A/N: It has been a very long time since I've updated and I've taken a major step back from the fandom. But I give my word that I will continue to write and update my stories. Thank you all for continuing to read and support my work. Much love and Happy Reading!
I sighed as I walked into the kitchen and sat at the counter. The one thing I wanted for the day was to just be alone with Edward, but as usual, family drama would keep that from happening.
The doorbell rang and I swear I had to hold back a groan.I opened the door and there stood Bree and Milo.
"Oh, my god are you really here right now?" I squealed.
"Guess who's relocating to Florida?" Bree shrieked and we launched ourselves at each other.
Edward came from his office and looked confused."Oh, hey, Milo, our issue is in the back. Hey, Bree, sweetheart, how you doing?" he asked walking up bumping fists with Milo and giving Bree a kiss on the cheek.
"Good, Edward, thank you for moving us out here. It's good to be around my girl," Bree said.
"I keep my family close, little lady, you know that," he said.
"Ready to get to work?" Milo asked.
"Yeah—Jas, Em, Charlie and my dad should be here soon," Edward said.
"No, everyone's coming over aren't they?" I groaned.
"Nah, babe, I told them to leave everyone at home, this is a work thing," Edward said kissing me on the cheek.
"Babe, I'm sorry—"
Edward cut me off with a finger to my lips. "Babe, you ain't got shit to apologize for. You wanna be at home without everyone. I, unfortunately have to work. You should just relax and watch a movie. Can you grab me a beer out of the fridge, and Milo, too? You can just bring them back to my office?" he asked.
"Yeah, be there in a minute. Bree, the living room is right through there, make yourself at home. I'll be right back." I was seriously excited to get caught up with her. I didn't want to exclude Rose but I just needed some down time.
I grabbed the beers and walked back to the office and knocked softly."Come in, babe," I heard Edward call.
I was afraid of how I was going to find Alice when I walked in, but to my surprise she was sitting in a straight back chair in the corner behind Edward's desk. Edward was sitting casually behind his desk smoking a cigar with his feet kicked up on it and Milo was sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk tapping away on a laptop.
"Here are the beers for you guys. Are you hungry Edward—I mean should I start dinner still?" I asked timidly.
"Yeah, unless you don't want to? Then we can order something later. Go relax and catch up with your friend, baby, it's whatever you wanna do," he said winking at me.
I chanced looking at Alice, she was pleading at me with her eyes.
"Bella, she's nothing you need to concern yourself with, babe, it will be okay," Edward said turning toward Alice, venom and ice clear in his look and voice.
"Okay, baby, I'm hungry, too, so I'm just gonna make something," I said before turning and walking out the door.
I felt bad for Alice for half a second; but then, she had to have known what she was doing would get her in trouble. But typical Alice does what she wants. Always has to be the center of attention.
Today, she would get that wish and all the attention would be on her; it wouldn't be good attention, either.
I went back out to the living room and joined Bree.
"So how has Arizona been since I left? More so, how was the coffee shop after I bailed?" I asked.
"Well you know Jess came back for one more shift but James fired her on the spot. Ben never came back. His dad stepped down as State's Attorney saying he needed to focus on his son's 'recovery'," she said, using air quotes when she said the word recovery.
"What about Lauren?" I asked.
"She basically moved out under the cover of darkness; no one has seen or heard from her since all the news hit. I heard her family moved to another state."
"I bet they'll think twice before they bully anyone else," I said, laughing.
"Yeah, that shit was epic. Everyone said Jessica tried to show up to class the day after the story broke and then ran screaming from some lecture because of people staring at her, I heard it was funnier than hell. So tell me about what's been going on with you? I mean the shit I don't see on TMZ," Bree said laughing.
"Nothing really. I mean, Edward and I are trying to just navigate being together. I got to meet my real dad for the first time, and my brother. His name is Riley and one look at him and it was like home. I swear we look exactly like our dad."
"That's really cool. I'm happy for you, girl. It sounds like Florida is really suiting you. I was super stoked when Edward called Milo and asked him if he wanted to come out here and permanently work for Osi. I mean, since they're brothers, I thought it would be a good move for us," Bree said.
"I'm honestly glad you're here. It'll give me a break from the family all the time. I love them, but sometimes down time and quiet are the only things I want," I confessed.
"Trust me, I know. Osi and Milo have this gigantic loud ass family. I love their dad—but man, their mom and sisters ... it gets to me sometimes."
"I thought I was just being a complete bitch," I said quietly.
"Bee, you're a homebody like me. Peace and quiet are what we thrive on. I also think you need to tell Edward what you need, girl. I'm sure he would make it happen. I told Milo what I said to you just now and when he talked to Edward he made this move happen. You just have to be honest.
I'm sure his family would understand," Bree said.
