Sorry that this took so long. I am taking a really heavy course load this semester at university, and haven't had much time to sit down at write. I'm going to try and keep a fairly decent schedule, but I don't make any promises.
Thank you SO MUCH to those who liked my story enough to favourite it, or add it to your alerts. It makes me so happy every time I get those emails. I also appreciated the comment, though I am still trying to figure out how to operate this system... so I haven't replied. But I will!
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Again, Twilight belongs to SM.
What do I own, you ask? Why, I own a biology text book. And I love it!
We arrived at the airpark a little after nine, and the place was absolutely dead. I didn't know if Alice had arranged it to be as such, but I didn't really mind either way.
The fewer people that were trying to leave here today, the faster we would get to New York.
I didn't have a lot of time to get ready, or really go shopping around in the city today. I knew that once we landed, Alice and I would essentially have to run right to Barneys and pick out a dress. Granted, being there would probably take me a day and a half, especially because Alice would pick out a bunch of atrocious outfits that I would never even think about sliding my way into.
"Alright, Bella. We're here." Alice pulled up into a parking lot just outside the airpark before jumping out of the car. I quickly jumped out after her, and began speed walking to catch up. For someone so small, she moves so fucking fast!
"Here's the plan." Alice began, in her scheming voice. "We are going to probably touch down in New York sometime around ten thirty. We will get into the city and should be in Barneys by eleven. We have a half an hour to find a dress. Then we are going to La Perla." I started to protest before she threw her hand up in my face. "Don't even start Bella. I don't care. You need some new lingerie."
I sighed, looking down at the ground. "Alice, no one is going to even see it. I don't see why I have to buy – "
"Bella. Can it. Trust me on this one; you are going to want to buy some. Besides, it hasn't been that long since you've had sex… has it?" Alice looked at me, a look of trepidation flickering across her features. "Six months, Alice."
Alice whipped her head to face me, shock clearly all over her face. "SIX MONTHS? How have you survived?"
"Gee, thanks Ali." I deadpanned, running my hand through my hair. "It just… hasn't sparked with anyone." "But you've been out on dates with guys right… what about them?" Alice was obviously shocked that I had managed to remain celibate for so long without cracking and just fucking the first random guy I saw.
Didn't mean I hadn't thought about it.
"I went on dates with two guys. Mike and Tyler weren't exactly stellar. There was absolutely no chemistry. I don't think I could have had sex with them if I had wanted to." Alice cringed, and I just nodded my head.
We were approaching a small plane, which I assumed to be Alice's. The hatch was down, allowing us to climb up inside and take our seats. "Hello, Jasper." Alice said, referring to the tall, blonde man in a suit standing outside the plane. She reached her hand out to shake his hand, I assumed, but he grabbed it, turning it over, and stooping down to kiss the back of her hand. "Miss Alice." He said, a light southern drawl dragging in his deep voice.
Alice visibly swooned, and I laughed to myself; shaking my head, I walked past Alice and up the stairs.
The inside of the plane was amazing. It was small, but Alice was going to be the only person using this plane most of the time. It sat about ten people, and each seat was more of a recliner than an actual plane seat. Holy fuck, Alice. You've outdone yourself.
I could also see the bar in the back, and I couldn't help but laugh. Only Alice.
I took a seat in a chair closet to one of the windows, looking out over the airfield. I couldn't believe that it had been so long since I'd had a relationship, or even had sex.
The relationship I could do without; being a spy… every relationship I've built since my job has started has been based on lies. I've been an IT Specialist, a doctor with Doctors Without Borders, a research scientist… I've never told anyone what I actually do. I can't tell anyone what I actually do.
If I didn't love this job so much, I would be out in a heartbeat. I wanted a real relationship… or so I thought; but I know that there is no way that I'll ever be able to have one.
My last boyfriend, Max, suspected that I was cheating on him. Granted, he was kind of right because I ended up sleeping with the target. It sounds slutty, but it was what I needed to do, and made sense in the context of the mission.
