I'm a dragon, you're a whore. Don't even know what you're good for. Mimicking me is a fucking bore, to me. Lay me down tonight in my diamonds and pearls. Tell me something nice about your favorite girl. ~ Lana Del Rey, Fucked My Way Up To The Top
…Dark…
BPOV
Edward wouldn't be home for a few hours, so I spent most of my afternoons like this. My fingers moved along the strings, constantly trying to get the sound to match what I had inside my head.
"So, I walk into the club like, everybody hates me… I'm talking to myself, shit, now they think I'm crazy," I mumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Closing my eyes, I tried to think through the puzzle of lyrics in my head. When I opened them, Edward was kneeling in front of me.
"Shit!" I shouted. My heart started pounding in my chest. "What are you doing home?" I asked once I recovered from my minor panic.
"Who do you think hates you?" Edward asked, minor concern written on his face.
I laughed, thinking he was joking. He kept waiting for my answer. "Edward… literally everyone hates me."
"You made a fantastic comeback. You won every award… performed at the Super Bowl… everyone loves you."
"Everyone loves a scandal. I did make a comeback, one most thought I wouldn't be able to. Just because people liked my music doesn't mean they liked me." Edward kept frowning. Setting the guitar aside, I got on my knees in front of him so we were eye to eye. "I don't really care. It was just a song."
Edward didn't seem convinced but kissed me and stood up. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be home until later."
"I figured I would work from here until we had to go."
Ah, tonight. It was the Sunday after my birthday, so we had to go to a family dinner tonight. We usually had some excuse to get out of them, especially last year. I was constantly busy so I hadn't gone to many. But, now that I wasn't working as much we had to suffer through them more often.
Esme was as cold as ever. She rarely paid me any attention, but when she did she was either rude and standoffish, or jokingly polite. It was annoying as hell. I had never done anything to the woman. I was always polite to her, even when she dealt me underhanded compliments. Edward was happier with me than he had ever been, according to the rest of his family. She had no reason to hate me.
It would have been nice not to have to deal with her at all. Of course, I had dealt with people like her in the past. The ones so concerned with their image that they would never outright insult you in public, but you knew they talked shit behind your back. I spent years dealing with it, so it was nothing new.
Later that night Edward walked into our bedroom as I came out of the ensuite, clad only in a simple black bra and panties. I had my hair curled and hanging down my shoulders in messy waves, the way I knew he liked it.
I brushed past him to the clothes I had laid out on the bed. Before I could grab any clothing I was pulled back, my back against his chest as he let his hands roam wherever they wanted. My thighs, my chest, everything was fair game apparently.
"I already don't want to go to this. Don't make me more miserable," I groaned just before his hand slipped underneath my panties. With what little sanity I had left, I grabbed his wrist before he could do much damage.
"I'm sorry," Edward said, but he didn't sound sorry at all. I turned in his arms and saw the cocky smirk on his face. Jesus, six years with him and one look has me melting.
Before he could change my mind, I pulled away and went back to the dresser, grabbing a new pair of panties. I picked up my clothes on the way back to the ensuite.
"What are you doing?" Edward asked with a laugh.
"You can't be trusted and I need to change."
Edward looked like his favorite toy had been taken away from him as I closed the door. I got dressed quickly. The black, sleeveless crop top and matching high waisted pencil skirt would have to do. It was probably too simple for a dinner with the Cullen's, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I even threw a soft, knitted knee-length sweater over it. If I was being forced to spend time with Esme, at least I could be comfortable.
Apparently, my allotted alone time was up. As soon as I had my arms in my sweater the door opened and Edward strode in, gave me a kiss that left me breathless, and left again. He muttered something about leaving soon, but that was it.
Fuck, I love that man. He was sexy and sweet and knew what I needed before I knew it myself. But he was also brilliant and conniving and powerful.
We were twenty minutes late by the time we got to Carlisle and Esme's home. There was an unusual amount of traffic through the neighborhood. The source was obvious by the time we arrived at their house.
