Author Note: Thanks for embracing this story!
I think we're all almost universally happy that Bella finally told Edward she loves him! And wish that Bella had been a bit more blunt with Angela.
This chapter title was another tough one! Only sherylb correctly guessed it, once I gave her the hint that it included some form of the word "dance." I picked this song because Bella is trying to keep Edward safe… lame, I know.
Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.
Chapter 36: The Safety Dance
Whether Edward approves or not, I do have to leave my bed and go to work for the rest of the week. He seems to be doing ok while I'm away, busying himself by working out, running, watching cooking shows and having lunch with his mom a couple of times. He attends the Narcotics Anonymous meeting on Wednesday, though I don't get much out of him about how it went, and even agrees to call one of the names the counselor at the hospital gave him and set up an appointment.
Between how busy I am at work all day, with the end of the quarter coming up next week, and with my insatiable boyfriend — who seems to be trying to make up for lost time — every evening, I'm exhausted by Friday and would like nothing more than a relaxing evening at home.
Only I can't do that. I've continued to try to talk Edward out of dancing — without explicitly telling him not to do it — but he insists he'll be fine. I'm still not so sure about that, so after work on Friday, I let him pick out what he considers an appropriate outfit for me — a rather low cut blouse and a nearly 20-year-old denim skirt — and then drive him to the strip club.
We walk toward the entrance hand in hand, and I'm pleased to see that it doesn't appear to be as sleazy as I'd pictured in my mind. No worse than New Moon, anyway.
Edward gets me past the bouncer with no cover charge, and as my eyes adjust to the darkness, I look around at the interior of the club. It has a stage on one end, similar to the set-up of New Moon.
"You want to come back to the dressing room with me?"
"I'd rather not. You're the only man I want to see naked." Smirking, he leans down to kiss me briefly. "And by the way, you're not getting any tonight if you dare to bring me on that stage — or otherwise involve me in the show."
"Bella," he whines.
"No."
"Fine," he acquiesces with a sigh. "You can get a drink if you want. I'll drive us home if you can't."
After he's dashed off to get changed, I find a seat along the edge of the room, deciding to go ahead and order a Cosmopolitan so I look a bit less out of place here by myself.
When five men take the stage wearing masks and dressed like superheroes, it doesn't take me long to determine that Batman is Edward — I'd know that ass anywhere.
He loses his cape first, and then the rest of his costume seems to come apart piece by piece. By the end of the second song, he's in nothing but a black g-string — and his mask.
I love watching Edward dance, seeing the way he feels the music and how at home he seems on stage. Though they're all good, he's clearly the most talented dancer of the five. If only he could find a way to dance fully clothed as a career.
At some point, the guys move to the front of the stage, allowing the screaming women in the audience to tuck dollar bills into their g-strings. I grit my teeth, watching as they take their sweet time adding the money to Edward's, letting their hands linger just a bit too long to be unintentional.
It only gets worse from there as they seem to use any excuse to touch him. The young bride-to-be, who sits in a chair on the stage in her sexy veil while all five men give her lap dances, seems especially taken with Edward. My jealousy grows watching her hand touch his ass when he turns around.
I remember when it was me in that position, and I know she's not really doing anything I haven't done myself — but that doesn't help with my jealousy. I've never watched Edward dance before when I could call him mine.
I remind myself that this is Edward's job. I see the way he keeps stealing glances toward me out in the audience, yet I want to tear the hands off of every woman in the club who's touched my man tonight; growing up as an only child, I don't like to share.
And then I scold myself for my possessiveness. I've never been the jealous type with my previous boyfriends. I've also never dated a man as desirable as Edward. I'm not sure coming down here to babysit him was such a good idea.
When the guys have finally finished, I'm seething with jealousy. I hurriedly try to finish my second drink, expecting Edward to come find me as soon as he's showered and dressed. At least he'd better.
"Guess who!" A pair of large hands covers my eyes and I instinctively turn around, following the sweaty, naked torso up to Edward's grinning face, now without his mask.
And then his grin slowly falls. "What's wrong?" he asks, brow furrowing. "You look ready to strangle someone."