I tried to tell him that I thought of him the whole time. It didn't really work out as I'd hoped.
Over time, I realized that I just wasn't cut out for a relationship. Maybe I wasn't a relationship person; maybe I was destined to be lonely… whatever. Thinking back on my relationships now, I realize that I'm glad that they ended. I was so much happier being single, as long as I got some sex every once and a while.
Alice came darting up the stairs as the blonde man, "Jasper" as Alice had called him, sauntered up and into the cockpit. Alice is in love with the pilot.
"So Al. Who's that?" I asked, a smile on my face. "Shut up." She said, looking down at her fingernails. I knew she wanted me to ask about him, so I persisted. "Al, I'm jealous. He's gorgeous. Tell me everything. And don't say that nothing is going on. I know there is." Alice looked up at me and smiled. I knew it.
Just then, Jasper walked back out of the cockpit, eyes on Alice, and said "Hey ladies, we're getting the green from the tower now, so go ahead and buckle up, and we'll be in the air in about five." He flashed a winning smile at Alice, and I thought her eyes were going to roll back in her head.
We sat in silence, neither of us moving until he was back in the cockpit with the door shut.
She immediately launched into a tirade about him the second he left, as we sat back in our seats to prepare for take off. "He's amazing, Bella. I hired him over the phone, so I had no idea what he looked like or anything; so don't even go there. He was in the Air Force for a few years, but once he was done his first tour, he decided that he didn't want to reenlist. He's working on getting a degree in history and post-secondary education right now, and needed some money to help pay for it. I offered to help him out by giving him a job, and oh my god, am I so glad I did that." Alice smiled, taking a deep breath, and leaning back in her seat, looking at me.
"Nothing has happened between us yet," she practically whispered, "but I just know that it will. I can feel it every time he's around. It's like we were meant to be together, Bella. He knows it too. The only problem is that neither of us know how to approach the situation since he is a hired worker."
I smiled over at her, as the plane began to take off, reaching over the pat her hand. "Qué será será, Ali." She grinned, tapping her forehead. "Don't I know it?" I laughed, shaking my head.
"You know Bella," she said, cocking her head at me, "the same applies to you. I'm going to tell you this, and it seems a little vague right now, but I want you to listen. Don't fight it, Bells. Just give in to it. What's going to happen is bigger than you. Just let it happen." Alice then pulled out her laptop and began looking at dresses (presumably for me) online on Barneys' website.
What Alice said usually freaked me out; this time wasn't any different. It was just… the way she said it, and what she said. Alice had never said anything like that to me before. Usually it was something along the lines of, "Don't worry about this mission, you got it", or "I would take extra clothes in your pack". Never, ever, had she told me not to fight something, or give me what sounded like an ultimatum.
I didn't like this. I didn't like it at all.
I closed my eyes, throwing my hand over my face to block out the sunlight, before drifting into a sweet, dreamless sleep.
"Bella!" I groaned, snuggling deeper down into my seat. "Bella!" Alice ripped my hand off my eyes, using it to pull me out of the seat. "Jesus, Alice!" I exclaimed, stumbling to my feet in a sleep-induced stupor.
"J," Alice yelled, as she pulled me out of the plane, "we're going to be back here in an hour, exactly. Have her ready to go!" "You got it, Alice." He yelled from the cabin.
Alice smiled, looking down at the ground, before looking back up at me. She winked at me, and then pulled me out of the plane.
"Alice," I said, as she pulled me along towards a waiting yellow Porsche, "what the hell is this?" "What the hell is what, Bella?" she asked innocently. I gestured towards the car, widening my eyes at her in question. "Oh… that." She said, as she got into the car. I followed suit, both of us buckling our seatbelts. Alice took off before she answered, "You know I like driving fast, Bells. Can't do that in a Volvo." She chuckled, a little more than someone normally would for taking a hit at a car brand, but I decided not to question it.
We arrived outside Barneys around 10:45, and I watched in awe and Alice leapt from the car, throwing her keys to the Barneys doorman. "Park her somewhere swanky." She said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I'll be back in twenty. I'm Alice Brandon." She winked, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the store.
