Chapter 12: Phenomenal
A/N: SM owns Twilight.
Edward was in the kitchen and called after his brother who was passing through on his way to his room, still sweaty and wearing his gym gear: "Emmett what the hell is with the eighties dance music?"
"Don't blame me for that shit. That's Mom and Bee. I think they're 'jazzercising' or something, it's actually pretty cute to watch," he chuckled as he turned to go up the stairs to his room.
"Jazz-er-cising?" Edward mouthed to his father, who smirked as he put his coffee cup down to run downstairs towards their gym. Edward chuckled and followed his Dad.
Carlisle and Esme renovated the room opposite the laundry to create a gymnasium, mostly for Emmett when it became clear that he was a gifted, and actually quite dedicated, athlete. They included a sound system and DVD set up so that Esme could use workout DVDs, but she found she didn't really enjoy exercising on her own and so joined the local gym instead.
As they approached the gym, the music got louder; Carlisle turned to his son gesturing for him to sneak and be silent. Edward smirked at him and nodded. They peered into the gym to be greeted with the sight of Esme sitting on the floor cross-legged laughing and watching Bee who was wearing a neon pink leotard, a headband and leg warmers. She was laughing and bouncing around trying to follow the instructions of the woman on the DVD. The early '90s song 'Ride on Time' was blaring from the speakers positioned all around the room.
Edward was transfixed watching as Bee's beautiful, if too thin, body was moving to the music. But what really held his attention was her smile, she was beaming with happiness. His eyes roamed down her svelte figure; although it had been two weeks since the attack, the bruise on her back was still visible and Edward hated the sight of it.
"Come on son, let's leave them to it," Carlisle whispered.
They headed back up to the kitchen and resumed their seats in the kitchen. Emmett was back, freshly showered and foraging through the fridge for food.
"They still going?" he asked as he headed over to the table with the makings of a sandwich filling his arms.
Carlisle grinned and nodded: "Yeah, I'm not sure how good the workout is but they're certainly having fun."
Emmett started to assemble one of his mega sandwiches to Edward's fascination. He always teased Emmett that he basically put one of everything he could find in the fridge between two hunks of bread, which wasn't far off the truth.
"Apparently, Bee's therapist suggested exercise as a way to 'empower' her after she shared that Jake's attack made her feel weak and helpless," Emmett said.
Edward nodded: "Yeah, she told me about that. I suggested she do some self defence classes but she doesn't want anything that is related to violence, which is crazy. We had a huge fight about it but she said mom would help her; apparently that means jazzercise! "
"She doesn't want to do anything like fighting but knows she has to build up her body strength. I'd just like her to gain some more weight. She is way too thin, don't you think Dad?" Emmett said before taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.
Before Carlisle could answer Esme and Bee came into the kitchen. They were still laughing when Esme noticed the Cullen men all watching them: "Hey boys, Isabella wanted to try out some of my old exercise DVDs. I even found my aerobics gear for her. Doesn't she look great?"
Edward smirked at Bee and she blushed from his hungry look: "Yes, she does. Did you have fun, love?" He stood up and walked over to her.
She held her hand up to keep him back: "Don't come too close Edward, I'm all sweaty and smelly."
He laughed and chased her up the stairs. She squealed as she ran, making it into her room with just enough time to shut the door and lock it.
Edward called through the closed door: "You're a fast little thing aren't you? Come down for lunch after your shower. We need to talk about your birthday."
She unlocked the door and opened it just enough for Edward to reach in and plant a small kiss on her lips. She gave him a small smile and he drifted his fingers down her cheek: "See you downstairs."
She closed the door and Edward chuckled when he heard her singing on her way to her bathroom... 'ooho, ooho, ooho, you're such a HOT tempt-a-tion'.
Bee turned on the shower, peeled off her workout clothes and looked at herself in the mirror before the steam took over the room. The bruise on her face was all but gone and she'd gained a little weight although she knew she was still too thin. She had a small hickey just above her left breast which luckily Esme hadn't seen. She ran her fingers over the mark remembering the make-out session on Edward's bed two nights ago.
They'd been studying biology and Edward had started teasing her to distract her while they were testing each other in a game of Science Q&A. She smiled as she remembered that she still beat Edward in the quiz, despite his best sexy efforts to distract her.
