Author's Note: A nice long chapter. I'm getting kind of tired of Isle Esme, so there may be one more vacation chapter left. And then Edward will go meet the Swans!
Disclaimer: Anything that is recognizable is not related to the name SarahCullen17.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: "Dirty Little Secrets" Bella's POV
My next awkward encounter consisted of surfing...or at least, trying to surf. The day of my surfing education started beautifully. Edward gave me lessons early in the morning before everyone else came out to the ocean. I have to admit that it was a very sensual experience, feeling his hands on me under the sunrise, and it relaxed me enough that I could make out with him in the ocean, our mouths and hands needy after a few days without sex. I knew why I was relaxed: his father was asleep. Not creeping me out.
Too bad the surfing lessons were in vain.
I fell, crashed, and nearly drowned at one point. Edward had to pull me out of the ocean several times, and finally we just ended up lying on the beach while he teased me about my clumsiness.
"You're quite possibly the worst surfer I've ever seen," he grinned wickedly at me, pulling me on top of him.
I shook my head, running my fingers through his wet hair. "You're just a terrible teacher."
"Well, you're the teacher in this relationship…" His lips dotted along my neck.
"Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned. "I don't think your dad likes my profession of choice."
"He's a teacher, my sweet Bella."
"Yeah, after retiring as a surgeon who invented a heart-fixer-thingy."
Edward shrugged. "My love, how many times do I have to tell you that you have no reason to be self-conscious?"
I rolled my eyes. "Says the beautiful, rich, charming, brilliant, talented, perfect med student."
"Says the stunning, gorgeous, intelligent, clever, funny, lovable, and adorable girl who has completely stolen my heart. And who actually isn't bad at surfing, no matter how much I tease."
The look on his face was so serious I couldn't help but kiss him. He always knew exactly what to say. Our little kisses again grew more passionate, and I found myself wishing that I had brought a blanket we could cover up with so we could strip out of our bathing suits.
When the morning was a pretty tanzanite color, we were interrupted. By my current least favorite person in the world.
"Edward, son, try not to ravish her completely," Carlisle chided us, causing me to look up in horror. He was in his swim trunks-god, even if I hated him, he was beautiful-and was toting a surfboard. "She's young. You're going to scare her away."
As if he hadn't ever ravished me completely.
I jumped up, wrapping my towel around my bikini. Edward rolled his eyes. "Way to ruin the moment, Dad."
"You always used to interrupt me and your mother," Carlisle shot back with an amused grin. "Isabella, do you care to catch some waves?"
"I'm really not good at it," I replied. "If I do surf, it will be with Edward."
Edward jumped up and wrapped his arms around me. "Do you want to go back to my bedroom?" he whispered.
I looked back toward the house. All the lights were on.
"Everyone is coming out to surf," Carlisle piped up. "You know we always have at least one surf morning, son."
"Yeah," Edward replied. "Bella, sweetie, do you want to surf with me? I won't let you fall. Especially around Emmett-he would love that too much."
I sighed and nodded. At least I could stand up for about thirty seconds.
True to Carlisle's word, everyone came out within ten minutes. Alice was so much fun to watch as she surfed-her little pink bikini matched her pink surfboard perfectly. It was emblazoned with her nickname Allie. She looked like she was straight out of Gidget as she skillfully rode the waves and did tricks. Jasper couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
"Okay," Edward said as he held the board still in the water. "You were doing pretty good earlier."
"Liar. You said I'm the worst you've ever-"
He placed a hand over my mouth. "I was teasing. Seriously, you're fine. Don't let the fact that other people can see you faze you."
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
He helped me onto the board, kissing me sweetly, and I managed to ride a few waves. Maybe it was his kiss. I don't know, but I was doing pretty well.
That is, until I lost my balance, flew off my board, and landed directly against a hard, familiar surface.
Carlisle's chest, and his arms that were suddenly wrapped around me.
I tried to wiggle out, pushing him away, but he stood strong. "Isabella? Are you okay?"
I had swallowed the saltwater, and I was coughing outrageously. My eyes, nose, and throat burned. Every bone in my body felt like it was affected by my crash.
"Isabella, honey?" Carlisle crooned. "Talk to me. Open your eyes. You're okay. You're not drowning."
As soon as I could speak, I uttered a "Yeah" and rolled out of his arms. I was so disoriented, though, that my head hurt as soon as I hit the water. I had hit him hard.
"I don't think you are okay," he said, trying to smile sweetly at me. "Come here, love."
"I am not your love," I said through gritted teeth. "Goddamnit, quit stealing Edward's nickname for me. Leave. Me. Alone."
I got my board and padded back to Edward. He was about to mount his board again, but he saw the tears in my eyes.
"What is it?" he asked me, concerned.
I shook my head. "Bad crash. It hurt."
"Oh, god. I'm so sorry. I promised you I would catch you…it's just that you were doing so well…"
"It's fine, sweetie," I told him. "I think I swallowed half the ocean, though. I'm going to go to the beach and get some bottled water out of the cooler."