"I thought this was a family dinner," I breathed out, eying the cars surrounding the Cullen house, and the random people getting out of them.
"It was supposed to be," Edward said, glaring out the windshield.
I tossed my small clutch in my lap and angrily started pulling at the sweater around my arms.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't go in there like this," I grunted, struggling with a sleeve. Edward pulled it for me and put me out of my misery. "Thank you."
"Bella, we can –"
"No, we can't. She did this on purpose, Edward."
He sighed, because he knew I was right. Whether her goal was to embarrass me or just piss me off, it worked. But I wasn't going to let her know that.
The house was very formally decorated when we got in, but it was obvious it was a birthday party. For me. Filled with people I either didn't know or didn't want to know.
The younger Cullen's were the first to notice our arrival. Emmett and Rosalie approached us with Alec in tow, and Alice and Jasper left the twins to meet us.
"When the fuck did this become anything other than dinner?" Edward hissed.
"No fucking clue, man," Emmett said, sending an apologetic smile my way.
A tapping at my knee distracted me, and I carefully knelt down to Alec's height. "Hey, buddy."
"Aunt Bella, I made this for you! Well, mom helped. But…" Alec thrust a clay Oscar statue at me. It was surprisingly accurate to an actual one.
"Thank you so much!" I said, taking it eagerly. I gave Alec a big hug and he giggled in my ear. He was the most adorable kid I had ever met.
I set the statue on the table near the door, my one moment of peace gone. Carlisle and Esme approached our group then. They both gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday. The hug Carlisle gave me was fine, pleasant even, but when Esme wrapped her arms around me I wanted to vomit.
"Happy birthday, dear," she said with a fake smile. I didn't respond.
"Could I talk with you, privately?" I asked her.
"We can't leave our guests – "
Ignoring her protest, I started walking toward the stairs to Carlisle's office. She would follow, Edward would make sure of it.
Once inside, Esme entered a moment later, shutting the door behind her.
"What the fuck is your problem?" I asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb, Esme. You don't like me and you never have. I've been nothing but polite to you, but you still pull shit like this?" I asked, motioning toward the door where all of Chicago's elite waited.
"You spoiled little brat," Esme spat out at me. My eyes widened at the venom in her voice. "You came in and turned this family upside down just to make a few movies. It's just so convenient, isn't it? You're making these films about your life and you just stumble upon us? A mafia love story is sure to sell better than whoever else you would have whored yourself out to."
Her crude words didn't faze me. "You think I used your family to get ahead?" The idea was laughable. "If I was going to choose a family to use to get ahead in Hollywood, it sure as hell wouldn't have been the Cullen's. Nobody likes you." Who in their right mind would choose a notorious crime family to try and keep an acting career alive?
"You're using my son to –"
"Don't you fucking dare try and belittle my marriage." She could say whatever she wanted about me. She could call me a whore if she wanted, but I wouldn't stand for her saying I took advantage of the family, especially Edward.
"Oh, please. You're a manipulator, I know one when I see one." Takes one to know one, my inner five-year-old said.
"Yeah, I know how to manipulate people, because I know how people work. It's my job to be able to study someone and know what they're feeling and become them. I know everyone in this family far better than you think I do. Rosalie, the instant her son was born she became a different person. Softer, kinder, a mother. She would do anything for that boy, as it should be. Alice and Jasper, they're having some marriage issues because of Maggie and Jason, but they would never get a divorce. They're trying their hardest to stay together, because they love each other unconditionally.
"And you," I spat out, unable to control my anger. "You lived with a man for years who wasn't your husband. Everyone else knew something was wrong, but you didn't care. All you care about is the money and the status."
I had spent a fair amount of time with Carlisle over the last few years. It was like night and day, knowing him now and remembering what he was like before they found the tumor. Maybe if Esme had realized her husband was a completely different person earlier, things wouldn't have happened the way they had.
