I feel totally drained and agitated after a long, yet educating day. I'm always amazed at the dedication and wonderful work that happens in every area of medical science and treatment. I feel humbled by some of the achievements that have been tabled during today's sessions. And rattling around amongst all the new and sometimes complex information that I've absorbed are Rosalie' words. I can't forget her observations and my thoughts have constantly turned to Edward Masen and the hurt expression on his face not only at Rosalie' words but also when he revealed the details of his son's death.
As soon as she walks in, my mom looks at me with a furrowed brow. I knew that she'd pick up on my mood immediately. I've never been able to hide anything from her.
"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" she pulls a chair up next to where I'm sitting, stuffing my face with Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.
"Who says something's wrong?"
"Well, that pint of half-eaten Chunky Monkey tells me a lot is wrong. Hand me a spoon."
I reach into the drawer and pull out a spoon and hand it over.
"Its work related. I have a, or I had a difficult patient."
"And this patient has caused you to dive head-first into a gallon of ice cream? Must be some piece of work."
That's putting it mildly.
"I just feel like I haven't done enough. Our last session didn't go well, and I feel like I've failed somehow."
"I don't believe that. I didn't raise a failure, but if you feel like there is more you can do to help this patient then I know that you will."
Would she say that if she knew Edward Masen?
"Thanks for believing in me, Mom."
"Anytime, Sweet Pea. Oh! I have to show you the accessories I chose to go with your dress!" She jumps up to retrieve her shopping bags.
"Mom, you didn't spend a lot of money, did you?"
"Nonsense, of course I did. It's not often I get to spoil my daughter so, when there's an opportunity you can bet I'm taking advantage of it."
I'm not about to argue. After all, she does have great taste.
"Jacob will be accompanying you to the dinner, I assume?"
"Accompanying?" I chuckle. "Yes, Mom, Jake will be accompanying me."
"Oh, goody! This will be just like prom night. I'll be right back. I left a bag in the car." Her excitement is infectious, and as always, I find sharing things with my mother, lightens my mood.
I'm feeling a little apprehensive about going. Edward will be there, and I'm not sure which Edward will be showing up. It really doesn't matter, I tell myself. I'll steer clear of whichever persona he chooses to portray this evening.
.
.
.
I'm having the hardest time getting into my dress, and Jake is more than willing to help.
"Damn! This dress…." He whistles his approval, and his eyes, soon followed by his hands, caress my body. "There are absolutely no words to describe the way you look," he extols as he zips the back of my flesh-toned, gold embellished gown.
It's a one-shouldered dress with a high split on the side. My mother bought me simple diamond stud earrings and a tennis bracelet to match. She's twisted my hair up into an elegant, but simple chignon, and even if I say so myself, it really enhances my look.
"You look amazingly handsome yourself and thank you."
"You think your parents will upset if we don't make it home tonight?" His hands slide around my mid-section as he pulls himself flush against me.
"I don't think they will be. What did you have in mind?"
"It's a surprise." He whispers, as he nuzzles my neck.
"I hate surprises," my eyes flutter closed when his lips start to caress my skin.
"No, you don't. You just hate not being in control of things. Let's go." He playfully swats my ass.
"Fine, but you're going to pay for teasing later." I hold on to his shoulder to balance myself while I slip on my heels.
Despite it being a warm night, I can smell the rain in the air and am a little worried. I'm hoping to get inside unscathed with both dress and hair in place before the weather breaks.
The valet immediately gives Jake a ticket and moves to park the car, allowing us to make our way inside promptly.
We see Rosalie the instant we walk through the door. It's hard not to notice her. She's wearing a satin, form hugging dress colored the shade of molten, hot lava with matching lipstick. Her luminous blond hair makes her stand out all the more.
'Wow, Rosalie looks amazing. Are you sure she wouldn't be a good match for my cousin?"
I consider it briefly and quickly expel the idea. After witnessing her rip Edward a new one earlier, I know that it's a bad idea."
"I love Rose to death; the question is how much do you love your cousin?"
"Point taken. Let's find a table," he answers unhesitatingly.
We laugh and walk arm-in-arm to the table where Rose is standing.
"Oh, don't you two look amazing. Hi, Jake." She kisses my cheek and gives him a brief hug.
"Hey, Rose. You look beautiful, as always." Jake compliments.
"Trying to set off the fire alarms, I see."
"What...in this old thing?" She giggles and twirls a little.
"Yes! That old thing, Rose, you look…I don't know…I'm at a loss. I was sure you would rustle up someone to escort you to this thing, though."