She stepped into the water and groaned under the heat, she loved the seemingly unlimited hot water she enjoyed since coming to live with the Cullens. She reached for the beautiful shower products Esme bought for her and proceeded to wash and scrub herself clean before shaving all her bits to be smooth and hair-free just the way she liked it.
After an extravagantly long shower she stepped out to dry herself. Wrapped only in her large fluffy towel she made her way into her room to choose something to wear. She didn't notice her devilishly handsome boyfriend leaning against the wall, legs crossed at the ankles. With her clothing selection made she was about to drop her towel when Edward decided he'd better make his presence known so he cleared his throat.
Several things happened at once, Bee jumped, squealed and lost her hold on the clothes in her arms as well as her towel which fell to the floor, while Edward lost control of his composure, his eyes bugging out of his head at the sight of Bee's naked body.
With the rush of blood away from his brain he simply stood there and stared, while Bee struggled to pick up her towel and cover herself.
Finally he found his power of speech again: "Oh god, Bee I am sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you baby... oh god... you look so... oh my god, Bee."
Bee was the colour of beetroot and finally managed to get her body at least partially covered: "Turnaround Edward, dammit."
"Oh, sure... okay... sorry." He spun around quickly then closed his eyes trying to capture in his memory the image of her naked body, all smooth and pink from the heat of the shower. He hung his head as he tried to get control of the beast in his pants which was very excited to see her beautiful nakedness. She was going to give him hell as it was, if she saw how his body was reacting she'd probably knee him in the balls. Bee was feisty, it was one of the things he loved about her.
"What the hell, Edward? Why were were lurking outside my bathroom?"
He could hear the smile in her words and he sighed in relief knowing she wasn't really angry with him, probably just embarrassed.
"Sorry love, I came up to tell you lunch was ready and I heard the shower switch off so I figured you'd be out soon."
"Pervert."
He chuckled:"Well, I can't say I'm sorry for seeing you like that, you're so beautiful love."
"Enjoy the memory, peeping tom. You'll have to wait a while before you see me like that again!" She was almost dressed so she threw her towel at him.
Still with his back turned the towel flew straight over his shoulder, he picked it up and couldn't stop himself from holding it to his face and inhaling deeply: "I love your scent."
She slapped his backside and grabbed the towel away from him: "Oh, that's not creepy, no not at all." She stormed into her bathroom to hang up the towel and tidy up her mess.
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," he teased standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and a huge grin on his face.
"I think I can guess the subject of your reverie?" She raised her eyebrow at him.
He walked towards her, almost stalking her; she stood her ground though.
"I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow," he cocked his eyebrow back at her in challenge.
She laughed: "Oh yes, I just bet it was my 'eyes' you were gawking at when I was naked. You are no gentlemen, and certainly no Mr Darcy."
He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close: "I would defy even Mr Darcy not to look at your loveliness." He furrowed his brow as he tried to remember the quote he knew was perfect for this moment, he couldn't quite remember it but knew enough: "I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle. Such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest ... Isabella."
Bee melted into his arms as he hoped she would.
He had begun to realise that a knowledge of the works of Austen was going to be a valuable asset in surviving his many missteps as a first time boyfriend. She seemed to forgive him just about anything if you could pull the right quote out of his memory. In this case he was completely sincere, he was spoiled and she was changing him.
She reached up and kissed his cheek: "You messed that one up a bit, but I love that you tried, my Mister spoiled fancy pants Darcy."
He slapped her butt lightly: "Come on, let's go have lunch. Mom is desperate to finalise the arrangements for your birthday."
They held hands as they walked downstairs.
"Do we have to have a party? I don't know most of the people who've been invited. I'd much rather just have a night out with you and your family."
"You should've told Mom that's how you felt when she suggested the party."
"How could I? She's been so sweet to me and she was so excited."
"Well, it's too late now anyway, Mom is in full party planner mode. It'll be painless, you'll see. Emmett and I survived our 18th party. We'll look after you."
He brought their entwined hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand; she nodded her acquiescence and they joined the family for lunch.
