Chapter 6
BPOV

There was a knock on my door at exactly six o'clock, just like I'd been told to expect. I did a quick turn in the mirror, taking in the way the silk felt against my skin and how the dress hugged my every curve. I'd enjoy wearing it for the night, then I'd give it back to him. Maybe his fiancée could get some use out of it.

As I pulled open the door, I realized he wasn't even attempting to play fair. He wasn't the typical man I went after, but I couldn't deny he was gorgeous.

My gaze raked over him as he stood on my porch. He was in a perfectly pressed dark blue suit, the color almost an exact match to my dress. His dark hair was combed and parted to the side, with a few strands falling out of place into his eyes. Oh, his eyes. I hadn't truly noticed their color the times we'd been together. They were the perfect shade of blue-green, a color similar to seafoam. He was probably about ten years older than me and, honestly, he seemed like a bit of a square, as if he never stopped to have fun. Most of the time, I fell for guys with long, shaggy hair who shared my passions and ideals. Men who saw me as an equal, and not as a possession; not counting Jake.

"Bella." He leaned in, taking my hand in his and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You look lovely."

"Oh, uh, you do, too." I tripped over my words as I snapped out of my daze.

He smirked, raising his eyebrows. "I look lovely, do I?"

I glared at him, grabbing my purse. "You know what I mean. Handsome, you look handsome." I pushed past him, obviously flustered. Until I saw the car sitting in my driveway and I couldn't help gawking. "What is that?"

"An Aston Martin DB5."

"That's—"

"The same car as James Bond, yes."

"But how—"

"Money talks, Bella." He walked over, opening the car door for me to slide in.

I felt my stomach flip with his words, and once again I began to wonder what I was doing here. This wasn't me. I was in a dress that probably cost more than my rent, and a car worth more than four years of college tuition. As he climbed into the driver's seat, I whispered, "You can't buy me, Edward. I'm not some... whore."

"Bella—"

"No," I snapped. "You can't buy me with flowers, fancy dresses, or cars. I won't spread my legs for you because you're taking me to dinner at a restaurant where I'm technically not even allowed. I should have never…" I gripped the door handle, pushing it open and stepping out.

"Bella, will you please wait?" he called after me as I slammed the door.

"Why?"

I stepped out of the shoes he'd sent me, leaving them in the driveway. I walked barefoot to my front door, feeling him right behind me the whole way. As he followed me inside the house, I unzipped the dress and pulled it from my body. Tossing it at him, I stood there in nothing but my bra and panties. I should have felt self-conscious at that moment, but I didn't. I felt strong, no matter how weak I may have actually been.

"I hardly know a damn thing about you besides your name, but I can tell you that we're two very different people."

I didn't care as I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, or when his eyes darkened as he drank in my nearly naked form. All I cared about was the fact that I hadn't let him buy me.

"Why did you agree to go with me, then? I told you the other night I don't love her. For God's sake, I don't even like her!"

I had to ask myself the same thing; why had I agreed to go with him? I knew the answer, but it wasn't one I liked. He intrigued me, and I was physically attracted to him. "Then don't marry her!"

"It's not that easy. If I don't marry her, I stand to lose everything I've worked for. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I don't even know why I'm standing here arguing with you. Look, you're right. We've got nothing in common. You're outspoken, nonconforming, you're far from being a lady, and you're everything I can't stand in a woman. But still, I'm drawn to you."

"Because I'm a flirt and I make your dick hard. I'm not stupid. I know how men like you see me. You don't know me, yet you think I'm easy. You assume that you'll wine and dine me, I'll spread my legs, we'll fuck and you'll be on your way. I'm not easy. I won't just sleep with anyone. There has to be a connection. I do have some morals." I turned, heading into my bedroom to find my robe. Once again, he followed me.

"I don't understand you." The frustration in his voice was evident.

"Like I said, you don't know me, so how could you understand me?"

"Most women love to be showered with flowers and expensive presents, taken to a nice meal. What do you want?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him, tying my robe around my waist. "I don't think you care about what I want. You've shown me the type of man you are in the thirty minutes we've been together tonight, and I'm everything you can't stand, remember?"

He shoved his hands in his hair, messing up his carefully combed styling. "I'm sorry."

"Are you actually sorry you said it, or sorry I didn't fall for your bullshit?"

"Honestly? A little of both."

He was a chauvinistic asshole, he was engaged to be married, and I was sure I wasn't his first attempt at stepping out on her. But just like every time I was near him, my body hummed with excitement at his proximity. No matter how much I wished it wouldn't.

Maybe it was wrong of me, but I needed to know him. I wanted to know who he was outside the money and fancy gifts. Because deep down inside, in the pit of my belly, I felt like we were probably more similar than either of us knew.

And in order to get to know him, the real him, I needed to loosen him up.

"You ever smoke pot, Edward?"

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