Deprivation Chapter 43

EPOV

"I'd love to join you Bella if you are sure" I really hoped she would be, after all she had extended the invitation.

"Of course I'm sure, why should I miss out on this beautiful restaurant and your company just because someone didn't have the manners to explain his absence?"

Shit I really needed to make that right because I wasn't ready for Mystery Man to disappear altogether just yet. I needed to win her over, not just let her settle for me because MM kept disappointing her. I knew that I needed to get a text to her as soon as possible from him.

"Have you been shown a menu yet?" I asked her as I looked around for our waiter.

"No not yet, I was waiting for my date" she said blushing heavily. I suppose she was embarrassed he hadn't shown up and that was something else I needed to change quickly if this was going to work.

"Hey don't be embarrassed, you are here, he's not. His loss is my gain and he's the asshole who didn't show." I tried to tell her.

"I'm just going to get my drink from the bar and see if I can find some menus" I told her as I got up from the table. I wasn't really going to get either, but I needed to be away from her but somewhere I could see her . Luckily because of the way the bar was designed I could see her reflection in the mirrors, but she couldn't see me so I quickly sent her a text.

SG I'm so sorry I'm late and I'm afraid I won't make it tonight. My car has broken down and I'm stranded outside the city. Please forgive me and I'll be in touch soon to rearrange our first meeting MMxx

I stayed at the bar long enough not to be suspicious but to watch her, she took out her phone and read the text and frowned, I was trying to read her expression but it was closed and very tight. I wasn't sure if she was angry, upset or annoyed. I watched as she typed a response and waited for it to hit my phone.

MM I'm really annoyed you waited so long to let me know you weren't coming, it's really bad manners to leave a lady sitting in a restaurant on her own. SG

I smiled at her response, it was almost a put down, a reminder that he was dealing with a lady and not some silly girl. I toyed with the idea of responding but decided I'd rather be sitting with her talking than playing text tennis so I grabbed a drink the barman had put in front of me and went back to her.

"The waiter came over and bought the menus while you were at the bar, it all looks delicious. What do you recommend?" she asked.

For a minute I was stunned why she would ask that, but then I remembered I'd told her I was a regular here. It was a slight exaggeration because while I'd been a few times it was nowhere near enough to recommend anything.

"Well that depends on what you like to eat, I mean I really don't know anything about your tastes, so let's see, are you vegetarian, vegan, on some stupid carb free diet, pescetarian or allergic to anything?"

She looked at me as if I'd just spoken in a foreign language before busting out laughing. It was an amazing sound that filled the air around us, it made me smile and want to laugh too.

"Apart from the fact that I don't even know what one of those actually is, I'm happy to inform you that I'm none of the above so we can have anything, oh other than artichoke, I hate artichoke" she said still smiling at me.

"Well that's settled then, the steak here is amazing and I'm really hungry so how about two thick steaks with a peppercorn sauce and some vegetables" I suggested and looked at her for approval.

"Would you be totally mortified if I ordered the steak with fries and a house salad and loads of onion rings?" she said closing the menu and putting it down in front of her.

This time it was my turn to laugh, "that is exactly what I fancied but I was trying to be a bit more refined" I admitted and picked up the water jug and filled our glasses.

Once we had ordered our food and a bottle of wine, I sat back and took a good look at her. She was simply stunning and great company. I'd seen her several times over the last couple of months, in the bars and clubs and most recently at the engagement party but what I realised was that in all the times I'd seen her whether at DESIRE or just when we were out with our friends, I'd never really spoken to her. In fact it dawned on me that had made more of an effort to speak to her I would have recognised her scent and known a lot earlier who she was. As it was I knew her body far better than I knew her and for the first time probably ever, I wanted to change that because I wanted to know her.

We chatted about Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper and finally Garrett. I was surprised that Alice and Jasper had managed to hide everything for so long from Emmett and myself, it seemed everyone else around them had guessed. Bella was honest about Garrett, she explained that she had told him she didn't want to see him anymore but wouldn't explain why. Of course she wasn't to know that I knew about Garrett and Renee, in fact at this point she had no idea I had even been to DESIRE. This was my next quandary, did I tell her? If I didn't and Emmett or Jasper said anything it could ruin everything. Hell even Garrett had seen me on that first night in the bar. If I did tell her, would she admit she was a member too? It was too confusing for tonight so as the waiter placed our entrees before us I raised my glass to salute her and then dug into my food.

She was a very intelligent woman, that was obvious, I'm not being patronising or anything but the few dates I have been were about eating, drinking and fucking , usually in that order and happened while I was still in college. I hadn't had, what you would class as, a proper adult date since I'd been out here in the real world of grown- ups.