"Oh, sweetie, you have no idea what it's like being in this world. I grew up in it, I've been in it for nearly thirty years. You can't tell me you don't like the status you have now. There is no greater spot to be in than being a Cullen's wife. I see the jewelry my son buys for you, the house and the cars. Don't act like you're not here for the status."
"I'm not known for being Edward Cullen's wife. I made my own name long before I ever met him," I said. It was never in my plan to simply be a house wife. I was proud of my accomplishments, and I wasn't going to let Esme demean them. "I don't need Edward to buy me anything. I could just as easily live the same life on my own. You though… have you ever worked a day in your life? Ever spent money that wasn't your husbands or your parents? You should take a long look in the mirror before you go around calling other people whores."
We were both silent, my last words nearly echoing in the room.
"You can throw me as many parties as you want. You can throw me to the wolves, invite the fucking police department over, none of it is going to drive me away. I love my husband… more than anything. It's been seven years, I'm not going anywhere."
When I swung the door open I saw the whole family standing there. Edward had a surprising look of pride on his face, everyone else looked mortified.
"Oh, shit," Emmett muttered. Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head.
Walking over to Edward, he pulled me behind him and turned to his mother. "Don't ever talk about my wife like that again, Esme," he said, accentuating her name.
Edward called Carlisle by his name whenever they spoke. Not once had I ever heard him call him dad or anything normal for a son. He always called Esme mother, though. Until tonight.
"Edward, can't you see how much trouble she's caused the family? She dragged our name through the mud with that trial –"
"Jesus, Esme! You think the trial was more trouble for you than her?"
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
Edward pulled me down the steps then. We bypassed everyone in the party and went right back to the car. I would feel more guilty about the party if I had actually known anyone there, but as it was, I didn't care about any of them getting their feelings hurt.
As we drove home, my adrenaline started to recede and more guilt started to seep in. Fuck, I practically called Esme a whore. It wasn't that I regretted our fight, we needed to set the record straight. But the entire family was listening. Edward was listening. I peeked a glance over at him, but he was focused on the road. He didn't seem angry, but that didn't mean he wasn't.
Once we parked in the garage, neither of us made a move to go inside.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, focusing on my hands in my lap.
"For what?" Edward asked, confusion coloring his voice.
"Snapping. Basically calling your mother a whore. I don't know. Most people would probably be mad at me for what I said to her." He should be upset, shouldn't he? I wasn't sure how the whole loving mother thing went, but I knew Esme and Edward once had a good relationship.
Edward's laugh broke me out of my thoughts. I looked at him, my eyes wide and confused. "I'm not mad at you. She crossed the line tonight. I'm sorry you've had to deal with her. From now on, no more Sunday dinners for us."
I sighed and fell in love with him a little bit more. There was never anyone else in my life who put me first, but Edward constantly went above and beyond to make sure I was happy. It made my chest tighten.
…Dark…
I walked right into Alice and Jasper's home. Alice had called me half an hour ago in a panic because Jared hadn't told her he needed something for a school bake sale until the night before.
Jared and Maggie didn't go to the same school anymore. Just this past summer Jared got arrested, again, and expelled from the private school they had been going to. Maggie excelled and aced all of her classes.
Now, Jared was at a different but equally expensive private school. That meant two high school schedules for Alice to keep up with. I could see how hard she was trying to take care of everything, but things were falling through the cracks.
When I walked in I heard her cursing from the kitchen. "Alice?"
"Oh, thank God!" Alice threw her arms around me. I had never seen her so disheveled. Her hair was pointing in every direction, pretty similar to Edward's on a daily basis, and she had flour stains all over her clothes. She was actually kind of adorable when she wasn't completely put together.
For the next two hours we alternated between putting together a fresh batch of cupcake batter and taking the previous batch out and icing them. We had a pretty good system, then a group of seventeen-year-old boys descended and all hell broke loose.