"I would hope so, and I don't ever want to seem ungrateful; but honestly, it all just gets to be tough. I just wanna be around Edward; just us for a little while, you know?" I asked.
"Of course; you guys are still learning about each other and I'm sure his mother would understand. I think she just worries about the both of you and wants what's best for y'all."
"So how have you and Milo been doing?" I asked, noticing the bling on her finger.
"We're good, Edward has been giving him an opportunity to make more scratch so we can do more stuff. He moved Osi up, so now Milo runs Osi's old crew and we can buy a house and make things permanent," she said, lifting her hand.
"That's amazing. I'm so happy for you and I'm glad you're gonna be here. I missed you when I left. I thought I wouldn't get to see you again," I said.
"I told you there was stuff I couldn't tell you; come on, you knew something was up. You're not dumb, Bee," Bree said with a laugh.
"I didn't know what was going on. I had a clue but I didn't know how to bring it up. I mean, I wanted to hear it from Edward first," I said.
"I understand and I didn't want you to think I was spying. Edward wanted me to keep an eye on you, but not because he thought bad of you. I think he knew then he was into you and wanted to take care of you."
"He's treated me like a princess from the very beginning. Dude you have to meet Rosalie, she is—"
"Emmett's wife. I know her; that's my girl. I love her. I helped her with some stuff back in Arizona."
"She lives right next door. I'm gonna call and see if she's home. We can make dinner for the guys."
I felt lighter and happier once I had Rose and Bree with me in the kitchen. We talked about the boys and laughed about Frick, Frack and Judy.
"You know he asked about you the last time I saw him," Bree said as she chopped some onions and peppers for the gravy she was making. She was also showing Rose step-by-step how to make meatballs.
"What? You didn't tell Milo did you? If Edward found out he'd lose his shit!" Rose said with wide eyes.
"Are you fucking insane? Hell no I didn't tell Milo. The last thing I needed was for homicidal Edward to show up at ASU."
"What did he say?" I asked curiously.
"I quit the coffee shop the day after you left. I thought his parents had sent him away. I went to Sun Devil Square to go shopping and I was coming out of the mall and smacked right into him; we both stood staring at each other and then he was like, 'Is Bella's arm okay?' and I said, 'Even it wasn't, that's for her fiancé to deal with,' he started telling me he was in love with you and you didn't give him a chance and then asked if I had your new number or email address," Bree said simply, looking over at Rose and telling her not to overwork the meat.
"I swear the boy has a freaking death wish. I mean, Edward pays my freaking phone bill. Does he not think that Edward wouldn't ask if some random Arizona number started showing up?" I asked.
"I didn't give it to him. I gave him Edward's number and said why don't you call her fiancé and ask him for her number?" Bree winked.
"I'd pay to see that shit, either of you guys want wine?" Rose asked, pulling a wine glass down.
"Yeah, I'll take some," Bree and I both said.
I was shocked when we were putting food on the table and I looked up and realized Rose had made meatballs.
"Let me taste one," I said, pulling a piece of one off and dipping it in the tomato basil sauce she and Bree had made."Holy shit, these are amazing!" I declared.
"The girl can learn if you fucking loons would stop making such a huge deal about it. Just relax and go over what you need her to do and let her go; this girl is made of good sauce," Bree winked at her.
"What do you think is gonna happen to—"
"Bella, don't ask that question. Until one of the guys tells us, we just assume she left," Bree said, shaking her head.
"She's right, never question them about stuff like that," Rose said, pulling down plates.
I just nodded my head and decided to forget about everything that had anything to do with Alice for the time being.
"I fucking smell something amazing." I heard Emmett's voice booming down the hall.
"Is this motherfucker ever not hungry?" Osi asked as they entered the dining room.
"Come on, O; did you seriously just ask that fucking question?" Milo laughed.
"I know, right? I swear, I wonder if promoting this asshole was a good thing when he asks a fucking dumb question like that," Edward said.
"If he wasn't stacking a shit ton of scratch I'd have to agree with you," Emmett laughed.
The guys stood around the kitchen island laughing.
"As soon as Jas gets here we can eat," Edward said, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head.
"Does he know about that other issue?" Milo asked, jerking his head toward the hallway.
"He said to leave it alone and that he would deal with it, so I'm gonna let him do his thing," Edward shrugged.
A few seconds later Jasper came through the back door. He looked different, somehow; like he was tired and the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
"You alright, J?" Emmett asked.
"Not really. Can we, uhh, go outside for a few minutes? There is something all you guys need to know."
"You girls can go ahead and set the table. We'll be right back." Edward instructed.
No one said anything as the guys all went out to the back deck to smoke.
"What was that about? I hope he's okay," I said quietly.
"If Alice told Charlotte's husband, Jasper has a lot of trouble on his hands and Alice is as good as dead," Rose mumbled.
