You guys really hit the nail on the head with those comments from last chapter. I hope I live up to your expectations… it's always hard introducing new characters… Happy Holidays!

Chapter 10: The New Family

I'm about as plain as it gets, so maybe that's why the sight is so appalling. I'm doing it. I did it. I'm wearing the shirt in front of the bathroom mirror.

Then again, I'm so plain that maybe I'll blend in with the threadbare couch behind the pool tables. Nobody's really coming to see me embarrass myself. They're coming to handle business for Anita's bar.

My head tilts on an axis somewhere between pretext and complete travesty. My nipples poke the material in small mounds. They stick out like two good reasons I should put my clothes back on and go home. I know it's a moot point, but I bring my hair forward to cover them if only for a little while.

"Come on, Bella. It will be fine, nothing bad will happen. I'll owe you." She pushes me out of the bathroom by the tips of my shoulders.

"I don't know, Anita. I'm not really the cool flirtatious type." I really can't help you. I'm not cut out for this. I'm not the type of girl that guys would do anything for. I'm an afterthought. I'm not the prize of persuasion.

"It'll be fine. Just serve the damn drinks, and if one of the guys takes interest, go with it. I'm here and Embry's here. Relax." Her tone is far from reassuring. It's presumptuous and glozing.

The anxiety is building, and this time everything is far too intimate. People I've never seen before have found their way into the bar.

Walking to the front feels like the first time I ever stepped into a bar. I'm like a fish out of water, flapping around searching for a shield so I can hide, so I can breathe.

There's a petite woman playfully waving a pool stick at a long haired guy. Embry's wiping the bar down. Everyone seems normal, in their own world. The sounds of the commotion have become my comfort. If I close my eyes it sounds like every other day, routine.

But my eyes can't stay closed. My dreams of bliss and comfort don't really exist. I'm forced to open my eyes and look for Anita.

A guy who looks kinda irritated is leaning on a table in the darkest corner of the room with her. She beckons me with her frantic flailing hands and dread assaults my stomach.

I'm breathlessly floating to the table. I can't feel my legs or my toes. My head is swimming.

"Bella, this is Edward. Edward, this is Bella. While we're waiting for the other boys to turn up, go ahead and relax. Anything you need, Bella's your girl." Her introduction makes me feel like our little talk in the back was a joke, some sick burlesque of what was to some. It's the way she says my name that makes me believe she won't be blamed for whatever happens in this bar tonight.

Edward does not seem too worried about my presence. On the other hand, Anita is making things ten times worse. She's doing all the talking, and moving, and giving me weird looks as if I know what to do. She flings my hair back behind my shoulders and exposes me.

I told you I didn't know what to do. You should have asked someone else. He's not the least bit interested. Don't make me feel guilty about this going left. This was your plan and now the curtains have been lifted. She has set the stage for my last ounce of dignity to be swept away at the sound of the audience 'boos'.

I'm ready to make the dash of my life. One look at Edward and I've lost all the determination in my body. He hasn't even said a word and I've already got stage fright.

I'm not sure why, but it's his lack of attention that makes me skittish. He hasn't said a word to Anita either.

His unusual appearance is disheveled, but clean at the same time. His weirdly blondish, auburn hair and pale skin make him almost glow in the dim light.

All three of us are standing there in awkward silence. He's staring at me blankly. There is no outward expression. I'm forced to breathe him in. This is on a higher level of embarrassment. This is humiliation.

"Did you bring it, hun?" Anita leans toward him motioning to take a seat.

He looks unassuming but his movements are too bullish, callous. There's something brutal about his movement. He makes sitting in a chair look domineering.

"Yeah, of course. How could I forget about you, Anita." He places a heavy ultraviolet glass bottle onto the table and her eyes light up like a Christmas tree.

This is the first time I hear his voice and it is strikingly soft, but not the least bit faint. It licks at my nerves in a weird attraction. It's like an echo or rebound of a buzzing frost.

"Oh, Edward this is great! We've gotta taste it now." She pushes me toward the bar kind of hard with an expectant look. "Bella grab a few glasses will yah."

I bring back a couple of shot glasses and try to make a quiet getaway. But I'm not fast enough, swift enough. I'm always a second behind.

Piercing green eyes and a strong, cold grip catches my wrist. "Hey, hey where are you running off to?"

"Nowhere." Home, away from this bar. Anywhere, hell under a table if I can get there fast enough.

"Well then drink with me. I'm in need of beautiful company." Edwards eyes watch me, look up at me from tall lashes. His shameless grip does not waver.

This isn't the time to say no. I promised Anita I would do her this favor but nobody said anything about drinking. But then again, what did I reasonably expect.

"Oh no I'm not- I don't drink. I uh-"

"Oh Bella, go on and loosen up a bit. You're off the hook for the night after this." Anita is way too eager to pass me a shot glass. She raises up from her chair and heads toward the pool tables.

"No, Anita I have to drive home." My hurried words barely reach her retreating figure.

"Don't worry about that. Embry will give you a ride home. Edward's a real gentleman. Quit being a scaredy cat." Her offhand response is so alarming to me. Have I been too naive to think that this night would go well?

I look over at Embry and he gives a short, understanding nod, a knowing nod. Does everyone know what I have to do, what Anita asked me to do tonight. Does everyone in this bar know why I'm wearing this damn shirt?

I knew it. I know she can tell. I'm not clean. I'm not innocent anymore. There's nothing left of me to save. Anita has thrown me to the wolves.