"I'll come with you."
"Nah, that's a great wave coming. Have fun. I'll be back in a little while."
The cold Dasani felt good in my throat. I watched the others surf, a bit surprised to see Esme expertly compete against her sons in some kind of trick contest. I applauded as she seemed to win whatever they were doing.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Carlisle murmured as he suddenly appeared beside me, digging around in the cooler.
Esme was beautiful. A perfectly toned body, long reddish hair, the stunning green eyes Edward had inherited, and the unconscious grace that followed her everywhere. However, I didn't know why Carlisle-her soon-to-be-ex-husband-would observe that.
"Yeah, she is," I agreed tartly. "You were a fool to leave her for some young piece of ass."
And then I grabbed my board and waded back to Edward.
"Rise and shine, my babies!" was the first thing I heard before Edward suddenly yelled...
"Shit! Mom! Get out of my room!"
I gasped and sat up so quickly my head hurt, yanking the comforter over my chest. I wasn't naked, but I was wearing some pajamas made out of silk and lace that weren't necessarily made for winter.
Esme just stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, foot tapping. "Edward Anthony Cullen, this is my house. Now please put on some pants so I can talk to your girlfriend!"
Edward had some shorts lying on the floor, so I picked them up and tossed them to him. He covered his blue boxers quickly. I prayed that Esme didn't get a sight of his morning happiness.
"Okay, I'm covered, goddamnit," he groaned, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
Esme smacked him upside the head. "Don't use that kind of language, especially around ladies!"
I started giggling, which made Edward turn to me with hurt eyes. "I'm sorry," I said. "This is just so...awkward."
Obviously, I was still half-asleep.
Edward sighed. "Mom, why did you wake us up? You better have chocolate-chip waffles waiting."
"Nope, you'll have a nice cold bowl of Cocoa Puffs, my little sugarholic. Bella, however, is coming into Rio with me and the girls. We have a spa day booked."
"Nope," Edward said, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around me. "You can't have her."
"Oh, yes, I can," Esme said. "Don't make me come in there after her."
I laughed, desperate to avoid the awkwardness of that situation. "I'll be right there, Esme. By the way, I love Cocoa Puffs."
"Oh, darling, you won't be eating Cocoa Puffs. We'll have breakfast in the city."
"Um, okay," I said, wondering if I would be able to afford any of this. "I'll be up and showered in fifteen minutes."
"Excellent. We're leaving in one hour."
She quietly left, so I rolled over and pressed my lips to Edward's. "I have to go, baby."
"Oh, no you don't," he replied, tightening his grip on me and nuzzling his nose to my neck. "Please, love? Five more minutes?"
"And what do you propose we do in those five minutes?" I teased him, my hand running over his perfectly-sculpted abs.
"Well I know you don't mind my morning breath..." He rolled over on top of me, trapping my mouth with his.
An hour later I was in an outfit Alice picked out, boarding the Cullens' boat. Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Kate, Carmen, Irina, and Tanya were all there in equally stylish ensembles. Esme manned the boat while the rest of us had that meaningless girl-chatter.
The spa was gorgeous, with white walls and open windows, much like Esme's island house. Apparently the Cullens were VIPs because we were taken in immediately and given silk robes to wear.
"Do I just strip naked?" I hissed to Alice.
She nodded as we walked to the changing rooms. "Yes. We'll probably go bathe together. Get used to it. If you're going to be one of my mother's babies, you'll have a lot of spa days."
I raised an eyebrow incredulously. Bathe with my boyfriend's family? Well, Alice was okay because she was my roommate and we had seen each other naked numerous times. And Rosalie had kissed me, for god's sake.
But Esme? Aunt Tanya?
Alice sighed. "Just put the robe on."
I did, and we first went to a massage room. Esme explained to me that this was our "warm-up massage" that put us in an appropriate relaxed mood for a spa day. It turned out that Francesca's brown hands were the greatest things that had ever touched my muscles, especially since they were sore from surfing. She totally prepped me for a day at the spa.
After that we had total body treatments, with facials and mud wraps. I didn't think I would like it, but I actually loved it. I could practically feel the nutrients seeping through my skin and into my body.
While we soaked in our mud, we also had our nails done, complete with foot massages and everything. Knowing that Edward loved blue on me, I chose a sky blue color with little flower appliqués on them. Next was a choice: either we could go soak in more mud, or go to a sauna to sweat out the impurities.
My skin was starting to feel tight and stretched, so I opted for the sauna as soon as Rosalie did.
"Ooh! Wait! Me, too!" Kate immediately said, flashing Rosalie a meaningful look that I couldn't figure out. We retreated to a private sauna complete with music and aromatherapy steam.
I was amazed at how easy it was to take off my robe and lie on a bench with these two girls. We were perfectly comfortable together, even though Kate and Rosalie had supermodel bodies. And I didn't.
"Okay, Isabella, spit it out," Rosalie said as soon as we got comfy.
Oh, shit. "Spit what out?" I asked her, trying to sound innocent.