I looked out to the back and the guys were all staring at Jasper, he looked as if he was really upset and talking really fast. Edward looked to be getting angrier by the second. Emmett and Osi were shaking their heads in disbelief and Milo was standing next to Jasper with his hand on Jasper's shoulder.
I looked away as I watched Edward start to speak and all the guys turned to look at him. Edward was sexy and held my attention as it was, but to watch him command his men made me nearly bite through my lip.
He was saying something and pointing to Jasper and then to Osi and the rest of the guys just nodded.
"That right there is the inner circle and your man is the commander," Rose said from right next to me.
"I swear, I can't stop looking at him sometimes." I shook my head stupidly.
"I feel the same way about Emmett. Watching him do business is one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. You know every girl wants a bad boy," Rose said and we both laughed.
We got the food on the table just as the guys were coming in to wash up.
"Babe, is Jasper going to be okay?" I asked, leaning against the sink.
"Yeah, beautiful. He's in a bad spot, but I'm gonna get him out of it," Edward said before kissing my forehead.
"I'm not trying to question you baby, he just looked so scared and tired I—"
"I know, baby, and if you were getting out of line I would correct you; but I know you're just worried about Jas, because he's family. Don't worry, beautiful, Alice will never hurt this family again," he whispered, pulling me to his chest. For some reason, I got emotional and the tears came and I just broke down and started sobbing. I think somewhere inside I just needed Edward to reassure me that he would protect me and he would make sure everything would be okay.
"Shh, it's okay baby, Daddy will always take care of our family. I would never let that fucking bitch hurt us. Don't be afraid, baby girl, I won't let anything happen to you," he crooned, holding me tighter.
He kissed the top of my head and held me tighter.
"I'm sorry, baby. I know my drama is the last thing you need and I have no idea where that just came from," I said wiggling out of his hold to wipe away my tears.
"It's a lot, and we've been going through a lot. It's okay, babe. I know that you would never bring the kind of fuckery Alice just brought us. You're being so good to everyone. Babe, you need to be selfish. It's okay to be selfish, sometimes," he said, rubbing the pad of his thumb along the apple of my cheek.
"No, Edward, it's not. I just feel like I need to be perfect all the time; I refuse to let you, or my dad, or Esme and Carlisle down. I promised you that I would always be—"
"All you have to be is my wife, Bella. I don't give a fuck about anyone else. You are mine; you are going to be my wife. The family is going to stop putting so much fucking pressure on you. I won't allow it," he growled out.
"Edward, I'm trying, I just don't want anyone to be—"
"I'm the only one you are to be concerned with from now on. Do you hear me, Bella? I'm done letting this go. You, my beautiful girl, are too fucking nice and I'm done letting everyone play on that. So, I'm protecting you from everyone, including yourself. Your standard answer from now on is 'I don't know,' or 'I gotta check with Edward.' I'm not trying to control you; but, babe, you remember what we talked about last night?" he asked and I instantly felt my cheeks heat up as I thought about last night.
********Flashback*********
We were both sweaty and breathing hard, my head resting on his chest listening to his heart pound.
"Edward, um, how come you never use a condom?" I whispered.
"We're gonna be married, I knew that from the beginning, and I want kids. I want them with you. So why do anything to prevent it? Are you on anything to prevent it?" he looked down at me.
"No, I think I've wanted babies since we bought her first pair of shoes that day a few weeks ago. I guess I didn't want to assume we were trying, but I didn't want you to think I was trying to trap you," I said letting out a soft breath.
"I thought we've been trying since that night on the bridge; but if we're trying babe you gotta slow down. You need to relax and stop trying to cater to my parents and family," he said, giving me a soft squeeze.
"I promise to slow down. I guess I was trying to be what I'm sure will only amount to half the wife and mother Esme is. I know I don't need to compete, but I just want you to be happy," I whispered.
"I am happy, Bella. You don't need to model yourself after anyone. If I needed something, I hope you know I would tell you. If you're doing something that I need to correct, I'll correct you. This is you and me, not you, me, and our parents," he said and kissed me softly.
*****End****
I looked up at him and smiled. "I hope that we don't have to try for too long," I whispered.
"I don't think we'll need to, babe. I mean, we've been practicing a lot." Edward smirked.
"Yeah, but practicing with you has been so much fun." I blushed.
Dinner with the inner circle was so many laughs I could barely breathe. By the end of the dinner even Jasper had tears in his eyes from laughing.
"You girls killed it on the food," Edward said, tossing his napkin onto his empty plate.
"Baby, did you like the meatballs?" I asked sweetly.
"Honestly, babe, they were the best I've ever tasted, including my mother's," he said, kissing the ends of his fingers.
"Rosalie made them. I thought they were amazing, too," I said, winking at her.
Emmett, Edward and Jasper stopped cold and stared.
"No fucking kidding, my Rosie made these?" Emmett asked before stuffing another meatball in his mouth.