The party was another week away and Esme wanted to go over the final details. She'd postponed her trip to New York until after Bee's birthday. Edward and Bee were now planning to travel with Esme so they could visit the apartment Bee had inherited from her grandmother.
Bee was yet to open the letter from her grandmother.
The family all thought it was odd but it made sense to Isabella. She needed time to absorb all that had happened in the past few weeks and this letter was so special to her that she wanted to save it for when she was ready. Bee's therapist Sue Clearwater understood and agreed with her decision to wait until she had some head space before adding anything more to her life.
Bee was initially concerned when she found out that Sue lived on the reservation and knew Jacob's family but after talking for a short while Bee realised that Sue was a very down to earth person with a gentle motherly nature. She felt safe with her.
Despite a slow start to her first session with Sue, Bee settled in and now really enjoyed their sessions. She was seeing Sue twice a week. Once on her own and another session with some other people who'd been in abusive situations. The group sessions were really emotional but quite cathartic.
After the first group session Bee was completely silent when Esme picked her up, she skipped dinner going straight to bed and slept until the morning alarm. Edward was so worried about her that night he slept in her bed with her again, just so he could be there if she needed him.
He made quite a fuss when it was time to go back for the next group session but Bee was determined so Edward supported her, even if he did pace the carpark the whole time she was inside for the session.
"Here she is Mom, now go easy on the party stuff okay?" Edward pulled out Bee's chair for her to take her seat.
"Oh Edward, don't be silly, I'm not going overboard," Esme said as she placed a plate of buns next to the bowl of salad while Carlisle walked in behind her with a plate of burgers from the grill.
"How was story time this morning Isabella?" Carlisle hoped his question would change the subject.
"Lovely, we finished 'The Secret Garden' and the children really seemed to enjoy it. Esme and I looked through gardening books with some of the older kids after the session. It was fun."
"I think some of them want to create their own gardens at home," Esme added. She had decided to join Isabella for story time from now on; she loved sitting with the smaller children who sat in her lap, also loved listening to Isabella read the story.
Emmett walked in and placed his phone on the sideboard with everyone else's phones; Esme didn't allow phones at the table.
"That was Rose," he said as he sat next to Bee and reached into the centre of the table to grab a burger bun. "She said she'd be here in an hour to take Bee to Port Angeles for 'girl time'." He tried to look upset but he couldn't pull it off, so he grinned and then started loading up his bun with meat, salad and sauce.
Bee giggled at his antics and loaded up a bun with the lot herself, she was really hungry after her exercise session with Esme.
"Oh I hope you find an outfit for your party," bubbled Esme. She was so excited about the party, she loved to organise events. "We want you to be the Belle of the Ball."
Bee's face dropped and she paled so dramatically and so quickly she looked like she'd seen a ghost.
Edward knew immediately what was wrong; he leaped up and wrapped her in his arms: "No love, Mom didn't call you Bella. It's okay. She just meant that she wants you to look beautiful at your party. She's crazy though because you always look beautiful." He kissed her cheek and held her tightly.
Esme felt awful, it was a slip of the tongue. She walked over to her new daughter and rubbed her back gently. She knew better than to try and take her out of Edward's arms, he was so protective of her: "I'm sorry angel, I didn't mean to remind you of bad times. I love you sweetie."
Bee turned in Edward's arms and gave Esme a small smile, she was embarrassed for getting so upset but she now understood that name was what her therapist had explained to be a 'trigger' for Bee. That name just seemed to bring back a wave of sad memories and emotions. Sue had also told her not to apologise when these episodes happened. None of what had happened was her fault and her reactions were natural and not something to be embarrassed or sorry about. So she gave Esme a hug and they all resumed their seats. Edward kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear that he loved her.
She dipped her head, took a deep cleansing breath and then tried to eat her lunch, although her appetite was gone now.
Carlisle came to the rescue again: "So who's going with you and Rose to Port Angeles Isabella?"
She rewarded him with a warm smile: "Well, Jasper is grounded so Alice is going to come with us after all, Victoria and Lauren are meeting us there, and Jessica is joining us later for dinner because she's working this afternoon."