Kate giggled. "Why Uncle Carlisle can't stop staring at you. He's your professor, right?"
"Yes," I said carefully. "And nothing more."
"Bullshit. Something happened between you two," Rosalie said confidently. "Come on, Isabella. He's totally gorgeous. I've fantasized about him a lot, and he is my godfather!"
"I don't fantasize about him because he's my blood relative, but I know he's hot," Kate prodded me. "Come on, we'll share our dirty little secrets if you do."
I said nothing, closing my eyes.
"Okay, fine," Rosalie snapped. "We'll just assume the worst."
What could be worse than the truth?
"Wait, let me guess," Kate said. "The absolute worst…hmm. You slept with him for crack."
Well, that caught my attention. "What? Carlisle does crack?"
They started to giggle. "No way!" Kate replied. "I was just assuming the worst."
Jesus, crack doesn't sound so bad right now. I wanted some kind of drug. "Oh. God, Kate, don't scare me like that."
They laughed before Rosalie piped up, "You slept with him for good grades."
My silence told them everything.
"Oh my god, Isabella Marie Swan!" Rosalie gasped. "You whore!" Her voice was entirely teasing. I had a feeling she wasn't entirely opposed to using other means to earn good grades.
"This is juicy!" Kate exclaimed. "Tell us everything."
"It just happened," I said, feeling like I should be on a street corner in Vegas and not a spa in Rio de Janeiro. I felt so dirty. "He hired me to be his TA, and it just happened…"
"So what do you have in his class?" Rose asked me.
"It's a good grade," I replied curtly.
"Was he a good fuck? I've always thought he would be."
"Yes, he was rather enjoyable," I said with a grin. At least Edward's almost-sister and favorite cousin wasn't freaking out. I could relax a little now.
"I knew it!" Rose hissed.
"What else did he do for you?" Kate inquired. "Dinner, gifts, etcetera."
"Dinner," I replied. "And…uh, never mind."
"No!" Rose nearly shouted, sitting up. "You have to tell us!"
"Hell no," I said. "I want to hear a secret from each of you."
"Ugh, fine," my blonde friend sighed. "Hmm…Katie, you go first."
"No way. You're the one who wants to know what else Uncle Carl gave Isabella."
"Fine!" Rose spat. "Lemme think."
"Make it juicy," I ordered. "And we all understand that no one will ever hear our dirty little secrets, right?"
"Scout's honor," they both said at the same time.
Rosalie pursed her lips for a minute before blurting out, "I'm bisexual."
"Shut up!" Kate said, sitting up to stare at Rosalie. "No, you're not. You're addicted to penises."
"No, she is," I rolled my eyes. "Rose, that doesn't count. You made out with me on a stage while we danced in flapper stripper costumes. New secret."
"Wait, wait, wait," Kate said. "Isabella? You? And…Rose?"
Rosalie cackled. "It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. We haven't done anything since that night, unless you want to now…" She looked suggestively at my naked body.
I rolled my eyes, a bit amazed that I wasn't creeped out. Rosalie was quite forward, and if she was truly in the mood, she would let us know. "Kate, your turn."
She shrugged her little shoulders as she laid back down. "I only really have one secret," she said. "I think I need to tell someone."
"Go for it," I told her. "What is said in the sauna stays in the sauna."
"I had sex with Irina's boyfriend."
Rosalie giggled. "Whore. Been there, done that. Except it was Jasper's girlfriend."
"Alice?" I gasped.
She shook her head. "No. This was when Jazz and Allie broke up, and the chick was more or less a hook-up buddy. And my, was she a fine hook-up buddy."
I laughed. "Kate, wait until you get to college. That will be very G-rated."
"No, Isabella. That's not all," she sighed, blushing. "I'm…I'm…pregnant."
"What?" Rose shouted. "What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Irina?"
"Hell no. She's a bitch," Kate said, trying to sound nonchalant, but I could tell she was terrified.
"Wait, Kate," I interrupted. "Why were you surfing and stuff? Isn't that…not a good idea? Can't it hurt the baby?"
She shrugged. "I'm probably going to abort it, anyway. I mean, I'm not going to throw my life away. I want to go to law school. My mom will understand, once I get around to telling her."
"God," I whispered. My secret really didn't match this.
"I'm scared," Kate admitted. "But Irina will never know. The guy was drunk, so he doesn't even remember it."
"That sucks," Rosalie sighed. "Kate, you were always the good one."
Kate shrugged again. "Your turn, Isabella."
At that point, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I wanted to make Kate feel better. "Carlisle-paid-me-cash-to-have-sex-with-him."
And at that, my friends laughed and screamed simultaneously, "Slut!"
I wasn't worried about Rose or Kate telling anybody about me and Carlisle. Instead I was relieved. They helped me dodge awkward situations and even distracted Carlisle from me. Rose forged an interest in medical school and Kate asked him questions about the university in Phoenix. He loved the attention, and that made me realize that he was probably a very insecure man.
Maybe since I had two allies, the vacation wouldn't be a total nightmare.
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