"You don't bring sand to the beach, Doctor Swan, or in your case maybe you do. No offense, Jake."
"None taken. I'm happy to be sand," he jokes and pulls out my chair.
"Well, good luck with that, honey. Half this beach is married anyway," I laugh as she glares at me.
That ought to put a pin in her balloon.
Jake manages to convince me to dance. Normally, I'm not comfortable with being the center of attention on a dance floor, but he's being wonderful, and I can't resist him.
"What's the surprise later?"
"You are too much, you know that? I'm not going to tell you, so give it up."
"Can you at least give me a hint?"
"Okay, let's just say it's going to change our future…for the better. That's all I'm saying, Swan." He leans down and kisses me deeply, before playfully twirling me around.
I squeal and bump into the couple dancing behind us.
"We're sorry… got a little ambitious with the spin," Jake apologizes.
"I'm so sorry," I giggle and turn to apologize as well and am met with a familiar pair of intense, green eyes.
"No apologies necessary. I'm glad you're enjoying the evening," Edward smiles and stares at me intently. He's dancing with a very attractive, older woman. I assume that she's too old for his…taste, but who can be sure with him.
We turn back to our respective partners, but Edward's eyes are locked on mine the entire time. I guess I wouldn't know this if wasn't looking at him as well. The truth is; I can't seem to avert my eyes from his.
I thought I could handle whatever mood this man throws at me, but for some reason, I sense a seismic shift between us. I could handle the womanizing and the flirting, but I can't seem to wrap my mind around his near- silent behavior. I guess I half-expected for him to not even respect the fact that I'm here with a date.
What is he thinking?
The song ends and we return to our tables. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres are being served and the entire dance floor clears. A young woman walks out to the middle of the floor, subtly vying for everyone's attention.
She goes on to explain the DW&D auction and advises that this year there'll be a twist. Instead of just bidding on doctors, anyone, and in this instance, that would mean partners of doctors and other medical staff are allowed to participate. I assume that the widened interest and increased participants would raise more money for the fund.
Cheers and whistles erupt as the attendees rowdily endorse the new rules. The noise dies down, and she directs everyone as to the auction registration table.
"This should be fun. Are you going to sign up?" Jake turns to me with a devilish grin.
"Absolutely, positively, not."
"Aw come on! It'll be fun. I'll bid ridiculously high."
"I'm a sure thing for you, Jake. You don't have to spend obscene amounts of money for my company. Just cut through the red tape and donate a substantial amount anonymously or something."
"Fine, you chicken. I'll go and make a donation right now. I also see a client of mine I want to say hello to. I'll be back soon." He pecks my lips and weaves his way through tables.
I sigh contentedly, knowing that I've averted participating in the auction. I'll make a donation as well, sit back and simply enjoy the event.
"Did you see you Tanya? She's has her eye on your Doctor Masen?" Rosalie slinks back into her chair.
"He is not my Doctor Masen. Cut it out, Rose. I mean it, I don't want Jake walking up overhearing one of those ridiculous statements. Things are perfect right now."
"You both look sickeningly happy. I'm thrilled for the pair of you."
"Are you truly, or is this sarcasm?"
"Seriously, I am. Jake is a good guy and gorgeous, sexy as hell even. You deserve to be happy, Bella"
"I think he's going to propose," I blurt out.
Her mouth drops open, then a wide smile spreads across her face. "Are you sure? Oh my God, what are you going to say?"
"Shh! Here he comes. I'll talk to you about it later," I whisper in a rush.
I'm not one hundred percent sure if Jake is going to propose. He's acting cryptically about his plans. His vague inference on the dance floor seems like an indication, but I hadn't imagined when we agreed to take a vacation together that it would end up in an engagement.
I look over at him, smiling at me. His hand covers mine on the table, absentmindedly stroking my ring finger with his thumb. Panic shoots through me.
Am I ready to be someone's wife?
The hostess walks back out to the middle of the floor, again seeking everyone's attention.
"Good evening…again," she laughs. "I just want to thank everyone for their enthusiastic participation in year's auction. Wow! I had no idea I would get so many volunteers. Since we have more than enough, I'm going to randomly choose names from the new list and combine them with our regular volunteers. If I call your name, please join me up on stage."
"Here we go. This is going to be good," Rosalie squeaks.
"Doctor Mara McKenna…Doctor Carol Brady…Doctor Benjamin Smith…."
The hostess continues calling names as the nominees join her on stage. I can't help thinking how embarrassing it must be to stand up there, while being bid on by strangers. I snort at the thought.