None of them looked at Alice or I, they just walked in and grabbed the first piece of food they could find. Alice looked utterly defeated, so I decided to intervene. I didn't spend all afternoon baking for a bake sale, tomorrow, for them to set us back again.
"Drop the fucking cupcakes," I grunted before anyone could take a bite. Four sets of eyes looked at me, and I could see defiance in each one of them. Teenagers.
"Anyone who takes a bite spends the rest of the night helping us make two hundred more," I challenged, watching the defiance slowly fade away as they set the cupcakes down.
"Dude, is she the one who –" one of them started to no-so-subtly whisper to Jared.
"Who nearly went to prison for murder? Yes. So maybe you shouldn't piss me off."
Jared glared at me as he and his friends backed out of the kitchen, but I couldn't care less if the kid liked me. I didn't see him much, he was always off getting into trouble, but he didn't seem to have many redeeming qualities. I saw Maggie from time to time, but she was usually busy studying. The girl had a perfect GPA.
"How do you do that?" Alice asked, looking at me desperately as she mixed yet another batch of batter.
"I think it's a combination of acting and not giving a shit what he thinks about me."
"I can't get him to do anything I say. He defies Jasper and I on everything. Maggie is amazing, but we just can't get to Jared."
"I'm the last one who should be giving out parenting advice, but I think at a certain point you just have to wait for them to realize that you're there for them. You've given him a great home the last few years. Eventually he'll realize how lucky he was to have you."
Tiny arms squeezed my neck. "Thank you, Bella. It's just so easy to get overwhelmed with those two."
We got quiet again, focusing on our work at hand. I was icing some cupcakes while Alice took a break on a stool across from me.
"I'm really sorry, Bella."
Frowning, I asked, "Why, what did you do?"
"For how I treated you in the beginning."
Oh, that. With a shrug, I went back to my cupcakes. "It's in the past, Alice. We're good now."
Alice shook her head, looking down at her hands. "I can't believe how horribly Esme treats you. I think once we grew up and moved on, she got worse. More self-involved."
I sighed, not having anything to say on the Esme situation. A couple of hours later the front door opened. I assumed it would be Maggie coming home from the library or wherever she had been studying, but then I saw Edward, Emmett, and Jasper saunter in the kitchen, bags of food in their hands.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, reaching up on the tops of my toes for a kiss. My hands were currently covered in icing, so I would have to settle for a simple kiss.
"Rescuing you." Edward started to pull me out of the kitchen and when I looked behind me, I saw Jasper doing the same for Alice. We all sat down to the food the men had brought, and I noticed a tired Rosalie at the table. Alice had called her earlier, too, but Alec was home sick so she stayed with them. Emmett must have convinced her to get out of the house for a few hours and leave him with a sitter.
Somehow, we got on the topic of first dates. Alice had everyone go around and reveal the who's and where's of them. None of them had 'normal' first dates; Edward took a girl to a five-star dinner, because even at fifteen the man didn't do anything half-assed.
I frowned when they got to me. "Um, the Video Music Awards, I think." Of course, five pairs of eyes snapped to me.
"You never dated in high school?" Emmett asked.
"No. I started working when I was sixteen. I was much too awkward for anyone at Forks High."
"Damn. I didn't realize you started so young," Jasper said, probably thinking about what he was doing at sixteen. That was the look I usually got from people when I told them about my teenage years.
"I actually became an emancipated minor to shoot the Tainted films. Otherwise I would have needed a parent on set at all times." A prickling on the back of my neck told me Edward was staring at me. When I looked up I saw his intense eyes locked on me.
"Wow, that's… fearless, Bella," Rosalie said. I shrugged. It was a long time ago, and I never really thought about that part of my life much these days.
Once everyone got through their first date destinations, most of which were unbelievably extravagant, except for Jasper and Rosalie who had more normal experiences, I couldn't help but tease Edward. "See, most people don't have their first date at a five-star restaurant. They're at movie theaters." Of course, I wasn't one to talk.