"Well that sounds like a fun group," Esme said. Bee nodded but Edward knew better. He chuckled and shrugged when she looked at him and she rolled her eyes. A whole afternoon shopping was bad enough but to spend it with three of the silliest girls in town was going to be excruciating.
Bee planned to escape from them and their nonsense for a little while at least, as Sue had mentioned a local book shop in PA which had some great books about the local legends and the like, which Bee found fascinating.
Edward and Emmett were going to hang out with some guys from school, although Edward planned to check in with Bee throughout the night.
With lunch over, Bee went to dress for her girls' outing. She had no idea what to wear or what to expect but at least Rose would be there. Alice seemed okay but Bee honestly hadn't spent much time with her thanks to Alice's whole sex crazed behaviour with her 'non' boyfriend.
Bee was grinning to herself while brushing her hair, wondering if she and Edward would get addicted to sex if they ever decided to go 'all the way'.
"What has you grinning like the Cheshire Cat?" Edward snaked his arms around her waist and looked at her in the mirror.
She blushed bright red.
"Oh, now I have to know what you were thinking? Come on, tell me." He turned her in his arms and she bit her lip for a moment.
"I was just thinking about Alice and Jasper... And I was thinking about how they can't seem to stop having sex with each other, and... " she bit her lip again.
"And?" Edward was very curious to hear what was on her mind.
"Well, I was wondering if we'd get like that if we ever had sex?" She went even darker red and leaned her forehead on his chest.
He barked out a nervous laugh: "You always surprise me Bee. I had no idea that is what you were thinking about."
He leaned her face up towards his and kissed her softly on the lips: "I think that WHEN you and I decide the time is right, and that we are both ready for that step, that WHEN we do actually make love, I can well imagine wanting to stay buried deep inside you for as long as I could, and wanting to be there over and over again."
He laughed then: "You think Alice and Jasper are bad. You should've been around when Emmett and Rose first starting having sex. Oh my god. The were insufferable. Everywhere we'd go they'd end up in the back seat of the car, someone's bedroom, they even did at school in the gym ... twice. I was ready to move out. That's actually one of the reasons Emmett moved upstairs. He used to have this room but I couldn't stand the noises that came out of here when he'd sneak Rose into his room. They were wild!"
Bee laughed thinking about it; she could well imagine Emmett as Tarzan and Rose as his Jane.
"Seriously love. I am in no hurry. We can take our time and when we're ready, I just know it will be wonderful." He kissed her softly.
She nodded and kissed him back. The doorbell rang and Bee groaned: "Rose is here, time for me to go have 'fun' with the girls."
"Now you have your new debit card and there's plenty of money in your account, so buy whatever you want. Your phone is all charged and I showed you how to send me texts and photos, so you'll keep me up to date with what you're doing won't you?"
"Yes Mom," she teased.
He slapped her butt, something he enjoyed doing more and more. She giggled and ran out of the room grabbing her shoulder bag as she went.
"I'm off Esme, Rose is here, so I'll see you later tonight," Bee opened the door and headed out to Rose's car.
Esme acknowledged her leaving and went back towards her office. She still had some party planning to do and some calls to make.
Alice was already in the back of Rose's car when Bee climbed in: "Hey Rose, hey Alice. Ready for shopping?"
"I hate shopping in Port Angeles," Alice whined. "I do all my clothes shopping online. You can't get any of the really good designers in PA."
Bee turned towards Alice: "Well, that's okay. I wouldn't know a good designer from a bad one. I just want to find an outfit that'll make Edward drool. He always responds so well when I wear any of the things that Esme bought me, so I know he likes nice things. Truth be told, I like them for me too. They feel so lovely and I look much nicer than I ever thought possible."
Alice grinned an evil grin and waggled her eyebrows: "Oh, we'll find something for you Bee, something that'll make Edward weep, he'll want you so bad. You'll be easy to buy for, you have a kick ass body Bee, and your legs are just pure temptation, I had to hit Jasper the other day for gawking at your ass."
Bee looked shocked and a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry, Bee. Jazz is very sexually charged, he always 'looks' but he knows better than to 'touch', I'd neuter him if he ever strayed," Alice giggled.
Rose laughed: "Imagine what Edward would do if anyone tried it on with 'his' Busy Bee. That boy has completely lost himself in you Miss Bee; it's cute though, he is so old fashioned and protective. Nothing like Emmett, well the old fashioned bit anyway."
