hangover. I see Bella snoring softly in bed next to me as I rub my hands over my face and it takes a moment or two to recognize where I am. We're in our new house; it's the first morning we've woken up here. There are boxes and furniture haphazardly placed everywhere I look. All our family and friends were over yesterday helping up paint and clean the house. I remember Bella announcing when the work was done that she had snacks and alcohol in the kitchen. Ah, the reason for my aching head. We had a lot of fun; everyone hung out in the kitchen drinking and playing card games. After that my memory went blank. This is exactly why I typically stay away from alcohol. Feeling like my memory has been wiped makes me uneasy.

Today is Friday and I need to get to the club by lunchtime. I know Bella drank as much as I did so I'm careful not to wake her up as I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. I notice that I'm naked, and for a minute I worry about where I might have been when I decided to strip my clothes off. If it was downstairs during the party I doubt Angela and Jacob will ever accept another invitation to our home.

Damn Emmett and his tequila shooters. Luckily, I spot the t-shirt and overalls I'd been wearing on the bathroom floor. Bella's are there too and it bothers me that I can't remember if we had sex last night or not. We both slept naked and that usually only happens after sex.

Besides going to work today and tomorrow, Bella and I are going to spend this next week unpacking. Everything that we'd been keeping in storage was delivered yesterday morning by the movers and Jasper brought us a few things from the townhouse that we'd left behind. Everything is here now, we just need to unpack and organize it all.

As I'm showering it occurs to me that I don't even know if anyone crashed on the couches downstairs of if they went home. My mother would be appalled by my hosting etiquette. I do remember Jazz and Alice leaving last night. Alice drove since she couldn't drink alcohol and that left Jasper able to do shots with Emmett, Jacob, and me. He was good and trashed when she told him she was ready to go home. My last memories are of playing cards with Emmett, Rose, Bella, Jacob, and Angela.

Once I'm dressed I make my way down to the living room to see if there's anyone sleeping off the night before. No one is here and the kitchen has even been cleaned. A tied off bag of trash sits by the back door. I notice a note is taped to the refrigerator when I go to open it.

E & B,

Em and I are taking a cab to Esme and Carlisle's place to crash for the night. Jake and Ang left too. Don't worry, Ang only had one drink. I hope you have fun upstairs tonight... 'cause I'm guessing you'll be sick tomorrow!

-Rosalie

Hmmm, this clue leads me to believe Bella and I did have sex. A smile creeps over my face thinking that maybe I did start seducing her in front of Jacob. For some reason that thought doesn't bother me at all.

"Who cleaned up?" Bella asks.

Her sudden presence surprises me and I spin around too fast giving my aching head another reason to pound. "Hey, love. Um, I'm guessing Angela is to thank for the clean kitchen. Do you remember what happened last night?"

Bella glances around the room and then sits down on a bar stool at the counter. "Ugh, I know we were doing shots and Emmett was finishing off all the snacks I bought yesterday morning. Jasper and Alice left first, the others stayed and we played cards. You and I were kissing a lot at the table. Rose told us to 'get a room'. Then Emmett called a cab and Angela took Jake's keys."

"Do you remember us having sex last night?" I wonder.

Her eyebrows furrow as she thinks. "Yeah, I'm sure we did. I remember you telling Emmett that you were going to try to fuck the paint splatter off my body," she answers giggling.

"Oh God, I said that in front of everyone, I suppose?"

"Ha! Yes, sorry to say you did. And it didn't work, FYI," she grins lifting her t-shirt up so I can see the dried paint on her hip and chest. "That reminds me, I need to take my birth control pill."

"How the hell did you get paint on you there? You were wearing coveralls for crying out loud!"

She sticks her tongue out at me and stands up. I notice her wobble which is most likely half from the hangover and half Bella being Bella. I plug the microwave into an outlet on the counter and pop in a couple Lean Pockets that Emmett didn't find in the freezer. I find a few plates and drinking glasses in one of the moving boxes and pull them out for our breakfast. Bella bought bananas yesterday so I peel two and place them on the plates. Meanwhile, Bella is opening boxes and rifling through each one.