"I've never been to a movie theater," Edward said with a shrug.
I sat back in my chair and stared at my husband next to me. "You've… never been to a movie theater? Like, ever?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head.
"Me either," Emmett and Alice said simultaneously.
"But… that's my thing." How could they have never been to a movie? Edward, especially. He didn't go as an adult, which I understood. He was unbelievably busy, but not even as a kid?
"You haven't been in a movie in theaters since I met you," Edward said with a laugh, still not understanding.
"But, still. I was in one of the biggest movie franchises ever. And you've never even been to a movie theater?" I couldn't accurately explain my disbelief. It just seemed… unfair that Edward never did that. It was such a normal thing to do. He should have gotten to have a more relaxed childhood.
"Okay, everyone stop eating." I threw my silverware down and stood up. "You all have one hour to get ready and meet us at the nearest movie theater. If any of you show up in a suit I swear to God…" The men always looked impeccable. I loved my husband in a suit, but the thought of them all showing up to a theater in a suit to sit for two hours to watch a movie was nauseating. If I hadn't told them not to, they would do it, too.
I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him with me, not giving anyone a chance to protest. Edward waited until we were in the car to try and talk me out of it.
"Bella, we don't – "
"Yes, we do. Neither of us had very normal high school dates, so we're having one now."
"If I took you out on a date in high school, it wouldn't have been to a movie," he huffed.
"Oh, I know what you did on dates in high school," I grumbled, as we got back home. Edward parked the car in the driveway, and I turned in my seat to face him. "I'll make you a deal. We'll go on our movie date, my high school date, and then when we get home we can do what you would do on a high school date. Deal?"
With that, Edward was much more eager to start our movie date. We both changed into more comfortable clothing. As I was putting my hair up, I heard the doorbell ring. Odd.
"Edward?" I shouted but got no response. Stumbling down the stairs as I finished tying my hair up, I peeked through the peephole in the front door. There, Edward was standing with a single daisy.
Chuckling, I opened the door. "What are you doing?"
"I'm picking you up for our date," he said, holding the flower out to me. I grabbed my bag from the table next to us and took Edward's hand.
"You're very good at this whole date thing," I told him, tucking the flower in my ponytail.
The theater wasn't far, and we were the first ones there. Edward held my hand as we walked in and I read the list of movies playing. A deep chuckle distracted me from the list.
"What?" I asked, looking at Edward. He was looking at me, a smirk on his face.
"You're adorable, that's all."
With a sigh, I went back to the list. The rest of our family joined us as I was purchasing them.
"Oh, wow. Um, sure. S-six you said?" the girl behind the concession stand stuttered. I looked down at her, away from the list of movies that had my attention the whole time so far. She was about sixteen and her eyes were as wide as could be. "A-anything else?"
"Yes," I smiled, hoping to ease some of her fear. Then I ordered just about one of everything they had. A movie theater experience was nothing without the food to go with it.
The theater was practically empty when we got to it. It was a Thursday night, so I didn't expect much of a crowd. It was better that way. We all spaced ourselves along the back row. Edward and I ended up in the far corner of the theater.
"Movies are fucking awesome!" I heard Emmett whisper-yell from his spot a few chairs down, followed by the ripping of plastic as he opened some candy. Emmett truly was an oversized child.
I put my feet up on the empty seat in front of us and took a bit of the hot dog I had gotten. There was something about a movie theater hot dog that was just… better.
"I know what I want my part of the date to consist of," Edward whispered in my ear. He had one arm around my shoulders, and the other holding a tub of popcorn.
"What's that?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer. Which was good, because I never got one. I did get a kiss that left me breathless.
It was my intention to actually watch the movie, it really was. But the second the lights dimmed Edward decided it was time for his part of the date to start. For the next hour and a half I had his hands rubbing my legs or his lips at my neck.