Edward pulls me onto his lap and looks up at me like I'm some long lost treasure. His tight straight lips settle into a half smile before pulling the bottle closer.

"What is this?"

"Try it. It's good."

"Sure, but what is it? The only thing I've seen in an unmarked bottle is moonshine and I don't ever want any parts of that."

He laughs. "I think I'm going to like you. It's bourbon."

I hesitate at the sight of the amber liquid being poured into the glass.

"You only live once and this is a once in a lifetime shot." Somehow this mantra sounds even more stupid coming from a guy who looks like he's in his early thirties. Well, I'm assuming thirties because he seems so mature.

But he should know by now, "Whether you're drunk or sober, life is pretty boring. There's no need for me to drink."

"So you think I'm boring?"

"Who said that? No it's more like you seem bored." And it does not seem like you say what you mean anyway. Why would he think I thought he was boring?

He looks at me like he's trying to read my mind. He's having trouble with my answer. He huffs out a breath that runs cold against my exposed chest.

"My family owns a distillery. And this is one of my creations. Try it and tell me what you think." Edward slides the shot towards me without breaking eye contact.

"I wouldn't be much help. I don't drink whisky. I probably wouldn't be able to make a distinction between this and a shot of Jack."

"I figured you don't drink. And unless your father is into Italian whiskey I doubt you'd ever hear of it."

"Oh my father's into anything that comes in a bottle."

"Oh, why is that?"

I look up at the dark ceiling and exhale back to reality. "The woes of a fisherman are not for the weak."

He gives me the most boyishly confused look before I give in and ask the question that's been hanging in the back of my head. "You're not from around here are you?"

"My family just moved here. We live out in the sticks."

Oh he lives in one of those mansions in the boondocks. I should've known, probably old money. "Now that sounds boring."

We both laugh at my interjection. I should ask him why they moved here but I doubt I'd get a real answer. People don't just up and move to a town like this.

I take a short glance around the bar. Is this his family? Nobody looks related to one another at all.

"Well since I'm here, and you're not scared to tell me what you think, go ahead and take a sip. It's sweet."

The oddest thing about the shot is that it looks way more harmless than anyone milling around this bar. I foolishly toss the shot back and nearly choke on the burn. It's sweet only for a moment before it spikes at the roof of my mouth and down the back of my gullet.

"Like I said, I think I'm going to like you. I should have warned you about bourbon. It's sweet and smooth until it hits the back of your throat."

"Now you tell me." I grab my nose to keep the flame low. I should've known there was a catch. I should've known I'm way too trusting. I bet he can smell the naivete.

"Master blenders dilute their whisky down to 20%, to reveal flaws and subtle flavors, sure but that's not how I designed this drink. Try whisky neat at first without water or ice, allow it to express itself as its creator intended."

He gently pats and rubs circles over my back. I watch him as he leans in, his breath washing over my exposed neck. "Now that you expect the burn, try it again. This time let the bourbon roll across your tongue, then swallow."

He passes me another shot before pouring one for himself. We drink at the same time and the heat rises to my cheeks in a mellow sear that's sweet and smoky at the same time. It's almost floral.

"Oh, that is good."

"I'm glad you like it." His crooked grin spreads into a toothy smile. His teeth are perfect but not too perfect. They're white but not perfectly straight.

For him to be such a soft spoken, boyishly appearing man, he's eerily weird. There's something about him that tells me I should run. But he really hasn't done anything to make me run.

Yes, I'm sitting in his lap, and now both of his arms are wrapped around my waist, but it doesn't feel predatorial in the slightest. I wouldn't call it comfort either, his stare is way too spine-tingling.

The way he holds me, his arms feel tender and considerate. Nothing else can touch me, like no other man would dare touch me. I'm under some sort of veil.

"So did you wear this for me? Although you're absolutely breathtaking, this doesn't seem like your style." His index finger ghosts over my sternum, sending a shiver up the nape of my scalp. My back curves inward on itself and I have to refrain from crossing my arms over my chest.

Maybe I spoke too soon. He emits no aura, just a sensory overload. He's like a ghost who really isn't here. I can't feel good or bad energy coming from him. I can't even feel his attraction towards me.

"How do you know what my style is?" How can you understand so much when I can't even feel your presence?

"You're the prettiest woman I've seen since I got to this godforsaken town. A woman like you doesn't have to wear something like this. Just you being here is enough to tease me, excite me."

I can't tell if he really believes what he's saying, or if he's telling me what he thinks I want to hear. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. I'm just here as a cheap bribe from Anita.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

I guess my lack of reaction forces the question. The funny thing is I don't have an answer for something I don't feel. "No it's not that. It just doesn't mean anything around here. It's a small town, remember? Compliments lead nowhere in the middle of nowhere."

Well I've been around, seen a lot of places. I know what I like. Besides, it's not boring and uneventful in this town. Last time I saw you, you were fighting in the lion's den."

Now it's my turn to look confused.

"I saw your little fight in the diner…"

"Oh god, I'd hardly call it a fight."

"No, no it was very interesting, entertaining. I think it was entertaining because it was unexpected."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I wouldn't say I enjoyed it. You shouldn't have to fight. You're too pretty to fight. A woman so light and delicate should —"

I nearly jump out of my skin when Edward is cut off by the slamming and crashing that pours in through the bar's entry.

I know, I know. I thought It would be a good Idea to chop this in half so It wouldn't be too long. I wasn't sure if meeting Edward would be dull or not. I promise not to take too long updating next time. I would like to know if you all like this Edward so far?… I feel like he should stick around, but If you guys don't like him…