"Yep, that was all your little wifey. No worries, Tonto, I'll have her making four course gourmet dinners in no time. I got you," Bree said with a wink.
"I think I owe you a bonus, Milo. Your girl is kick ass, bro," Emmett whooped and we all laughed as he and Jasper loaded up their plates again.
I got up and started to clear the dishes so I could clean the kitchen when Edward stopped me.
"Bella what are you doing, babe?" he asked.
"Knitting a sweater? I'm clearing the table, silly; the dishes won't wash themselves."
"No, they won't, but Mrs. Cope can do it when she comes in the morning," he said, pulling me into his lap.
"I refuse to go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink; that's just gross and not going to happen," I said, struggling to get out of his lap.
"Oye, woman. I said no. If you want me to call the staff here tonight, I will, but there is absolutely no way you are cleaning this house. We're going out tonight," he said, winking at me.
"We are?" was all the brilliant response I could come up with.
"Yeah, Milo and Osi are being promoted so we're gonna celebrate and we got some business to handle, so you and I are gonna go out with everyone. So, go get ready. Wear something sexy," he said, standing me up and slapping my ass.
"Fine, but am I allowed to go into the kitchen to get another glass of wine, or no?" I asked sticking my tongue out at him.
"Hurry up and do what you gotta do. We're leaving here at nine on the dot," he said, nodding to the guys, and they all went back to Edward's office.
"You guys can come look through my closet and get what you need," I said to Bree and Rose, heading toward the stairs.
We walked up the stairs and I showed Bree where everything was, including my bathroom.
"I fucking love this house. It doesn't look this big from the outside. I especially love your kitchen," Bree said as we walked into my closet.
"There is still the basement where the man cave and movie room are; you didn't even see all of the downstairs. I am in love with this house. At one point, Edward and I were going to move to my mother's old house in Jacksonville; but I like South Beach a lot better and I feel better being closer to everyone," I confessed.
"You know, the house on the other side of us is almost finished and they are gonna put it on the market. You should talk to Milo and see if he would get it for you," Rose commented as she turned on my flat iron and curling iron.
Getting ready with the girls was a riot, and at some point, Rosalie disappeared and when she came back she was holding a small tray with three small glasses full of clear liquid.
"What are those?" I asked warily, staring at the glasses.
"Just a shot to get us ready for tonight—nothing too crazy," Rose said, handing each of us a glass.
I tipped the glass black and nearly gagged as the liquid burned every inch of my throat as it went down.
"Jesus, that felt like I just French-kissed a blow torch." I shook my head as both the girls laughed.
"So, you guys really wanna go off the rails tonight?" Bree asked with a conspiratorial smile on her face.
"Holy shit do you have some?" Rose asked, sounding almost giddy.
Bree dug in her purse and came out with a little white coin purse she dumped the contents in her hand and it was six pills about the size of peanut M&M's with blue ice cream cones on them.
"What is that?" I asked warily.
"It's MDMA. Heightens everything, makes you feel amazing," Bree said, handing 2 pills to Rosalie.
"Maybe I should ask Edward if it's okay. I don't want him to get mad at me," I said.
"He won't, and besides if he says anything I'll take the blame and tell him it was peer pressure. Rose and I got your back and won't let you do anything too dumb or crazy," Bree promised.
I was scared out of my mind but I took the pills with the rest of my wine.I don't know if I expected to instantly explode the minute they hit my stomach but nothing happened.
I went into the master bathroom and finished my hair and makeup. When I finished, I looked at my outfit: hair, makeup, and nails. I barely recognized myself, but I felt amazing and giddy at the same time. It was nice.
I walked out of the bathroom and looked at Rose who was standing behind Bree helping her with the back of her hair.
"You guys almost ready?" I asked.
"Damn, I love that outfit girl; red is definitely your color," Bree said of my T-shirt dress that looked like an Alabama football jersey, but had a v-neck that gave me really great cleavage, and slits up both sides.
After we were done and ready to go downstairs and meet the boys to get on the party bus, I wondered if I would ever feel the effects of the MDMA. I opened the door and there stood Edward, poised to knock. He walked in and looked around.
All I could do was look at him. He walked over and leaned against the dresser and all I wanted was to be near him. I walked over and rested my head on his chest.
"You can thank us later," Rosalie chuckled as I softly kissed his neck.
"What the hell did you guys give her?" he asked with a lopsided smile, staring down at me.
"I bet she fucks your brains out tonight," Bree said with a wink.
"Oh, shit, did you broads give my sweet innocent girl molly?" Edward asked.
"Guilty!" they declared in unison between laughs.
"Oh, shit, baby girl; are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, babe, I'm fine. I don't even feel anything," I said with a shrug.
"Trust me, baby, you will, and I ain't letting you away from me all night," he whispered in my ear, his tongue lightly grazing my earlobe and all I wanted to do was have him inside me.