Bella was fun to be around, we never really stopped chatting all the way through the meal, for once it wasn't just me nodding where I thought I needed to like I do with my Mother, I actively participated in the discussion. We talked about her family, her schooling and her job before I told her all about my new club and the one that I already had. She was surprisingly understanding of the philosophy of my business, I know some people just assume it's an up market brothel or that I'm a misogynist, but she could see the how the idea and the story about Emmett had led to my business decision.

As we finally put our coffee cups down I looked around and realised we were the last in the restaurant. I laughed and pointed this out to her as I called for the bill.

"Please let me pay Edward, after all I invited you to join me" she said placing her hand on mine on the table.

Instantly the goose-bumps broke out all the way up my arm and I felt myself shudder. It was both satisfying to feel my instant response to her, it was real after all and not just a symptom of the whole club experience and frightening that she had such a powerful effect on me.

"Bella my mother would never forgive me if I let a lady pay on a date, so, no you can't get this, it is on me" I told her.

"Well technically it's not a date is it and even if it was I invited you remember" she said reaching for the bill fold and slipping her credit card inside. The waiter was obviously so desperate to get us out of the restaurant so they could close up that he whisked the card away before I could even counter the argument. She sat with a huge smirk on her face that I just wanted to wipe off with kisses until she was moaning out loud.

"Well I can honestly say this is a first Miss Swan. I have never had a lady buy me dinner before, so maybe you would let me return the favour, would you like to go out with me for dinner tomorrow night?" I wasn't messing about anymore, I wanted to know her properly and maybe just maybe this was my chance at something more than an anonymous fuck in an alley or a dark room. We may have started like that but I had a feeling we could make this more.

"But it's Saturday night tomorrow, a single gentleman like yourself surely has a hot date or somewhere important to be?" she said as she put her credit card back in her bag and stood to leave the table.

"No no plans, since Emmett and Jasper both ditched me for the women in their lives I don't get up too much" that wasn't technically quite true, the last three Saturday nights I'd been with her at DESIRE but well…

"I have to check something, why don't you give me your number and I'll call you in the morning if that's ok?"

Now this was a problem, I couldn't give her my number because then she would know I was MM, I had to think fast.

"Why don't you give me your number as I have a couple of meetings at the club in the morning and most of the areas I will be in are classed as technology free so I won't have my phone on me. I'd hate to miss you so let me call you and arrange a time for us to go out" I hoped I didn't sound too desperate or that I was swerving giving her my number.

She looked at me for a few seconds and I could see the emotions swimming about on her face, she was trying to decide something and for a few seconds I was sure she had rumbled me. I waited for her to ask but when she finally spoke I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Ok Edward, give me your phone and I'll put my number in so you can call me tomorrow"

"It's okay just tell me I have a great memory for numbers " I really couldn't chance her seeing anything on my phone relating to SG.

"Need to remember lots of cell phone numbers do you?" luckily I could see the smile she was trying to supress, she was teasing me thank fuck.

"No not at all, I am just good at remembering numbers, test me if you don't believe me" I taunted her, she was really onto a loser here, I already had her number imprinted on my brain, fuck I'd gone to dial it about ten times everyday since she had given it to me.

"OK I believe you , my number is" and she reeled it off.

Thankfully it was the same number I had , she wasn't using a second cell or anything stupid like that for her contact with MM. I repeated the number back to her and she laughed.

"Ok I believe you, now I need to get a cab and go home so goodnight Edward"

I was standing on the sidewalk trying to decide if I should offer to walk her home, but she caught me out by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me in a big hug. I was immediately surrounded by her glorious scent. It was pure heaven, because of her height my nose was buried in her hair and all I could smell was strawberry. My poor dick acted on instinct was solid by the time I took my second big breath in.

"Edward, are you sniffing me?" Bella asked as she pulled her face away from my chest.

"You smell incredible just like strawberries it's so strong" I shut up quickly at that point, I'd already nearly dropped myself init.

"Oh it's a special shampoo I use, I know it is quite a strong aroma, but I love it." She was busy stroking her hair now and all that did was send the aroma out into the air around us some more. My poor dick was weeping now, trying to reach her and I had to adjust the bottom half of my body away from her. We must have looked really weird to any people passing by, we were basically hugging but my bottom half and her top half were arching away from each other. I quickly released her and turned to hail a cab. Luckily there was one passing so I flagged him down and opened the door for her.

"I'll call you in the morning Bella, I look forward to us going on our first date tomorrow night" I said as I closed the cab door not giving her the chance to correct me.

As I watched the cab drive off I knew I needed to see if she would respond to some flirting by Mystery Man so whilst I was walking home with a smile on my face I decided to text her.

I'm so sorry about tonight SG, let me make it up to you tomorrow night MMxx

I knew it was a big gamble but if we were going to get to know one another she had to choose me and by me I meant Edward not MM.

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Happy New Year to you all. I hope 2016 is a fab year that brings you all your dreams and desires.