Bee wanted this conversation to end so she tried to change the subject: "So where are we meeting Lauren and Victoria?"
"We always meet at the Mall Starbucks and then decide where to go from there."
Bee was pleased to hear that, she'd love another fancy coffee like the one Edward bought her. She smiled and turned back to the front while Alice and Rose chatted about different designers and other things Bee didn't understand or care about.
Once they were settled in to a booth at Starbucks and the other girls had arrived, Bee sat quietly hugging her caramel latte while the girls made decisions about the rest of their day.
Lauren leaned over and whispered to Bee: "You better lay off the full cream lattes if you want to stay skinny enough to keep a guy like Edward's interest; he'll stray if you get fat."
Rose was sitting next to Bee so of course she heard Lauren's remark and wasn't going to sit still for that crap: "For one thing Lauren, Bee is so skinny she needs some extra weight. For another thing, full cream milk is not that high in fat anyway. Lastly, Edward is not so shallow as to only choose a girl based on her body weight. So step off. If you are only here to be a bitch, you can just get gone. Now are you going to put the claws away or do we have a problem?"
Lauren sat back and smirked: "Oh Rose, always the protector. What's wrong can't little miss busy bee stand up for herself? So Bee? Going to hide behind Xena Warrior bitch here or do you have something to say?" She raised her eyebrow at Bee, fulling expecting the shy girl to shrink away from her.
Bee put her coffee down on the table, tilted her head to the side to look quizzically at Lauren, wondering why this girl was so confrontational. She leaned forward and then she spoke:
"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me."
Bee picked up her coffee and sat back in her chair grinning at Rose.
The girls were silent and then Alice laughed her head off: "Maya Angelou! Well that's just fucking phenomenal. Well done Bee. I think I'll call you Queen Bee from now on."
Bee chuckled but was actually quite surprised that Alice knew that poem and who wrote it. Maybe she and Alice could be friends after all.
Lauren sighed: "She doesn't say much but when she does she kicks my ass. I can respect that. Okay, I see why Edward is interested, so I'll back off... I know when I'm beat." She held her hand out and Bee shook it.
Victoria giggled while putting her phone back in her pocket: "That was awesome. Now that you girls have sorted yourselves out, can we go shopping? I need a sexy dress to wear to Bee's party." She gave Bee a huge smile, picked up her bag and headed out of the store. The other girls gathered their coffee and their bags to follow her out.
After a few minutes Bee's phone pinged the musical notes to signify a new text message. She pulled it out of her pocket and opened the text from Edward: "You are MY phenomenal woman. Well down for handling that idiot Lauren. I love you so much Bee."
She stood staring at her phone trying to figure out how Edward knew what happened in the coffee shop. She showed the message to Rose, who checked her phone before laughing: "Vicky did you post Bee's and Lauren's pissing contest on Facebook?"
Vicky giggled and kept walking.
Lauren called after her: "Just great Vic, now the whole school will see it. Thanks bitch."
Alice hugged Bee around the shoulders and declared: "Phenomenal."
Bee enjoyed the shopping trip more than she had expected, with the girls laughing and teasing each other. Lauren was surprisingly funny, Alice was surprisingly deep and Rose was not that surprisingly kind and supportive to everyone; she was a real mother hen.
Jessica was able to join them earlier than expected and after a short while shopping together Bee realised that Jess was clearly not as confident about her looks as she pretended to be at school.
The girls went from store to store and while Bee bought a few small items nothing really appealed to her. All the other girls had found outfits they liked. Jess found a dress that showed off her cleavage. Bee thought it looked a little slutty but she didn't want to dampen Jess' enthusiasm, so she didn't say anything. Jess had given clothes to Bee to try on and when she came out of the changing booth she was greeted with Jess enthusiasm which pretty much confirmed that her tastes and Jess' were not the same... at all.
"That looks fantastic on you Bee. Damn girl, look at your sexy long legs and that top makes your boobs look great. If I had my phone I'd take a photo and you could see how great you look." Jess glared at Rose as she spoke, since Rose had taken charge of all their phones since the Facebook posting incident.