"Baby, do we really have to go out? I think we would have more fun if we stayed here," I said quietly in his ear.
"Trust me, baby, I'll make it worth it," he winked at me.
"Boss, the bus is here, we ready?" Osi asked.
"Yeah, you guys cool?" Edward asked, never taking his eyes off me.
"Yeah, let's roll out," Osi said and everyone left the room.
"You're starting to feel it, aren't you?" Edward asked with a sly smile on his face.
"I think so, I just feel all warm and tingly and wanna be, like, all over you," I whispered.
"Well, then, be all over me. I mean, come on, babe, you're nineteen and I'm twenty-two; aren't we supposed to be driven by hormones? I mean, we're gonna be married," he said, leaning in for a searing kiss.
On any normal day I loved kissing my fiancé; but right now, with the effects of the drugs, I was infatuated with the taste of his tongue. I needed it.
"God damn, you taste so fucking good," Edward said, licking his lips when we broke apart.
"I can't get enough of you," I smiled up at him.
"Come on, let's go party, baby. You're gonna have a blast. I don't want you to worry about anything; the press can kiss my ass. Let your hair down and we'll deal with the fall out, later," Edward said.
I just rolled my eyes and shook my head and let him lead us out of the house and onto the party bus.
I was wrapped around Edward the minute we sat down. I'd never been to a nightclub and I felt like I should be nervous, but the ecstasy coursing through my bloodstream wouldn't allow the old 'wallflower Bella' out to play. It shoved her into a box and put a big padlock on it.
I was resting my head on Edward's shoulder when I saw Rosalie bend forward and snort a line of white powder.
"Dude, she is going to be fucked. They're already rolling on molly. I feel for you, bro," Edward laughed at Emmett, who just shrugged his shoulders and then nodded towards the glass plate.
"You want some of this, Ed? I got it from the Jewish kid upstate," Emmett said.
"Yeah, I know. Mike wants me to ride out to his house with him next weekend so we can get rid of the shit with the Russians; Mike thinks it's bunk product," Edward said as he untangled from me and I looked at him with a pout.
"Give me a sec, and before you ask if you can try, the answer is no, you're not ready for this yet," he said with a smirk.
"With you I can do just about anything, baby; but on this, I'll trust you," I whispered.
He leaned back and kissed me before turning toward the plate that was being passed around and snorted a line of the white powder himself.
"You gonna give Bella some, bro?" Emmett laughed.
"Yeah, right. No. She's already gone on the molly. At least, she's not a raging lunatic like our other issue," Edward said with a roll of eyes.
"Well, the bitch was fucking crazy without speed. I don't know what the fuck you and Jasper thought was going to happen. You fuckers asked for that shit. Thank god, I was on my honeymoon," Emmett laughed.
"I thought Dad was gonna snap her fucking neck the third time she ran through the house shrieking about all the puppies. He came upstairs to my wing and he stared at me and Jas and he's like, 'One of you little pricks better find the off switch for her before I do it, permanently.' Mom was livid. We wanted to go to Sonic but Mom was like, 'If you leave this house and somehow wind up getting yourselves in trouble I will leave you to rot. And please do something with that little demon before she drives me as bat shit crazy as she is acting.' Shit was too fucking funny."
"Who was the idiot who thought that little maniac needed speed, in the first place?" I spoke up.
"How the hell was I supposed to know it would make her even crazier? I was hoping it would mellow her the fuck out," Jasper said.
"That's what you call an epic fail," Edward said, leaning back and pulling me to his chest.
"Trust me, everything about me and her is a never fucking ending series of epic fucking fails and now—"
"Now, nothing, bro. I got you. I told you I got you; I'm gonna handle the whole fucking thing, all's you gotta do is just relax, brotha," Edward said, turning to me.
I looked at his eyes; glassy, but bright green and intense, smoldering. Something escaped my throat; a whimper mixed with a sigh. He leaned forward and our lips touched and that was it. I was done. I needed to taste him. I needed every inch of him covering me and I didn't care who was around or what they saw. At this point I didn't even need oxygen; all I needed was him.
Emmett's cell ringing was the only thing that made us come up for air. Edward turned to look at him as he looked at the screen and let out a pained groan and walked up front of the bus by the driver.
None of us could hear the conversation; but there wasn't much time before Emmett turned with a sad expression on his face and said, "Edward—I need you, man. Get up here."
"This ain't sounding like a good thing," Osi said, shaking his head.
"Osi, I—"
"Jas, look, bro, I'm not calling you out—me personally, I get what you did and why you did it, and I don't think it's an issue. If it were up to me, we'd never hear about it again. But at the end of the day, you go, we going with you. You did what you felt like you had to do. End of," Osi said, shaking his head.
