7.
"Edward?"
"Are you ok?"
They spoke at the same time, then paused.
After a beat, he spoke again. "Are you alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine, I think. But what about you?" Her hands skimmed his torso and biceps, up his strong shoulders, and over his soft hair, fingers feeling out signs of injury. "Oh God, I'm crushing you!"
She braced herself on his muscular chest and sat up, knees on either side of his trim hips. He pushed himself to sit up as well, bringing their faces back into close proximity. She fought the urge to sway closer.
His hands didn't help, moving up her sides, gently stroking at her neck, before skimming down her back and probing her legs much the same way as she had done for him.
She shivered, his barely-there touch searing through clothing and making it extremely difficult for her to remember simple things, like her name and why she shouldn't taste his lips and hump him where they sat.
"They've got chairs for that sort of thing," Alice commented casually, leaning against a nearby wall. "Barstools, beds, lots of options."
"He looks more comfy than a barstool, Alice," chided Mike, appearing beside her. "The location is a bit… questionable, of course."
"Ugh yeah," Alice agreed, wrinkling her nose at the restroom door. "Move the party, kids."
Bella rolled her eyes and tried to scramble off the floor and the man who'd saved her from hitting it. His soft chuckle distracted her, though.
"Here, wait a minute," he said. At this close range, she could feel the words vibrate through her body, which was a novel and rather enjoyable experience. "Just hold on tight, ok?"
The next thing she knew, he stood up in one smooth motion, holding her close with one arm around her waist and the other on her butt. Before she could fully appreciate all the fantastic sensations his touch was causing, he had placed her on her feet and taken away his wonderful arms from around her.
She wanted to cry at the loss, and even considered the viability of pretending to faint just so he'd hold her close again. Alice's gleeful expression and completely unsubtle winking and waggling of eyebrows distracted her, though.
"Is she alright?" Edward leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Does she have a nervous twitch or something?"
Bella sniggered and shook her head, turning to face him fully. Her hands came to rest on his chest, and a thrill went through her when he placed his warm, large hands over hers. "Ignore her. And thank you for saving me back then. I don't even know what happened. I just tripped, I guess."
"I'm glad I was here to catch you," he smiled back, eyes glowing even in the dim light of the passage. "I'm glad I got to see you again."
She shrugged, tilting her head down coyly. "Why, is something the matter with… what I did the other day? If there was, you know where to find me."
She could've sworn he blushed a little. "Nothing wrong down there. You were great, I mean… you did a great job. I was a mess, and… wow I probably didn't make a very good first impression, huh?"
"You really weren't that bad, just a bit nervous," she laughed. "It happens. Besides, you just saved me. I owe you big time now!"
"I might just hold you to that, Miss Bella." He smiled at her, and something intangible seemed to pass between them, making her heartbeat speed up.
"Are you getting all that?" Alice's voice, a loud whisper, broke through their moment.
"Yeah, now shush, you're gonna make them all self-conscious and shit," Mike said, focused on the screen on his phone.
"Are you losers seriously videoing this?" Bella demanded, stepping away from Edward and his warm hands. She turned to face her interfering friends with narrowed eyes and hands on her hips.
"Well, duh," Alice said. "Shoo now, ignore us. Go back to humping the handsome guy."
Bella's face flamed. "I was not humping him!"
"I should hope not!" A blond guy, tall, good looking but somewhat severe in appearance, stepped up to the group. "I got dibs on him tonight." His brooding blue eyes swept over their group with what could only be called a hostile glare.
Bella swiveled to stare at Edward, who just sighed, shrugged, and dropped a quick peck on her cheek. "He's right, I did promise him. But is it ok if I drop by at the salon one of these days? Maybe we could hang out?"
In a daze, she nodded, and then watched the two men disappear into the crowd.
…
She could still feel the electricity of his lips against her cheek hours later. It probably helped that she wasn't drunk, because that sometimes made it difficult to feel her extremities.
As it happened, after Edward's unexpected cameo, her friends had been far too involved in trying to decipher what had just happened, to drink much.
"So you just bumped into some random guy and he turned out to be hot? Damn, you have all the luck, Bella," said Eric, leaning against his husband. "Hey, Mike, remember that time I bumped into that dude? He was real mean."
Mike dropped an affectionate kiss on Eric's forehead. "Yeah, I remember. But I rescued you, didn't I?"
"Awww," cooed Alice. "Turn it down, lovebirds. Focus on Bella, here."
"No, no," Bella protested. "Nothing to focus on. And anyway, he's not random."
"You know that fine, fine man?" Mike exclaimed. "What the hell?"
"Uh yeah," Bella shrugged. "He came over to the salon last week."
Alice squinted suspiciously at Bella. "Wait a minute. Is this the magic dick?"
"Stop calling him that! His name is Edward," Bella protested. "But… yeah."
"What's this about a magic dick?" Eric sat forward, quirking one shapely eyebrow.
Bella sighed. "He came for a manzillion, and it was tiny, ok. And then, it just… grew. Like magic."
"Oh," nodded Mike with sudden enlightenment. "He's uncut, isn't he?"
"How'd you know that?" Bella asked in amazement. "I never said anything about it!"
"Well honey, as far as we're concerned, you never said anything about anything, you get my drift?" Mike waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Magic is not going to love the idea that we discussed his business. So this little soiree," he twirled his finger around the table, "never happened."
"Very Fight Club," approved Eric, stroking Mike's hair affectionately. "I concur."
"Whatever, you guys," Bella sighed. "I don't even know why we're discussing this. I barely know him."
"But he is hot as fuck, and you want to know him," put in Alice.
"Makes more sense than going out with those super-hung guys. That Jacob dude you sent over to me? God, Bee, he was all about himself!" exclaimed Mike. "If it had been him tonight, you'd have face-planted, because he'd be too busy flexing his abs to actually grab you."
Bella and Alice couldn't hold back their laughter, because it was all too easy for them to picture something like that.
"You're probably right, but it's not like I really have a choice here, right?" Bella smiled sadly. "Let's not forget he went off with a guy… who had 'dibs on him', apparently."
"Finger-quotes aren't your thing," Alice noted absently. "You know, there's something off there. I can't quite put my finger on it though."
"Oh yeah, the maybe-boyfriend/flavor of the night," said Mike on an exhale. "He was hot too, but kind of wound up, right?"
"Exactly!" Alice nodded animatedly. "And wasn't Magic… I mean, Edward… wasn't he totally into Bella? We have the video to prove it!"
"Uh, hello, does the fact that he's gay not mean anything to you lot?" Bella protested.
"Duh, of course it does," winked Mike. "But he could be bi. He didn't give me very strong gay vibes, to be honest."
"Anyway, how does his sexual orientation even matter?" Alice pointed out. "He wants to hang out with you, right? Nothing wrong with having a few more friends."
"And if somewhere along the line, he confesses that he's bi, and totally into you," cut in Eric, "nothing wrong with giving that fine bod a spin."
Bella buried her face in her hands.
"Oh, and let's not forget, that magic dick of his," added Mike. "That must be awesome for sex. Porn dicks are a pain in the ass, quite literally."
"Oh God," moaned Bella, between laughter and tears. "I'm not having anal sex with him! Or any sex with him!"
"Well, obviously not tonight," soothed Eric, "but in the event that you do, at least you know it'll be good!"
"Hey, what about that blond guy with Edward, though?" Alice mused.
"What about him?"
The deep voice made them jump, twisting around in their chairs to stare up at a tall, handsome man with brooding blue eyes.
Bella gulped. "Oh shit."