It was like entering another world.
I was used to grocery stores… I never went clothes shopping unless Alice dragged me along. I had gotten into the habit of Internet shopping in college, and had utilized it ever since. I had everything sent to an alternate address, of course. Still… going and picking up boxes of clothing is still infinitely easier than standing around some store while some bitch-
"Welcome to Barneys, my name is Alyssa, how can I help you?"
Tries to charge up your credit card. Why do the women that work at these stores always have to be so beautiful? It makes me feel like even more of an idiot for trying on the clothes that I do. Rather, the clothes that Alice forces me into.
"Yes, could you go get…" Alice rummaged around in her purse, before pulling out a piece of folded paper. "This dress?" She handed it to Alyssa, who quickly looked it over. "Of course, Ms. Brandon. Just take a seat, and I'll be right back. Did you need that in your normal size?" "No." Alice said, with a smile. She gestured towards me, "It's for her."
Alyssa looked me over for a second before smiling and running off to retrieve whatever was on that paper.
I looked at Alice hesitantly. "Alice…" I asked, trailing off, hoping that she would say something to fill the silence. She just smiled and laughed wickedly, pushing me onto a couch. She was now towering over me as she lifted her finger and pointed it at me authoritatively. "Behave. I'm going to La Perla. I've picked out the perfect outfit for you. Just try it on. By the time you get everything on, I'll be back." I took in a breath to protest, but she shook her finger at me. "COOPERATE." She said, her voice hard.
I couldn't do anything but nod dumbly as she spun on her heel and sauntered out of Barneys.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone. Jesus Christ, 23 emails? I've been offline for two seconds. People really need to stop emailing me.
I clicked through emails, responding to the ones that I could without my computer in front of me, trying to forget about the fact that I was four hours from home, sitting in the lobby of Barneys while some girl looked for clothes handpicked by Alice.
Oh, good god, help me.
Just then Alyssa flew around the corner, her hair staying perfectly still on her shoulders in the way that only beautiful girls could manage, and her hands shockingly empty. I looked at her questioningly, raising my eyebrow at her empty hands. She flashed a smile my way and said, "This way, Ms. Swan. We have you set up in the first of the private dressing rooms."
How the fuck does she know my name? "Alice, Ms. Swan." She smiled winningly at me, and made me wonder if she was a beauty queen before ending up here. She laughed out loud and said, "As a child, Ms. Swan." I really need to stop saying the things that I'm thinking in my head. "You really should." Alyssa said, her laughter pouring out of her. I blushed bright red, and hid my face in my hands.
"I'm really sorry. When I get stressed out, I do this a lot. Though, the only time I get stressed out is when Alice brings me on these shopping excursions. I can handle anything but this." I said, shaking my head.
Alyssa smiled at me, "You'd be surprised how many people get stressed out when they go shopping. That's why my job exists." She laughed, "Though, I bet there are a bunch of other things that would stress you out. What if you had to, like…" she paused, trying to think of something good, "Well, what if you had to travel to a foreign country all by yourself?" I laughed, shaking my head. If only she knew.
"I used to do that all the time in college." I said. There, that was partially true.
"Well then," she smiled, pulling my hand "you can certainly handle this, then."
She waved a hand to direct me to her side, and we began walking through the store. "We have you in the private dressing rooms in the back, so it's going to be a bit of a walk. I'm really sorry about this, but –" I cut her off, "I'm sure Alice insisted. Don't worry about it." She smiled, laughing at me. "You know her too well." I said, with a shake of my head. "Well, I should." Alyssa said. "Alice has been coming to Barneys bi-weekly for years. I always work for her when she's here. I love helping Alice." I cocked my head to the side and laughed. "You know Alice, right?"
She chuckled, before continuing. "Alice knows clothes, and it makes my job easier. But I love her for a million more reasons. She is the only person to ever come through here who actually cares what I think, the only person who even asks what is going on in my life. I can't even say that about most of my co-workers. Alice is a loving person. She commands every situation she's in, but she's loving. It's why she's so good at what she does."