"We'll see if you feel that way once he comes and unleashes hell on us all," Jasper whispered. He looked so sad, and to be honest, I was starting to worry.
"I happen to know the guy who runs hell. He's your dad and he ain't gonna let this shit ride on your shoulders man," Osi said.
"You trust my father way too much. He's my father but he's also a boss. The boss, and he has rules he has to enforce; just like I had rules I was supposed to follow and didn't," Jasper said.
"Yeah, but your brother runs your crew. Edward would ride for any of us. Good or bad, right or wrong. Just chill and let him handle it. I've known Ed since we was all kids and he ain't never made a promise he couldn't keep or said some shit that wasn't true, so if he said he has a plan; I'm betting we all gonna come out on the other side of this shit. Just don't do it again," Osi said, leaning back and putting his sneakers on the table.
I wasn't really able to focus on any one thing; all I could focus on was Edward. He was standing at the front of the bus with Emmett and Milo. He kept saying no and shaking his head and he was looking from Emmett to Milo.
I leaned over to Rosalie. "Answer me something?" I asked softly.
"Yeah?" she responded.
"How does the hierarchy work? I feel like there is a ranking here I'm missing." I asked.
"Okay, so in the syndicate there are 5 families. The Cullens are one of them. Carlisle is the boss; but he wants to retire, which means Edward would become the boss. Emmett would be his second, or his right hand, and Osi would be his third, or basically, the left hand. Edward, as the boss, would never get his hands too dirty. Milo would move from being a soldato, or soldier, to a capo, just like Jasper is a capo. Each of them has a group of guys that works under them; but the base of the family are these guys on this bus minus one. Felix. Felix is our cousin and one of Edward's best friends. He hasn't been around much. His fiancée Monica is very pregnant with triplets. So he has been out of the spotlight. At the very top of the Syndicate is the Swan Cartel; meaning your dad, Princess," Rosalie explained.
"So, I'm the boss's wife and the commander's daughter? Jesus Christ; this would have been nice to know," I said as Edward winked at me before going back to his conversation.
After a few more minutes Edward came to the back of the bus and sat down next to me.
"Everything okay, baby?" I asked batting my lashes at him.
"I love when you call me, baby," he said, turning to me with a smirk and leaning down to kiss me.
"I love you, period; I want you, baby—more like need you, right now," I whispered giggling, looking around to see if anyone was watching us.
"I know, babe, trust me. I'll make it better," he whispered, his full lips running along my neck. When I felt his tongue on my skin I had to bite down on my cheek to keep from crying out. My skin was so hot and all I wanted was him.
"We're about five minutes away from the club, guys," Osi called out.
I reluctantly crawled off Edward's lap to make sure my hair and makeup were flawless.
"How the fuck do you do that?" Rosalie asked as I touched up my lip gloss.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
She handed me another pill with a wink. "Edward just basically had his tongue down your throat and you walk away, hair and makeup perfectly fucking intact. I swear, you're, like, not even human," she complained as she handed me the bottle of water she had just opened.
"Don't hate me cause you wanna be me," I laughed out.
"See, this is the kick ass Bella we knew you could be. The bad-ass Boss's wife. Own that shit!" Bree said as she poured 9 shots of Patrón.
"Come on, La Familia," Bree commanded. All the guys nodded as the bus slowed down. We all took a shot glass and held it and I tucked into Edward's side as he raised his glass.
"To the crew, to La Familia. Alla famiglia e questa nostra cosa. La famiglia prima di tutto." (To Family and this thing of ours; Family over everything.)
The crew raised their glasses and all declared, "Rotazione Marea: famiglia su tutto. Salute," (Roll Tide: family over everything), and we all downed the shot.
I smiled up at Edward. "Babe, I didn't know you speak Italian; that's so hot," I whispered.
He just smiled and said, "Stick around, little girl. I'm full of surprises." He winked and leaned down for a searing kiss. The taste of the tequila and mint and his scent had me whimpering. The MDMA was making every sensation so heightened and I felt like I was flying.
"Just so you know, the girls have you flipping. They gave you Molly and Mescaline; it's like you're addicted to me and all you see is me. I love that shit; that's how I fucking want it always—only me, Bella," he demanded as he stared directly into my eyes. Like a fucking cat in heat I moaned and whimpered as I wrapped myself around him.
"Yeah, we're gonna fuck all night long," he groaned in my ear, grinding the huge bulge in his jeans against me. The friction was amazing.
"I want you now, baby, please," I begged.
"Be a good girl. Business first and then Daddy promises to give you everything you need. Now, game face on, we're at the club and the press is out there," he commanded into my ear.
I checked my hair and makeup as the bus eased up to the curb in front of the club. There was a line outside and it went up the block. As the bus stopped, six large men appeared at the door from the car that had been following the bus.