"What are you looking for?" I ask.

"Have you seen a box with a lot of small stuff in it? Like bottles of vitamins and kitchen gadgets? I think that's the box where I packed my pills."

"You think?" I repeat just as the microwave dings.

I curse under my breath as I pull the Lean Pockets from the microwave. The molten hot cheese oozed out the corners of both Pockets and made a mess. Every fucking time these things make a mess. Bella starts to say something but gets cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. She grabs it front the kitchen table and looks at the screen.

"It's my mother," she announces sounding surprised that Renee is calling. It is odd. Keeping in touch is usually Bella's job. "Hey, mom. Is everything okay?"

I bring our plates over to the kitchen table and Bella sits down beside me. She chews a piece of banana while listening to her mother speak.

"Uh huh. Yeah, we're doing good... The movers were here yesterday. The place is a mess but we're going to be unpacking slowly all week... What? Really? Yeah, of course Edward and I would love for you to come visit... Yeah, you can help me with that stuff. I have to warn you though; Alice is going to want to go dress shopping with us..."

Bella looks at me with wide eyes and I give her an encouraging smile. I keep eating while Bella and Renee discuss when she should fly out here and where she'll stay. It sounds like Renee will be here in a week or two, and she'll be staying with us. I look at the clock on the oven and see it's already eleven o'clock. I need to change and get over to the club to unlock the doors for my employees. The club doesn't open until eight but there's a lot of work I need to do during normal business hours. I lean over to kiss Bella's cheek and whisper in her ear that I'm leaving for work.

"Oh, hold on a second, mom. Edward is leaving for work," she says before covering the mouthpiece with her hand.

"Are you okay with her staying here next week? She wants to help me with the wedding and meet your parents."

"Sure, love. That's no problem at all. What do you want to do about the third bedroom though?" I ask.

We planned on making one bedroom a guest room and use the smaller third bedroom as our playroom. We'll have a place for Renee to sleep, but she's bound to notice a whipping bench and Saint Andrews cross when Bella gives her a tour of the other rooms. Maybe she'll make me lug all our playroom stuff down to the basement?

Bella bites her lip nervously and then moved the phone even further away from her mouth, still covering the mouthpiece. "I'm going to tell her the truth while I've got her on the phone. I've been thinking about it and I just need her to know the truth."

I'm sure she sees the surprise in my face. Last time we talked about the sex scandal Bella was saying how thankful she was that Renee was the one person spared from the hysteria. On the other hand, it would be easier to have Renee come and meet everyone if we didn't have to be so careful about what was said in front of her. I don't even know what Bella told her mother about our move to Seattle. Does she think I'm still an anchorman? The idea of having to pretend I still anchor the news while Renee is here is a depressing thought.

I realize Bella's waiting for me to say something. "I think you should tell her, love. As long as it's what you want."

"I don't care anymore what people think of us. When she comes here, I want to be able to be honest about us. I should tell her now, in case it changes her mind about wanting to come see us," Bella explains.

I lean over and kiss her forehead. "Do you want me to stay for this?" She shakes her head and gives me a quick kiss goodbye.

Felix is waiting outside Full Exposure when I arrive and I mumble my apologies as I unlock the front doors. There are piles of paperwork waiting on my desk and I work hard trying to concentrate on the tasks at hand. My mind keeps going back to Bella and wondering what she is telling Renee about us. How much detail will she give her? I pick up my phone a dozen times but put it down each time. If Bella needs me she will call. I can only hope Renee is taking the news well. I couldn't stand seeing Bella suffer any more pain from other people's intolerance. Bella thinks telling her mother is the last time she'll ever have to explain herself but she is wrong. Being out of the playroom in Seattle means every new person we meet will either already know about us or will soon find out. For as long as we participate in this community there will be people who won't understand.

I finish the payroll calculations and start in on the schedules for next month. I'm going to have Peter and Charlotte come to perform in a few weeks. I know that will draw a big crowd. I'll have to talk to Bella about when she wants to schedule our next performance. It's been a month since our debut and still there are people asking when we'll perform again. I have to admit I like feeling admired among club members; it feels almost the same as the way I was revered at Coming Attractions. I guess I miss being king of the castle more than I thought.

