Thank you for the time you spare to let me know how much you enjoy this story!

I trust you all had a good time this Christmas, as much as possible during the current situation in the world.

I'd also like to thank gabby1017 for helping me with catching silly mistakes in my writing.

The pub was pretty packed for a Thursday night, but thankfully Gary had allowed her to help only the bachelor's party table. The group was loud, but she was used to it.

Bella returned to their table with fresh beers. As she leaned between two of Emmett's friends, to place the bottles on the table, one hand shot up, pinching her ass. Before she could dump one of the bottles in the offender's lap, Edward lunged at the man, twisting his hand behind his back. She stared in horror and wonder, as Edward spat curses in the man's face, threatening to break his fingers if they ever went in contact with Bella's skin again.

Emmett clapped Edward's back, when he returned to his seat, seething. "Chill, man! Alistair is just messing around. You know he's next to tie the noose around his neck."

Edward shoved Emmett away from him. He stood up, heading to the bar.

"Sorry," Alistair smiled apologetically. "Maybe you should switch me to water."

"Good choice." Bella nodded, intercepting Paul on her way to the bar. "Bring some water to my table. I'm taking a break."

"Sure, Bella." He winked, disappearing toward the large refrigerator behind the bar.

Bella hooked a finger in one of the loopholes of Edward's jeans, pulling him after her. He stumbled a little until he found his footing, before he followed her silently.

She took him to the back alley, wishing she'd brought her smokes, too.

"That wasn't necessary," she said quietly.

"He fucking pinched your ass!" He almost growled.

"Men had done worse. You do realize that he's not the first to cope a feel, right?" She crowded him into the wall, keeping her eyes on his. In the darkness, only the whites were visible.

He did growl this time. "No one is allowed to touch you!"

"And what are you going to do about it? Tattoo on my forehead Property of Edward Cullen?" Bella challenged, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of their conversation.

His hands pulled her closer, holding her hips in a tight grip. "As much as I don't like markings on such a perfect skin…" He traced the back of his fingers over Bella's bare arm. "I might consider it, but not on your forehead…" He grab fistfuls of her ass, making her groan.

"Are you serious?" she breathed out.

"I'm not sure." He bent his head to kiss her with feral hunger. "Fuck." He spun them around, lifting her up and slamming her back against the brick wall. His fingers curved around the hem of her panties, finding her folds. He didn't waste much time, pumping two fingers into her wetness.

Bella moaned loudly. Her fingers were in his hair, as she thrust her hips into his hand, searching for release. Even though the material of her panties should have irritated her skin, it added to the arousal as it rubbed against her folds with each pump of Edward's fingers.

Bella remembered a time she'd masturbated, in the same alley, to the email Edward had sent her about his fantasies. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Oh! Oh! Right there," she gasped out, biting on her lower lip.

Tears sprung into her eyes when he pulled away. She hoped this wasn't some game to test her on whether if she could hold her orgasm. She was ready to take matters in her own hands when she heard the sounds of his zipper being pulled down.

"Oh, God!" That was the hottest sound in the world.

Edward grabbed her face in his hand, kissing her roughly as he arranged her legs around his waist. He kept her pressed into the wall with his chest as he rolled a condom on his erection, then he pushed into her. He cursed loudly into her ear, as he started moving in jerky movements. It meant he was just as close as she was.

"Bella? Your table is out of control!" Paul was in the doorway, but thankfully he couldn't see her behind the dumpster.

Edward cupped a hand over her mouth, as a loud moan exploded from her lips.

"You, kinky girl," he rasped into her ear.

They heard the metal door being shut a minute later, but not before Paul muttered about being abandoned.

Edward's hands went under her ass, his fingers digging into her flesh, and he fucked her quickly. They came undone, covering their moans of pleasure with more kisses.

"You're downright addictive, Bella. I can't get enough."

"I'm confident enough to say you got yourself a lifetime supply of your Bella drug."

He chuckled into her hair. "Let's break the party and take Emmett home, before my sister kills me."

They returned inside the pub, confident that their absence hadn't been noticed by the party-goers. Paul ambushed Bella as soon as she appeared into his line of vision.

So much for basking in the afterglow of their hot romp in the back alley.

"I don't care where you've been, but you better get them all out. This might be your pub, B, but your friends are going to scare the patrons."

"Call five cabs, please," Edward told him on the way to the loud table.

Bella tried not to laugh at the sight of a drunken Emmett. He was downright funny.