"Alright, crew, best behavior tonight. We do business inside the office, no discussions of anything outside of closed doors. No press inside so we're good to go. Emmett and Rose go out; sorry, Rosie, I know you like to make an entrance; but this is Emmett's moment. Osi and Aliya, then Milo and Bree, then J-dizzy," Edward gave Jasper the cocky chin thrust, "and you know the king and queen go last," Edward said.
We all nodded as us girls did one last check of our hair, makeup, and outfits.
I looked over at Edward and smiled as I realized that our outfits nearly matched. Edward in his dark distressed jeans and a black button down that had 'Bama' in fancy blood red script down the right side of the shirt and, as usual, a fitted baseball cap, cocked slightly to the side. The blood red A in the front. 'Roll Tide' on the back, and 'Cullen' embroidered on the side.
"Jesus, that sexy ass man is going to be my husband," I thought as I stared down at my large sparkly diamond.
It was like the drug had lulls and peaks like a roller coaster. And another peak was coming. It was like my eyes and thought pattern shifted and were all about my fiancé.
I casually walked over to stand next to him. He was talking to Osi and as soon as I was in his reach he grasped my side hard and pulled me to his side.
"No matter, bro—Nico has him here. We squash this shit tonight. I mean, she's under the mattress by now, so who fucking cares about the puttana? She was bat shit crazy and—yeah, we'll handle the commission later," Edward said as he abruptly stopped the conversation to shield me and Osi's girl. Just like me, she tuned out as the men talked business.
Then it was time. I saw the camera flashes as Rose and Emmett exited the bus.
"Congrats, Emmett; this club is amazing," one of the reporters shouted out.
Emmett gave them a cocky smirk and a chin thrust and kept walking.
"Rose, who are you wearing?" another girl shouted as she held out her cell.
"Cavalli and private label," Rosalie winked.
Before I knew it, Edward and I were stepping off the bus and the people in line went absolutely nuts.
Shouts of, "We love you Bella and Edward," surrounded us, along with boos of Edward should marry me. We took it in stride and laughed, but only had eyes for each other.
"Bella where did you get your dress?" I was asked.
"Private label. Sorry, it was designed for me," I said, trying to appear sympathetic.
"When is the wedding?" another reporter shouted.
"People gets the exclusive; no date has been set yet." A publicist appeared out of nowhere.
It wasn't long before we were in the club and it was beautiful inside. "Does Emmett really own this?" I shouted over the music.
"In theory, and to the press, yes; I mean, the concept and design were his but the actual owner is a friend of ours," he said.
"I'm sure it has to do with business and The Princess has no desire to know," I winked at him.
"That's Daddy's good girl," he kissed the top of my head.
"Hi, I'm Zafrina, and I'll be the concierge for your private room, Mr. Cullen. I want you to know Mr. Anunzio selected me personally to take care of your party with the utmost discretion and I've signed an NDA," she said kindly.
"Thanks a lot. I'm glad we can leave the instruction speech shit alone," he said, not looking up from his phone.
"Well, if you're ready, the room is ready and you can follow me?" she asked.
"No time like the present," Edward mumbled, taking my hand and following as she led us up a flight of stairs that curved to a hallway. At the end of the hallway she opened a door. The crew was already in there. Various plush, soft lounge furniture was scattered all over the room which was done in rust, red, and cream. I walked over to the corner where a large half-moon chaise sat off to the side.
"Good evening, Mrs. Cullen. I have to say you're much prettier in person, can I get you something to drink?" Zafrina asked.
"You're so sweet, thank you. Can I get an ice water and a strawberry mojito and a bottle of 1800 for my fiancé. Also, can we get a couple of shot glasses?" I asked with a smile. I had no idea what had just happened to Edward's mood but I was gonna either get him smashed or fuck him into a better mood; whichever came first.
"I like the way you think; good plan," Zafrina said and walked away.
I just sat and looked around. There were a few guys that I'd never met in the suite. They mostly stood around just scanning the room. They were Edward's protection detail. The prince had to be protected.
"What are you doing over here all by yourself?" Edward whispered in my ear from behind, his tongue running a wet line across my shoulder.
"Being a good girl and waiting," I whispered as I prepared for the fast approaching peak.
"Good girls are fucking sexy," he groaned in my ear.
"Bad girls are even better," I whispered as Zafrina approached with the tray.
She sat everything on the table next to us. As she walked around the suite picking up empty plates and glasses, she pulled the privacy screens, which appeared to be two way glass. We could see the crowd down below but they couldn't see us.
"So what's all this?" he asked, reaching over and opening the bottle.
"I didn't like where your mood was headed so I took it upon myself to make sure that you stayed where I needed you to be," I licked my lips.
"And where is it that you need me to be?" he asked.
"You know, where you want to be," I said, an impatient sigh following.