Emmett had mentioned a guy named Tom who came by Coming Attractions looking for a trainer. I was surprised when my first reaction was to agree to train the man. I'm well aware of how Bella feels about training; she gets really turned on watching me teach another Dom my skills. The few times we did it I felt like I was subjecting Bella to a threesome during those sessions. Over the past year we've done a few scenes where other members have been somewhat involved and both Bella and I had positive reactions to their participation, once with Emmet's training, and then at John's play party. Despite my fears, Bella never gave me the impression she felt used or uncomfortable. A big part of me wants to tell Emmett that I'll do it. But I need to discuss with Bella first.

Felix, Danni, and Bianca are downstairs when the doors to the club officially open at eight o'clock. Not even ten minutes pass before Felix is calling my office phone asking me to come down to the main floor for a "situation." Great. I push my thoughts about future mother-in-laws and Dom trainings aside to go deal with whatever Felix is worried about. The tone of his voice has me fearing the worst; an assault on a submissive or maybe a bar fight.

What I find on the first floor is worse than both those scenarios. Gabriel and Sandra are standing just inside the front doors, apparently trying to gain access to the club.

"These two are blacklisted," I say through clenched teeth as I approach Felix and the two party crashers.

Sandra's eyes bug out of her head and Gabe raises a hand defensively when he sees me coming. I fully intend to physically remove him myself since Felix seems to be forgetting one of the major responsibilities of his job. Felix steps between Gabriel and me just before I have a chance to get my hands on his chest and shove. I shoot him a murderous look.

"What are they doing inside my club?"

"We just want to talk, Edward... to apologize," Gabriel says quickly.

"Five minutes? Please? We have a message from Catie." Sandra adds.

This gets my attention. Fear begins to spread through my body at the thought of Kinky Catie's wrath beginning all over again. Last time I ignored her, hoping she would just go away. It did not end particularly well. I won't make that mistake again.

"Fine. Five minutes. Let's use the security room," I say nodding towards the door to Felix's monitoring office.

All four of us file inside and I tell Felix to stay in the open doorway so he can watch both my back and also the front door. Gabriel and Sandra look around the room at all the security equipment and I instantly regret suggesting this location. They could be here to get a feel for the club's security capabilities and I've just brought them into the command center.

"Start talking," I say firmly.

Gabe lets out a strained sigh. "First I'd like to apologize for the role Sandra and I played in what happened to you and Isabella. Please believe us that we had no idea what Catie was planning to do with that video."

"We thought she just wanted it for herself. We didn't realize how nuts she is," Sandra adds defensively. Gabriel shushes her.

"Catie told us that she wanted footage of you fucking Isabella so she could study your technique. She made it seem like she'd only use the footage for her own pleasure. She said she was training to be your submissive."

"She lied. Four minutes," I reply coldly.

Gabriel continues, nervous now. "Well anyway, we realized that she's crazy but there was nothing we could do. She was blackmailing Sandra."

"I work with her at Rainier Publishing House in Port Angeles," Sandra explains. "She recognized me one night at Coming Attractions and took pictures of me there kneeling in front of Gabe. She said she'd send my boss the pictures anonymously if I didn't help her."

If this is the truth, it's a relief to know why these two people were involved in the scandal. I never understood how Catie had gotten them to help her. "So what do you want, besides my forgiveness?" I ask impatiently.

"We want to be members at Full Exposure," Gabe replies.

"No way. Go join Midnight Sun. I don't trust you and I don't want you here."

"We are members there," he insists. "But that club is a little intense for our taste. Sandra loves Coming Attractions but we've been blacklisted there too. We're upstanding members at Midnight Sun. I even got a letter or recommendation from the manager. See?"

I take the paper from his hand. I read the letter and it seems legitimate; it doesn't mean I ever want to see their faces here again. Glancing at Sandra I see the pleading look in her eyes.