More power to them!
"Doctor Isabella Swan…."
What?
"That concludes the list for the volunteers. I'll see you all in a moment to start the auction."
My eyes bug out, I'm practically gaping as I look around the room.
Who the hell put my name on that list?
"Oh, this is going to be epic." Jake laughs uncontrollably.
"You did this! Jake…I'm going to murder you!" I hiss.
"It wasn't me." He holds up his hands in surrender. "I swear it."
I'm helplessly looking around the room, waiting for someone to jump out and yell 'you've just been punked'. I turn my eyes to on an amused, blonde in a devilishly inspired dress, who's incapable of successfully hiding her guilt.
"You!"
"Now come on, Bella. It'll be a hoot. Jake and I will have your back."
"I'm still waiting on Doctor Isabella Swan," the announcer calls, looking out into the crowd. Hundreds of people turn to join the search.
"Goddamn it, Rosalie," I grit through clenched teeth, as I finally make my way through a crowd of cheering people.
She'll pay for this!
.
.
.
"Good evening Doctor Masen. You look incredibly handsome, as always."
I turn to see Gianna, hostess of the weekend's events, smiling up at me.
"Hello, Gianna, and thank you. That's a beautiful color dress, you look stunning."
She ducks her head and blushes. She's sweet girl, reminds me of a someone's little sister. Surely my own would take offense to that if heard.
Her father is the Chief of Staff at a major Los Angeles hospital, which no doubt aided her in gaining the role of event planner.
"Well…they're beckoning me to get the events underway. I hope you'll enjoy the evening?"
"I always do, Gianna. Is your father here? I want to congratulate him on Mater General's ranking."
"Daddy couldn't make it, but my mom's here, she'd love to see you. I'll talk to you later, Doctor Masen."
Normally, I'd be right into this event, but tonight I found myself wishing for it to be over as almost soon as it had started.
Seeing Mike Newton's face everywhere I turn has already irritated me. Realizing that Bella is here intensifies my mood to the extreme.
I don't know why I had not considered her attendance, she is a doctor, after all, and she's just as dedicated to keeping abreast of advancements as I am.
Given our last exchange, she completely surprised me by approaching me first. I really hadn't expected to see her again after our last encounter. For a moment, when I saw her face, unbelievable excitement coursed through me; but it remained brief. The blonde made sure of that.
She really pissed me off, fucking up my whole mental state for the weekend. As if it wasn't bad enough that Bella already thought of me as shit, she has her friend endorsing those feelings as well.
After the blonde, Rosalie, read me the riot act, I left the venue, and headed straight for my hotel room. I spent the night alone, mulling over the things she'd said, and the venom Bella had spat, literally labeling me as a man with no moral principles. 'Fuck these women', I'd concluded. I've never given a damn what any of them thought of me before, and I'm not about to change that. This revelation, of course, finally came after consuming half a bottle of vodka.
In the past, weekends like this had presented the perfect opportunity for me to hook-up with some gorgeous woman; but not this year.
My marriage is ending, and ironically, I have it bad for the woman who's been trying to stop its demise. My life, right now, feels like a complicated, unsolvable puzzle.
After the run-in with Bella's friend, I was seriously thinking about returning home, but I ran into Mike Newton on the golf course earlier today. His shit talking changed my mind once again.
Now, here I stand, in the middle of the banquet dinner, alone and cursing myself for allowing that stuffed shirt to get under my skin.
I take a deep breath and convince myself to make the best of the night. I notice someone I haven't seen in a long while.
I place a hand gently on her shoulder just as the music starts up. "Would your husband mind?" I gesture to the dance floor as she turns to face me.
"If he'd mind, then he should've been here. How are you, Edward?" she laughs lightly and takes my hand.
"I'm doing well, Mrs. Ambrosini, can't complain too much."
"Speaking of missing parties, where is your father? I thought he was speaking this weekend?"
"Well, he had an emergency consult, but he sent his apologies with a generous donation. I presented Gianna with the check yesterday."
"Be sure and thank him for me. My daughter's put so much work into organizing the events for this weekend. Her father and I are so proud of her."
"As you should be. She's a lovely young woman." I twirl her away from me.
"That reminds me, where is your lovely wife?"
"She had a family matter to attend to," I lie quickly and twirl her back toward me, and a couple knocks into us from behind.
Wide almond-shaped, amber eyes and a magical sounding giggle steal my attention. Some obviously good-looking guy is spinning Bella around the floor.