I'm sure I would have blanched if I weren't trained otherwise. I quickly scanned my brain, trying to remember what Alice always told people who asked what she did. White House Correspondent, that's right. "She spends a lot of time with the families in the White House, believe it or not. She really loves what she does."
Alyssa smiled, "I wish I had a job like that. I love fashion, but this just isn't what I imagined for myself when I graduated from fashion school, you know?"
"I can only sympathize, Alyssa." I said, smiling at her, "I got my dream job."
We arrived in front of a series of doors, one of which Alyssa quickly unlocked and practically shoved me through. "What do you do?" She asked, as I took in the room around me.
"I'm an IT Specialist." I replied, using one of my token answers. I was still surprised that I was even able to respond.
There was a vanity area directly in front of me, complete with a 270-degree mirror and a couch. The wall to my left was covered in hooks, on which hung a black, strapless cocktail dress. The dress was a black taffeta, with a ruched bottom. It was gorgeous.
Alice has also had heels placed on the floor, and a selection of handbags placed in a large tote hanging off the wall. The handbags looked promising; the hells on the other hand… looking troubling. They were four-inch Jimmy Choo's. Not only were they WAY out of my price range, I was probably going to die walking in them.
I was in fairly good shape, and had managed to control a lot of the natural clumsiness that I was born with. Sometimes though, like when I wore skyscrapers on my feet, the clumsy qualities I so despised would rear their ugly heads.
Talk about embarrassing.
"Bella, stop freaking out, and get dressed. You're going to look lovely, but we just need to make sure the angles work for you." Alyssa yelled through the door. Damn, she knows me. "That's my job, Bella." She said, her laughter bubbling through the door.
Sighing, I drug myself over to the wall, slipping out of my clothes and pulling on the 'Alice Approved' outfit.
I had to admit, the dress looked fantastic. It hugged me in all the right places, and really played up my assets. Plus, it actually made it look like I had some semblance of an ass. Yes!
I bent down to grab the heels off the floor, and walked over to sit down on the couch. I looked at them warily, before strapping them on my feet.
Standing up slowly, I walked back over the wall, grabbing the bag of clutches off the wall. Rummaging through the bag, I pulled out a black and white Emilio Pucci clutch. It was edgy, and took a little bit of sweet out of the taffeta dress.
I spun in the mirror one last time, fluffing my waves down my back, before opening the door. Alyssa took one look at me and gasped, before shouting, "ALICE!"
Alice came running from… wherever she was, and nearly fell on the ground.
"BELLA. You look AMAZING!"
I smiled, kicking my heel in the air, and spinning around. "What do you think?" Alice asked, the cocky smile on her face telling me that she already knew.
"I love it, Ali. The dress is perfect, and the heels… I was so freaked when I saw them, but they are four inches of heaven. I never thought I'd actually tell you this, but you were right." Alice walked over and hugged me, my now 5'8" frame towering over hers; "I told you, Bella. Never forget how these designer shoes feel on your feet."
"So I look alright, then?" I asked, gesturing down at myself. Alice smiled, pulling my in front of a mirror, and placed her hands on my shoulders. "It begins with a look, Bella. And I'd say he agrees." Alice said with a giggle.
I looked up, seeing that she was looking at something. I followed her eyes, only to have them land on the most perfect man I had ever seen.
He was tall, probably about 6'4", with bronze hair sticking up in a million directions. He was lean, but muscular, and it was evident that he worked out, if not daily, at least every other day. He was in a tuxedo, getting measured for some last minute fittings I assumed. As my eyes travelled up his body, and memorized each feature of his face, my eyes met his. They were a piercing green, and I felt like they were stabbing right into my soul.
I realized that I was probably gaping at him like a moron, so I quickly diverted my eyes. I tried to look anywhere else, but I could still feel his eyes on me. Dragging my eyes back to him, I raked over his form once more before catching his eye. I bit my lip and winked, spinning around and walking back into the dressing room.