"We'd only just joined Coming Attractions when Catie found me. We didn't mean to hurt you or Isabella. It's not fair to blacklist us both forever. I had no choice but to do what she asked. And like Gabe said, Catie had pictures of me. I couldn't let her give them to my boss. It's a small town. You understand that more than anyone."

Yeah, thanks to these people Bella and I were run out of that town. Now that I know where Kinky Catie works I'm glad I saved the pictures and video she sent me. If it would have been that bad for Sandra's boss to see pictures of her submitting, what would Catie's boss think of the raunchy material I have on her? I'd never want to have to use them against her, but if she ever started harassing us again it's nice to know I have a card to play.

"You said you had a message from Catie?" I know she approached Bella in Port Angeles and she still hasn't told me what that conversation entailed. Maybe Gabriel will enlighten me.

"She just told us to pass along her apologies and her goodbye. Catie tried talking to Isabella a while ago but she didn't want to listen," Sandra says.

"Her goodbye?" I press.

"She's moving to Alaska. She said it's too hard to be so close to you but not allowed to serve you. You know, sexually," she explains. I roll me eyes. "Catie says there's a small group of Doms and submissives that live up there that have extended an invitation to her. They live in a small fishing community and practice our lifestyle virtually undisturbed."

I haven't heard of this place in Alaska but the distance makes me feel better. Bella will be glad to hear Catie's going so far away. The only place better would be the mother fucking moon.

"So what do you say? About giving us memberships?" Gabriel asks. "We have collateral to offer you."

I notice for the first time Gabriel is holding a VHS tape. VHS, what is this 1990? He hands it to me.

"Do we have a way to view this thing, Felix?" I ask.

"Yes, sir. The security tapes record to VHS," he replies and points to a VCR on the table against the wall where all the TV screens are monitoring different areas of the club. I pop the tape in and look around to see which screen changes.

I see it almost immediately. The video Gabriel brought is a self recording of him and Sandra fucking. The footage is in black and white due to the security equipment but even still it's obvious the naked woman is Sandra. Gabriel's face is partially obscured until he deliberately turns his head to smile at the camera.

"So you don't want your boss seeing this sex tape. Giving me this isn't enough to make me trust you," I say to Sandra directly.

"Look at the room we're in. That's my office," she responds. Oh, well that changes things. This tape would undoubtedly get her fired.

"So what do you say?"

I'm about to say 'hell no' and ask Felix to remove them when I'm reminded of something Sandra said a minute ago. "Sandra, you said you were in publishing?"

She looks at me nervously. "Yes, it's a small subsidiary of Crabtree Publishing out of Seattle. I'm the editor's assistant."

I think for a minute while all three of them stare at me. I remember what Bella said that day out on the water on Mrs. Beagle's yacht about one of her goals being to write a novel. She looked so beautiful out in the sunshine, the wind blowing her hair around her face. I promised to do anything to make her dreams come true.

"Bella's interested in writing a book. A novel maybe," I explain. "Would you be able to give her a contact at your office? Guide her in the right direction?"

"Yes, of course," Sandra answers quickly. "I can give her manuscript to my boss and make sure it gets read."

"Here's what I'll do," I say ready to strike a bargain. "You will be allowed to apply again at both clubs, and if you pass the background checks and sign all the paperwork you'll be given memberships. But you're on probation. If there's even one complaint from another member or trouble of any kind you're out. And neither of you are allowed here on the nights Bella and I are performing. That's not negotiable. In exchange for my kindness and forgiveness for what you did to Bella and me, you will pass along to your boss any writings Bella might want considered for publishing. Do we have a deal?"

Sandra smiles wide and nods her head enthusiastically. "Yes, absolutely! Thank you, Edward."

"Yes, thank you," Gabriel adds reaching out to shake my hand. "We won't let you down again."

I accept and shake both their hands, smiling. "We shall see. And I'll be keeping this sex tape just in case."

A/N: THEY'RE BACK! Don't hate me for the way Edward handled Gabriel and Sandra! I'm sure some of you might be worried. But have no fear, all my stories have happy endings and we've only got 6 chapters left to go! Have a little faith in me :-)

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