The blood in my veins turns to ice, but I keep a gentleman-like composure as they apologize.
I don't want either of their apologies. I want that guy to let her go.
My anger flares when his lips touch her skin.
I want to be the one she laughs with that way. I want her in my arms. I want to rearrange that guy's perfect teeth. I want to get far away from them, fast, before I do something I'll regret.
When our dance ends, I walk over to a waiter and grab a glass of champagne. I drink it, keeping her in my sight.
Who the fuck is that jerk-off?
I watch as they walk back to their table, hand in hand.
Gianna announces the start of the auction proceedings. I'm really not in the mood for this right now, I have to find out who the guy with Bella is, and just how serious things are between them.
I look on as people line up to sign up for the auction. I decide that I'd wait until things die down a bit before adding my name.
I snack on hors d'oeuvres and idly watch proceedings as Gianna calls the names of the volunteers. I'm shocked from my reverie when Gianna calls Bella's name… more than once.
I pause with the glass tipped to my mouth and smirk.
I just know she wouldn't have signed up of her own accord. Her look of abject horror confirms my suspicions. This is going to be priceless.
"Doctor Masen, I don't see your name on the list of regulars. Will you be participating in the auction this year? We always raise a lot of money on you."
"Uh, no, Gianna. I uh…" I look at Bella onstage and grin wickedly. "I'll be participating in the actual bidding this time around. It should be fun, don't you think?"
"It should definitely prove to be enjoyable, but we're going to lose out on so much if you're not bid on. You're always the favorite Doc to bid on," she whines.
"Listen, don't worry about anything. I'll make a substantial donation, and as far as the auction goes…." I look back at the stage. "I plan on bidding high. Your goal will be met. Trust me.
.
.
.
I feel like a piece of meat. I've never been overly introverted or thought of myself as a person who could not participate in fun, but right now, I want to slink deep into the back of this stage behind those curtains and disappear.
I keep reassuring myself that it would be over soon. I look over at Jake and Rosalie, wishing I were close enough to convey my venomous thoughts with a glance. My plans for revenge, however, are curtailed by the dreaded announcement.
"This is the gorgeous Doctor Isabella Swan. She graduated summa cum laude from Johns Hopkins University and specializes in marriage therapy. How ironic, ladies. Normally she counsels for healthy, stable marriages, today she's here to steal your husbands away! Let's hear it for Dr. Isabella Swan!"
The crowd whistles, my cheeks burn and my heart palpitates. Kill. Me. Now!
"The bidding will start at five hundred dollars."
"Five hundred." Jake lifts his paddle immediately.
"We have five hundred. Do I hear six hundred?"
"Six." Rosalie calls out, nearly overcome by giggles.
I'll strangle her with her own hair when I get off this stage.
"Six hundred. How about seven hundred?"
"Seven." Jake lifts his paddle again and waves to me with it.
"Eight hundred." An elderly man from the middle of the floor says, before the hostess has a chance to up the bid.
Oh my God.
My face is on fire and not from blushing, as I watch Rosalie throw her head back with laughter.
That bitch! Karma, Rosalie Hale...it's coming.
"Two thousand." A velvet-like voice interjects smoothly. All heads spin around.
My mouth drops as I realize who just bid.
That bastard!
"Wow, two thousand dollars for Doctor Isabella Swan! Can I get a round of applause? This is how we have an auction!" Gianna yells out gleefully.
"Three thousand." Jake holds his paddle aloft.
"Three thousand, boy, looks like we have a bidding war on our hands!"
"Five thousand."
Shit!
Muttering ripples through the room like a wave, and the combination of the onstage lights and the scrutiny from the floor is making me feel distinctly uncomfortable. I feel like a prize heifer at a cattle auction.
Damn you, Edward Masen, stop this!
Rosalie spins around, gaping then whispers in Jake's ear.
"Ten thousand dollars." Jake raises his paddle and stands determinedly, straightening his jacket. His movement is precise and business-like; I've witnessed the same demeanor in court. He's going in for the kill, expecting a win.
"Ten thousand dollars!" The hostess yells into the microphone, and the room erupts into rousing applause.
"Ten thousand going once…twice…"
"Twenty thousand dollars." Edward says coolly, and now people are standing up to get a better look at him and Jake. The spotlight, which is always kept on the last bidder, creates a halo around him, creating an illusion of a dark, avenging Angel.
My face feels frozen in shock. Rosalie' expression mirrors mine and Jake is livid.
"Oh my gosh! Twenty thousand going once, twice…."
Jake reluctantly sits down.
"Sold!"