Chapter Six

Disclaimer: The Twilight franchise is not mine

The day had arrived, and everything was all set. Only hours remained until the girls would show up at the house. The anxiety was building up, and as he inhaled, held his breath and then exhaled, he knew things were going to get easier soon. All he had to do was meet the girls so he would know what he was up against.

The house where the girls would be staying had a good amount of space. Not only did it have rooms, bathrooms and a kitchen for the girls to use, but it also held a large meeting room for the group to meet in as well as a hidden room for Edward's own use. The only people allowed in that room would be invited by Edward personally. Tonight, he was using it to conceal himself and a group of other men away from the girls. He was planning on getting to know them in a more non-threatening situation so he could see his true colors. Tonight, the girls were walking into a brand new situation, allowing him to fool them for a little while as he evaluated them as a man, not their coach. Esme was to pose as the matchmaker on the show for the first night, but the girls would have no idea that they were being fooled.

Glancing at the clock, Edward noticed that there was not much time left before the girls would pull up to the house. It was almost time, and he had to gather the men all together.

"Hey guys, I wanted to say something,"

"Chat away Eddie boy, we are all ears!"

Edward frown at the use of his nickname.

"Thanks for that Em. Now, as I was saying, I wanted to thank you all for coming here tonight, but I just need to go over the basics one more time. Remember, you are trying to get to know these girls, like you would on a normal date, but I need for you to take note of their personalities and mannerisms. What you liked, what you hated, anything you found weird. Later I will need for you to report back to me, so take extensive mental notes. Got it?"

Multiple replies in agreement rose up from around the room. Edward felt a slight grin come to his lips. This had the possibility to work after all.

"All right guys, it's almost time, remember, turn up the charm, and take mental notes."

"Good evening ladies, my name is Esme, and welcome to The Truth Hurts"

She paused for a moment to wait for the girls' talking to subside.

"So now, we are about to start our first activity. You are about to do some speed dating, to test your skills, so bring your best game, and let the night begin!"

The girls each rushed to a table and waited for the men to come out. Esme couldn't help but take notice of the display of facial expressions spanning across each girl's face. They ranged from nervous, to apathetic, to annoyed, even. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that she knew her son had a long road ahead of him.

"All right ladies, here they come!"

The men started to file out of the room, smiling warmly at each of the girls. Edward too note of the reactions of each ones. Some were smiling back, others cold and a few even looked, angry. That was interesting. He didn't have too much time to think before he reached his first table.

"Hello, my name is Edward,"

"My name is Tanya, nice to meet you."

Tanya was a beautiful woman, very confident. This was a positive to Edward, but at the same time, too much of it could be an issue.

"The pleasure is mine. So tell me, what do you do?"

"Oh, you know, I do a little bit here and there, I am currently an exotic dancer, maybe I can show you some moves sometime."

He spoke too soon, she was too bold. He was a bit nervous, and he struggled to find his voice as her hand traveled up his thigh.

"Um, that would be… different. So tell me, do you plan on erhm dancing forever?" He said as he nervously shifted out of her grasp.

"Definitely not! My tits will probably sag to the floor in the next 5 to 7 years. I figure I will end up with a wealthy man who can take care of me. It's all about marrying up into society. It's a man's job to take care of his wife, after all. How about you, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a coach"

"Those don't make a lot of money do they?"

"I make enough."

Clearly disappointed in her response from Edward, Tanya quickly lost interest in who he was and the conversation remained polite, but didn't really go anywhere. When the time was up, Edward shook hands with Tanya and quickly moved on his way.

Oh goodie, the gold digger is in full swing tonight…

The rest of the dates kept getting more awkward as the night went on. Lauren was adamant about being known for her brain, telling Edward all about her double degrees in language and communications, but he couldn't help but notice that she was freely giving him a view of two of her other accomplishments.

Despite the awkward feelings he felt there, that was noting compared to Jessica, who deliberately placed a death grip upon his balls as a poor attempt to get him excited. Unfortunately for her, it looked like she was the only one who was going to be excited that night. He thought he was at the doctor's office. It was only a matter of minutes before he had to turn and cough. These girls were giving him a run for his money and it was only the first night.

The girls just kept coming, and the end couldn't seem to get close enough. Edward said goodbye to the last girly and quickly exited the room with the rest of the male suitors. After quickly straightening his tie and running a hand through his hair, he waited to be announced.

"Did you ladies have fun tonight?"

Mixed reactions filled the air from smiles to apathetic gazes at the ceiling.

"Now Ladies, I have something else I would like to share with you, I am not your matchmaker."

The girls immediately directed their attention to the woman in front of them. They reacted predictably in a surprised manner. Esme continued,

"Don't worry though, you will be seeing me later at various times throughout your stay here. I do, however, want to introduce you to the person who you will get to know throughout the next few weeks. I'd like to introduce you to my son, Edward!"

Cued by his mother's announcement, Edward straightened his posture and walked back out into the room of girls. He grinned and put out his best gesture of kindness. Staring around the room, he noticed some girls looked happy, others embarrassed, and a few slightly angry. Doing his best to ignore the reactions, he addressed them.

"Ladies, welcome, as you know, my name is Edward, and I am going to be leading you through the next few weeks. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, but I wanted to see who you were, before you knew who I was. With that, I hope to have a very good connection with you so that I can find you love. Now, you may take your things, get unpacked, and find yourself a room, I will see you in the meeting room in a little while-"

The sound of a fist pounding the table came to everyone's attention as they all turned to look at the cause of such commotion. In the corner, Bella had a pissed expression on her face, as if she were ready to cause serious damage. Alice had gotten up to give her a hug and guide her up the stairs, looking back in Edward's direction with a sympathetic gaze. Yes, this would be an interesting experience.