Edward dropped her hand as they stopped at the table, but his touch left a tingling feeling on her skin. She'd never had such a connection with anyone.

.

.

.

Edward was glad to see the last cab driving away with Emmett's moronic friends. He couldn't even feel bad about the way he'd pushed Alistair in the backseat of the last cab and how he'd hit his head on the doorframe. It served him right for daring to touch Bella.

Edward took a calming breath, because he had to endure Emmett before he had to face Rosalie. The thought of Emmett getting his drunken ass kicked by his future bride made Edward chuckle. Unless, she decided to kick Edward's ass for getting her fiancé drunk.

The drive to his sister's place wasn't long, but it seemed to last forever with Emmett singing loudly, off-key from the backseat, then shaking Edward's seat, demanding to pull over. It seemed like Emmett had enough presence of mind to open the right side door when Edward stopped the car. All he managed was to lean out of the car, enough not to vomit inside.

Edward should be mad at himself for allowing Emmett to drink so much, but he'd been distracted by Bella looking sinfully good in her short skirt and tight top. Once Emmett felt better, Edward continued driving.

Bella sat in the passenger seat, too quiet. She probably hadn't seen Emmett drunk before.

"Stay here," Edward whispered, after he parked in front of his sister's house.

He pulled Emmett out, supporting most of the oaf's weight, shuffling to the door. Edward was trying to unlock the door with the keys he'd fished from Emmett's pocket, when his sister snatched the door open.

"Oh, Emmett!" she sighed loudly, reaching for him.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Do you want to be crushed under his weight?"

"How much did he have to drink?" she asked, hovering by her fiancé's side as Edward dragged him to the bedroom.

"I didn't keep count," Edward muttered. He helped Emmett sit on the side of the bed. Emmett promptly fell backwards, falling asleep. "Pathetic."

Rose pulled her brother down the hallway. "You have no right to judge him for having fun."

"Please, Rose. I'm not ready for one of your speeches."

She touched his elbow slowly, gripping it. "Tell me if you're all right."

His family had noticed he hadn't been himself lately. It was bound for them to notice something was wrong after he'd been so happy for a few short weeks, only to fall back into the dark pit.

"Everything is perfect. See you on Saturday." He leaned to kiss her cheek. "If you need my help in the meantime, let me know."

"Everything is taken care of," she said softly.

"Good. Look, I have to go." He hurried to the front door, but she was hot on his heels.

"When am I going to meet her?" Rosalie demanded. "She's already hurt you."

"It's complicated," Edward muttered. "You'll meet her at the wedding." He opened the door before she could keep him in there for longer than necessary.

"Did you drive?" Rosalie's voice raised, close to hysterical.

"Relax, sis. It's not my first time behind the wheel since… I'm okay."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes toward the car, and Edward was happy to see that Bella wasn't visible, just her shape, in the dark car.

"Sorry I got Emmett drunk." Edward hugged her quickly, before jogging to the car. He stared after his sister, returning inside the house, as he snapped the seatbelt in place. "Ready?" He glanced at Bella, only to find her curled against the passenger door, fast asleep.

Smiling at the sight, he started driving home. He still couldn't believe she had somehow agreed to be his.

He drove slowly, enjoying the nonexistent traffic so late at night.

At home, he was grateful for Felix opening the front door, before Edward could figure out how to unlock it and press the door handle with Bella in his arms.

"Thanks. Good night, Felix," he said on his way to his room.

"Night, sir."

Edward decided not to undress Bella, or she might wake. That was the last thing he wanted. She was tired. She had been in as much pain as him.

Edward lay next to her for a long time before sleep claimed him. He talked himself out of firing Tanya about a dozen times. Truth was, she was damn good at her job, and Edward doubted he'd find anyone as discreet and skilled as her. The woman had even hidden talents – like playing nurse and saving Edward from himself. That part absolved her mostly, because Edward knew she had meant well. She had even tried to rectify her mistake by telling him to go after Bella, but she had been too much of a coward to admit to his face what she had done.

In the morning, he woke up to the sound of water running from his bathroom.

There were such small things that he'd forgotten about. Those otherwise common sounds letting him know there was someone else in his house, in his room…

Smiling, Edward padded to the bathroom. Bella was scrubbing at her face with a wad of paper towels and cotton balls. Her make-up was under her eyes and running down her cheeks, giving her an authentic Goth look.