As soon as the movie was over, all of us scattered as fast as possible. It was obvious Edward and I weren't the only ones that didn't pay much attention to the movie. But, I supposed that was how most high school dates to the movie went.
Edward was surprisingly chaste once we left the theater. He held my hand on the drive home and walked me up to the front door when we got there. We usually went in the house through the garage.
"I had a great time," Edward said with a smile. He maneuvered us so my back was against the door. His fingers traced my lips and I got tired of my part of the date.
"I think I'm ready for your date to start," I whispered to him, sticking my tongue out to lightly meet his thumb.
Somehow, I ended up on the inside of the house with my back against the wall and my legs around Edward's waist. His lips were on mine, his warm tongue in my mouth, and a hand was working its way into my jeans.
Edward stumbled backward and ended up on the couch in the living room. Once I was situated in his lap I managed to unbutton his shirt and get it out of my way. His skin was warm and smooth under my hands. Perfect. After a few minutes he pulled away from my mouth and his eyes, now a dark forest green, told me all I needed to know.
I slid off of the couch and got to my knees between his legs. My lips trailed along Edward's defined abdomen. He was built, he always had been, but it wasn't too much. He didn't look like a body builder or like he was photoshopped. He was trained to kill, and that shouldn't have been the turn on that it was for me.
As my lips and tongue enjoyed the pure taste of Edward from his abdomen I could feel his frustration from above me. His hips jerked up when one of my hands trailed up his leg and ended up on his hard erection.
"Bella," he grunted. His hands grabbed mine from his chest and put them on the button of his jeans. Edward lifted his hips as I pulled them off, and his heavy cock rested against his lower abdomen. He took it in his hand and pumped it twice, his eyes locked on me.
With Edward's hand still at the base of his cock, I took the tip into my mouth, swirling my tongue over the sensitive flesh. He dropped his hand from his cock, but it ended up tangled in my hair as he pulled it out of the elastic band.
I kept one hand on his abdomen as I worked him over with my mouth because I loved to feel the fluttering of his muscles, loved knowing I had such a profound effect on every one of his senses.
"Fuck, Bella," he groaned. I looked up and his head was thrown back against the couch. He was heavy in my mouth as Edward's hand guided my lips along his length. It was when I moaned around him that he pulled out.
Edward stood and pulled me to my feet. He quickly rid me of my clothing before we fell back on the couch. I was cushioned between the soft fabric of the couch underneath me and Edward's hard body above me.
"I would have been just as obsessed with you in high school as I am now," Edward said, smiling down at me. I stretched against him, enjoying the groan he gave me in response. "You're playing with fire, baby."
Everything Edward surrounded me. His hands roamed wherever they wanted; along my waist, across my chest, down my legs. He looked up at me from where he was lavishing my breast with attention and bit down lightly on my sensitive flesh at the same moment he entered me completely.
"Fuck," I grunted out. He was relentless and I had to dig my nails into his back to get rid of some of the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I tried to keep up and meet his thrusts, but eventually it was too much.
"Fucking perfect. Every time," Edward said, his dark green eyes looking right through me. He kept his lips just barely brushing mine as he moved over me, torturing me with their closeness.
"Oh, God," I groaned when Edward started to hit me at just the right angle than caused my eyes to black out. I buried my head in his neck and latched on to his neck. I bit down at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder. My entire body tensed as blinding euphoria rushed through my veins.
"Fuck!" Edward shouted. I wasn't sure if it was out of pleasure or pain at my bite, but I was too distracted to think about it much.
We were a panting mess for a while until Edward carried me up to bed. He did… something for a few minutes before he got in behind me.
"You bit me," he said simply. I could hear the smile in his voice.
I giggled and snuggled closer to him. "Oops."
A/N: I hope you guys liked this one! More on the Esme issue to come, but I know a lot of you have been waiting for the claws to come out. The response to this story is more than I could have asked for. Thank you for reading and reviewing and for everything.
The italicized lyric at the beginning is from Everybody Hates Me by The Chainsmokers.