He gave me this lascivious smirk before pouring a shot; he dipped his middle finger into the liquid before dragging it finger down my right thigh. He repeated it to the left, before covering both lines of tequila in sugar crystals.
"Damn, this is gonna be fucking good; now be a good girl and be quiet and let me enjoy this," he growled low before sinking to his knees and throwing my legs over his shoulders.
He licked up the inside of my thigh before biting down on the lemon and my throbbing, swollen lips. I almost cried out, but the murderous look in his eyes when I whimpered told me that he was serious when he told me to be quiet.
He spit the first lemon to the side and went back in for the second line of tequila and sugar crystals. He dragged his tongue along my soaked thong and flicked again with it, what he pretended to be the lemon and I nearly bit my lip off when he stopped and stood.
"Let me show you something in my office," he said, smirking and holding out his hand. We got some catcalls and teasing as I took his hand and we walked out onto the catwalk that led to the offices. I think it was at that moment when all the alcohol and contraband finally hit Edward. His eyes were bright green and his pupils were extremely dilated.
"You have no idea how bad I need you right now," he groaned.
"I'll take care of it, babe. I might even let you fuck my mouth in your new office," I said with a lick of my lips.
"Oh—check out the mouth on you. I fucking love it," he said, and right as we got to the hallway where the offices lined either side, rapid gunfire erupted over the music.
The next thing I knew I was being thrown to the floor and Edward was screaming for Emmett.
"I thought you fucking fixed this?" Emmett roared as he came out of his office with a large handgun.
"He's fucking early. How'd I know he was gonna get his wad twisted and go off? What the fuck are we gonna do now?" Edward groaned.
"We?! Oh, fuck no—we ain't gonna do shit. You are going to take Bella out the back door; there is a car waiting to take you home. I'm gonna finish this. I don't know what the fuck he's after but he ain't getting you and he for damn sure ain't getting Jas. Go home, Edward—Dad would kill all of us if anything happened to you," Emmett demanded.
"I'm not leaving you here bro—let me just go talk to him!" Edward demanded.
"Fuck no! The press is here—someone is going to talk. We need to wait for Dad," Emmett said as he pressed his hand to a panel in the wall.
The wall opened and Edward and Emmett herded us inside. A panic room. I felt at this point the best thing I could do was be quiet and let Edward and Emmett work it out.
"Where's Rosalie and the others?" Edward asked.
"They're good. Osi got everyone out the back door right after the first gun shots," Emmett said while lighting a cigar.
"Fuck, what is Petey thinking? I get it—he's pissed at Jas; but we agreed we'd settle this away from family—that the bosses would handle this," Edward groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well, apparently, he changed his mind; and now it's out of your hands, Edward—Dad and Charlie will step in now," Emmett said, leaning against his desk.
"What does my dad have to do with anything?" I asked quietly.
Edward's head whipped around as if he'd forgotten that I was with him. "Jesus, Bella. Babe, are you alright? Fucking hell— babe, I'm so—"
"Edward, if you apologize, I swear I'll punch you. It's a business thing, baby. I'm fine and I trust that you'll take care of it," I said, smiling up at him.
"Dang! She's threatening to punch me. I'm kinda—" Edward said with his hands raised in mock surrender.
"What are we gonna do, Edward?" I asked, starting to worry about the press. Damage control. But worst of all, I worried about what happens if Edward gets hurt?
"Babe, you got nothing to worry about. I got this; no worries, okay? I got someone coming to take you home and Emmett and I are gonna deal with our buddy," Edward crooned, pulling me to his chest.
"What if he does something to Jasper? I just don't want to lose any of you." I felt my anxiety start to spike.
"Babe, I got you. Io sono il re di tutti i re e niente succederà alla mia regina," he whispered, lifting my chin. (I am the king of all kings and nothing will happen to my queen.)
"Stop being so charming, you're making me all melty and stuff," I giggled.
The sound of a hammer cocking caught my attention. Edward turned and looked at the pump action assault rifle Emmett had resting on his shoulder.
"You tell 'em we're coming—and we're bringing hell with us," Emmett said.
"Jesus, fucker, how many times have you watched Tombstone?" Edward laughed, pulling his eagle from behind his back.
He turned to me and looked me in the eye as he cocked his head to the side. "So, baby girl, let me ask you something," he said, leaning against the desk.
"Anything; you know you can ask me anything," I said, starting to get nervous.
"You trust me to do always do what's best for us—even if it's not the safest plan—but the best, right?" he asked.
"Of course—I know you will always protect me," I assured him.
"Alright then, Bella mia; stay on my hip—do not let go of me and and keep low. I'm gonna get us out of here. Okay, baby?" he said before softly kissing my lips.
"Yeah, let's go home. I know we'll be alright," I assured him.
"Alright, let's do this shit!" Emmett said, heading for the door.
And here I was thinking all I was gonna get was a night of drama free fun. Yeah, right.