"I want to strangle all of those women for practically molesting you!"
He rolls his eyes. "They pretty much have to touch me to stuff the bills into my g-string."
"But-but—"
Suddenly, the grin is back on his face — or rather a smirk. "Are you jealous, Bella?"
"No!" I protest, but I'm lying through my teeth. "Yes! You're my boyfriend and they had their hands all over you!"
"Holy fuck, you're hot when you're jealous," he breathes.
"This isn't funny!"
Edward tugs on my hand until I stand, then pulls me close. "I only have eyes for you, baby," he promises.
I start to speak, but then I smell him. "Coconut!"
"What? Oh," he chuckles. "Your favorite, huh?"
I lean in, sniffing at his chest, and my mind flashes back to the night we met — to how turned on I was as he danced just for me.
"Oh fuck, you're jealous and you're horny. Come on!"
Edward turns, pulling me with him toward a short hallway. I want to protest, say I am not horny, but he'd totally know I'm lying. He knocks on a door, then pauses.
"I'm not going into the dressing room with you," I object.
Not paying any attention to my protests, he opens the door, then tugs me inside, and I see it's an office, not the dressing room. "Whose is this?"
"This is Victoria's office — my boss." He turns the lock on the door then stalks over toward me.
"Won't she get upset if she finds us in here?" I question.
He shrugs. "I saw her out by the bar. That just means we have to be quick."
"Quick for what?"
Smirking, he wraps one arm around my waist while his other hand sneaks underneath my skirt to yank my panties down. I cry out in shock, staring up at him. He wants to have sex in his boss's office?
"I can't wait until I get you home," he growls. "Turn around, Bella." He nods toward the desk but I'm frozen in place, my panties now around my ankles. God, a part of me wants to remind him who his girlfriend is, but the more rational part of me knows Victoria could come back in here at any moment.
"Do you need a little more enticement?" I hope that's a rhetorical question. Watching in stunned silence as he strips off his g-string, I swallow thickly when I see his cock is already rock hard. Edward grabs hold of my arms and turns me around, forcing my chest down onto the desk, then folds my skirt up to expose my bare ass.
"Fuck!" I cry out when he thrusts inside with little prelude.
"Better be quiet or Victoria will catch us." The smile is clear in his voice as he bends forward to lick my ear. "Hang on tight, baby."
I barely have time to obey before he starts to move — really move. I thought fucking me against my front door was wanton, but this takes the cake, given the added danger of getting caught. I moan and cry out as his cock plunges inside again and again. He's big and he knows how to use it — a lethal combination.
Suddenly, Edward pulls out, lifts me off the desk and spins me around to face him. Before I can ask what he's doing, he's sitting me on the edge of the desk and thrusting back inside me.
"I want to watch you when you come on my cock," he says, looking down at where we're joined.
Breathing heavily, I follow his line of sight to the incredibly erotic sight of his cock sliding in and out of me. It takes me a minute to realize what's wrong — he's not wearing a condom.
"No c-condom," I pant.
"I'll pull out," he promises, bringing my legs up to encircle his waist.
"I'm… so… close." I reach out, holding on to his forearm as if it'll keep me anchored through the powerful climax I'm expecting.
"Tell me who's making you feel like this," he growls.
"You are! You're mine, Edward Masen."
His eyes widen and then he takes my face in his hands, kissing me hard. I break away when I come, moaning as the most intense pleasure I've ever felt takes over my body. I barely notice him pull out, coming in spurts all over me.
A/N: As expected, Bella did not like seeing other women touching her man. A few suggested the Georgia Satellites' Keep Your Hands to Yourself as a good title for this one.
As at least one of my pre-readers pointed out, maybe Bella would've preferred if Edward had involved her in the show, since at least he'd be dancing with her and not another woman!
Edward is definitely teaching her to let go, having sex in a public place… even if he did lock the door! He likes seeing Bella jealous, and Bella likes him smelling like coconut.
I keep changing the title for Tuesday's chapter. Right now it's a 1986 #1 hit that has a well-known video. I still might change it again. I like all of the titles after that one though.