Bee stood outside the changing booth looking all kinds of uncomfortable. At that moment Bee was more than a little grateful to Rose for confiscating everyone's phone, so that pictures of her in the glittery, tiny outfit she was currently modelling wouldn't be made public. She could just imagine Edward's text if he saw her in this contraption.
She turned to Jess to try and explain her discomfort with the clothes as she fumbled with the hem of the skirt in a futile attempt to make it longer: "Jess, I don't think I like ... I feel a little exposed... and ... I don't..."
She felt pretty sure Edward would hate it, given his remarks about similar outfits worn by some of the girls at school, and she was certain Esme would hate it. But even more than that, she hated these kind of clothes, she felt unnatural and exposed in a way that was definitely not comfortable and certainly didn't make her feel 'sexy'; she felt cheap and vulnerable.
Alice gave Bee a long look and realised what a fascinating challenge it would be to help this shy, beautiful, intelligent girl to find 'her look': "I don't think we're going to find what we want for you in the mall, Bee. I think I know what will suit you better."
Bee sighed with relief and practically ran into the changing rooms to get out of the offending clothes.
Rose returned everyone's phones as they decided to break off into two groups with a promise to regroup at the Italian restaurant later. Alice, Rose, Victoria and Bee headed out while Jess and Lauren stayed to help Jess find the 'perfect' shoes.
Alice led them to a boutique and as she opened the door she turned to Bee to entice her in: "I think you're really going to really like this store, trust me, okay? This store combines Edwardian lace, sixties free spirit, intellectual poetry, Stevie Nicks lyrics, with bohemian boudoir intimacy, ... very you, Queen Bee."
Bee blushed by the description but had to admit her curiosity was peaked and so with the other girls followed Alice inside, where they were greeted by two cheeky little dogs. Bee sat down immediately to pat them and sighed a breath of relief that this store was nothing like anything in the Mall.
"Welcome to the 'Alley Cat' girls, have a look around and let me know if you'd like anything. We're just having some tea if you'd like some?"
Bee nodded and smiled up to Alice who had a triumphant look on her face. She'd picked the perfect place.
Rose and Victoria were looking around while Bee was sitting on the floor sipping tea and cuddling with the Shih Tzu puppy dogs.
Alice chatted with the owners about what she thought would work for Bee and they bustled about finding a whole rack of items to take into the changing area.
Bee was in heaven.
She'd sent Edward a text saying she'd finally found a store she liked, and when she sent him a picture of her in one of the old world lace dresses, he texted her straight back begging her to buy it and anything else like it in the store.
She laughed, took the dress off and put it on the 'buy' pile which was getting higher.
"These bras are so beautiful, they can be a little secret that only you or your special someone get to see, or ..." She flew a beautiful shirt in front of Bee: "you can wear it under a blouse like this so you can give just a hint of your pretty bra."
Bee blushed but secretly loved the idea. She smiled at the assistant and lovingly took the blouse from her.
Bee was thrilled with the clothes and was so happy with everything. She even bought items for her room. She sent photos to Esme who texted back her enthusiastic support for her selections.
With clothes, shoes, linens, jewellery and scarves all bagged up, Bee's eyes widened when she saw the tally. Rose rubbed her back: "That's half of what I spent in the Mall and you bought four times the amount. It's okay Bee, let go of the card. "
Bee gushed out a sigh of relief and handed over her card.
"Time to eat!" said Vicky, who'd bought some lovely trinkets for her room in the store.
"I just want to stop by the native american bookshop, I can meet you at the restaurant." Bee said as they loaded all their bags into Rose's car.
The others went in one direction and Bee went in the other.
She found the bookstore and it was all that Sue had promised it to be, she got absorbed in the books and completely lost track of the time. When she noticed the staff member was closing up the shop she realised she was overdue at the restaurant. Bee loved reading about myths and legends, so she purchased a fascinating book on the legend of a local tribe of shapeshifters.
When she left the store it was dark and it was then she realised she didn't really know where she was or how to get to the restaurant. She was about to panic as two young men wearing dark hoodies came walking towards her. She was nervous and suddenly realised how vulnerable she was and just how silly she'd been to wander around a strange town by herself.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and called Edward who answered on the first ring: "Where are you, love?" He sounded worried. "Rose just called Emmett and she mentioned that you weren't with them. I was about to call you."