"Ugh. I'm a mess," she protested. "I forgot the make-up removal at home, no thanks to Alice shoving me out the door."

Edward chuckled, going to hug her from behind. He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder.

That sidetracked him. What happened to her clothes?

Then he checked how she was dressed and bit back a moan. She'd showered, judging by her wet hair and his red towel was wrapped around her body.

"I could check in Tanya's room, if she has any make-up removal," Edward offered, combing his fingers through her wet locks.

"Oh. That… If it's not too much?"

"I'll be right back."

Edward decided they needed to make a list with stuff Bella would need while she came over, because if he'd have it his way, she wouldn't be spending much time in her crappy studio.

When he opened Tanya's room, he reeled back in shock.

Tanya was back from visiting her sister. She had her bag opened on the bed, unpacking.

"Sir," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

Edward hadn't expected to see her. It was for everyone's best that he didn't have his speech prepared.

"I'm so sorry for what I caused. Felix told me that Miss Swan is back."

Edward was surprised by how politely Tanya was talking about Bella. She hadn't bothered with his other Subs, not even with Angela.

"Please, just let me know if I should bother finish unpacking…or should I pack up what's left and…"

"Tanya." Edward halted her ramblings with a hand raised. She flinched, which made him wonder how lowly she thought of him. "Please finish unpacking, but before you do that, do you have any make-up removal?"

She stared at him curiously, then plucked her toiletries bag, extracting a tall bottle from it. She offered it to him, still confused.

"Bella forgot hers at home," he explained. "I trust you to be on your best behavior until we have a chat."

"She'll need some of these, too." Tanya handed him a box of cotton pads.

"Thanks."

She nodded quickly. "Should I start breakfast?"

"Sure." He left the room, taking a calming breath. He wasn't sure how he should approach this delicate situation. He never had to punish any of his employees.

Tanya was already suffering, regretting her actions, but she deserved some sort of punishment from him.

Inside his bathroom, he found Bella still in front of the mirror, trying to erase the black mascara from under her eyes. He handed her the bottle and the cotton pads Tanya had given him.

"Thanks," she whispered, grateful.

Edward stepped out of his sleep pants, heading into the shower stall. He smirked, at the gasp that left Bella's lips.

"Care for another shower?" he asked, turning the faucet on and allowing the steaming hot water to cascade over his body.

Bella shook her head, focused on cleaning her face.

It hadn't been his intention to tease her as he started washing, but it didn't take long for Bella to leave the bathroom, mumbling about 'teasing assholes'. Edward was yet again surprised by his reaction – instead of being insanely angry at her for calling him names, he laughed.

Once he was done in the bathroom, he got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, going in search of Bella. She had prepared their coffee, which made him wonder where the hell Tanya was.

Bella was sitting on one of the bar stools at the kitchen island, typing on her phone. Edward wrapped his arms around her shoulders, moving her hair out of the way to be able to kiss the delicate skin on her neck. She shuddered under his touch.

"Plans for today?" He kept kissing up and down her neck, hoping to hint at what he planned on doing.

"Alice will be here in two hours with my dress for tomorrow," Bella answered, finally placing the phone down.

"I hope she doesn't plan on playing dress-up. That takes ages."

Bella tilted her head to look at him, grinning. "I hate playing dress-up, so she doesn't have a good Barbie subject."

"Good." He kissed her wetly. His hands went to her waist, turning her around as he stepped between her legs. Then, he lifted her up onto the counter, all the while kissing her.

The naughty girl was wearing one of his t-shirts and her panties only.

"Fuck, Bella." He groaned into her mouth, his hands skimming over her bare thighs and up, until they touched her stomach. Her muscles quivered under his touch, and he allowed his fingers to travel higher to her boobs. Just as his thumb stroked over her pebbling nipple, the sound of footsteps made him drop his hand.

It wasn't like Tanya and Felix weren't used to such displays from him, but Bella would clearly be embarrassed.

"What?" she gasped, her eyes clouded with desire.

Edward didn't move from his spot between her legs, as he met Tanya's wide eyes behind Bella's shoulder. Then, he looked at Bella and took her hand, helping her down.

"Let me give you a proper tour of the house."

"Oh!" Bella squeaked when she spotted Tanya.

Thankfully, Tanya kept her mouth shut when Edward threw her a warning look. Bella didn't need to hear her apology.

Tanya will be forgiven eventually, since her heart was in the right place.

See you all on Wednesday!