Bee smiled to hear his voice: "I just left the bookstore but I think I might be lost and I'm a little nervous."
She looked up and now that they were closer to her, she noticed that the two young men walking past her were actually holding hands. She chuckled to herself for assuming they were a threat to her but she was also greatly relieved.
"It's okay Bee, just open the Google Maps app on your phone, type in the address for the restaurant into then click get directions. Are you doing that love?"
"It wants to use my current location, so I clicked okay."
"Good girl, now just follow the instructions. I'll stay on the call with you until you get there."
They chatted happily while she walked three blocks to get to the restaurant. She told him all about the puppies at the store and the beautiful clothes she'd bought. He was stunned when she told him how funny Lauren turned out to be and how nice Victoria had been to her all day. He agreed that Jessica probably had low self-esteem, he didn't mention his theory was based on her jumping into bed with boys for validation that she was pretty. Edward was greatly relieved that Bee had enjoyed herself because he had seriously doubted that she would, especially given who was going to be there.
"Oh, I'm here now, thanks Edward for seeing me here safely. I love you."
He grinned: "Emmett's going to stay here, but I'm heading home now love. So I'll be there when Rose drops you home. Don't break off from the group now that it's dark baby; there are some rough parts of PA. Be safe, okay, I love you, too."
When she entered the restaurant, she took a seat with the girls who were all sharing stories about their boyfriends and laughing. She settled in with the others and had a great time. She ordered mushroom ravioli because it sounded delicious and then for dessert she shared some Tiramisu with Alice. It was divine.
The ride home was filled with the girls singing along with their favourite songs, trying to teach Bee the words. When they dropped her home, Bee grabbed all her bags and then dragged them up to her room. Carlisle and Esme were out having dinner with friends and Emmett was still at the party where Rose was going to join him.
The house was mostly dark but Bee could hear music coming from Edward's room. After dropping her bags on her bed, she knocked but there was no answer so she pushed it open. The room was empty but she could hear noises coming from his bathroom. She blushed remembering earlier that morning when Edward had surprised her in her room, causing her to drop her towel in front of him.
She smiled wickedly thinking that maybe it was time for a little revenge so she walked towards the door, planning to wait in the shadows to surprise him. But as she got closer to the door her eyebrows furrowed, was he in there with someone?
"Oh baby, yes, just like that."
She could hear him talking; her heart was beating out of her chest, was he with another girl?
She reached forward, turned the doorknob and stepped into the bathroom which was filled with steam.
Again she heard him call out: "Yes, I love your mouth, baby. Oh god, I'm going to cum."
Who was with him? How could he cheat on her like this? She went from curious to furious in a flash.
Several things happened at once, she stepped forward and threw open the shower door as Edward stood with his hand tightly working his cock as he sprayed the shower wall with his cum shouting out: "Oh my God, Bee."
With the shower door sprung open he turned and screamed: "Oh my god, Bee!"
He stepped out of the shower and took her in his arms, soaking wet and still quite erect. "Bee, I was... well, I was just... oh, my God Bee."
She was frozen to the spot. He had been masturbating... and he was thinking of her mouth around his... and he was cumming... and he was... phenomenal.
A/N: Well there you go. I hope you like it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Poem reference:
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou (just the best!)
Quotes:
'Pride & Prejudice', by Jane Austen
United Kingdom; English; first published by T. Egerton, Whitehall on 28 January 1813 in Hardback, 3 volumes
"I can guess the subject of your reverie?" Miss Caroline Bingley to Mr Darcy.
"I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow" Mr Darcy speaking to Miss Caroline Bingley while staring at Miss Elizabeth Bennett.
Music reference:
'Ride on Time'
Songwriters: Davoli, Daniele / / Limoni, Mirko / / Semplici, Valerio / / Hartman, Dan
Published by Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
"Ride On Time" has its own Wiki page believe it or not... is a song recorded by Italian dance band Black Box. originally released in 1989, it was later released on their 1990 debut LP Dreamland. it's actually an interesting read if you feel inclined. wiki/Ride_On_Time