Changing quickly, I put everything that I was going to purchase back on the appropriate hangers and gathered it up in my arms. When I opened the door, Alice and Alyssa were gone, but the gorgeous man remained, straightening his cuffs on his tuxedo jacket. He was perfectly styled, and that only served to make my desire increase.
I turned around to shut the door, and when I spun back to walk to the front of Barneys, the man was staring at me again. Swallowing my apprehension, I placed my items on a nearby chair, and walked over to him, sticking out my hand. "Hello, I'm Bella." I said, allowing my eyes to move appreciatively over his form. My eyes caught his, and I smiled as he took my hand. He flashed me a crooked smile, and I'm surprised my knees didn't give out.
It was uneven and perfect, showing off his gleaming teeth and his perfect mouth. I want to bite those lips. Sigh.
"I'm Edward." He said, he voice was accompanied with a gorgeous British accent, and was smooth and soft. Like velvet.
Still grasping my hand, he pulled me closer so that we were officially violating the other's personal space. Leaning down, he whispered, "And I offer far more than four inches of heaven, Bella." His voice had taken on a rough and grating quality; it was sex.
And that's the first time I ever got wet in a Barneys dressing room.
I pulled back to look at him, flashing him a smile. "I'll just bet you do," I said, "but I have to be going. I have a plane to catch." I spun to walk away, but… casually allowed my hand to graze the front of his tuxedo pants.
Oh. Good. God. He's hard. And huge. Why did I do that? Now I'll never stop thinking about him. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my –
Edward grabbed the hand that had just violated him, and pulled me to him, pressing our bodies together. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine, softly but forcefully.
He pulled back, gauging my reaction. Once he saw I was satisfied, he whispered, "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay?" I grinned, and leaned up to kiss him once more.
This kiss was full of repressed sexual desire; whether it was mine, his, or both of ours I would never be sure, but I didn't mind. It was hot. How is it that I am able to kiss him, without tongue no less, in the middle of a store? And why is it the hottest kiss of my life?
I nibbled on his lip, and felt him groan into my mouth. I smiled, nibbling a bit more for good measure before pulling back. We were both panting.
He pressed his forehead to mine, licking his lips and said, "Please stay with me. I…" he trailed off, obviously conflicted. He must have someone. Or something to do tonight. Fuck.
"I can't. I would if I thought that I could," Isn't that the truth. "but I have to go back to Baltimore. I just flew here to buy this dress. My friend is a little psychotic." I chuckled awkwardly.
He sighed, and whispered, "You're from Baltimore? You don't live in New York?" I frowned, and shook my head, my forehead moving against his.
He took a deep breath, his chest meeting mine as his lungs expanded. My breath caught in my chest and my hardened nipples rubbed against his solid upper body. I really hope he didn't feel that. That would be endlessly embarrassing.
I stepped back, his eyes on fire with lust, and took my hand in his. Stooping down, he pressed his lips to my knuckles, kissing each one, before turning my hand over and placing a kiss on my palm.
I was putty in this man's hands. Wherever he wanted me, he could have me.
My whole body began trembling; I was certain he could feel it; there was no way to hide it. He looked up from my hand, and smiled my smile at me.
My smile? God, you're sick. You just met him five minutes ago. One side of my argued expertly. Yeah, and you've already palmed his erection. Good going.
"Okay, Edward," I stuttered, taking my hand from him, and fidgeting uncomfortably, "I should get going. I have to be back to Baltimore in two hours… have to get ready for tonight." The light left his eyes at those words, and it crushed me. I didn't want to leave him, and that scared me.
I had never been so attached to anyone. Not my parents, not Jake, not one of my past boyfriends. I had known Edward for all of five minutes, and I was already thinking about what it would be like to be beside him for the rest of my life.
So glorious… waking up to him every day?! I bet he has gorgeous sleep hair. And an even better sleep voice. Yum.
Smiling one last time, I winked, "Goodbye, Edward." He looked up, smiled my smile, and said, "Next time you're in New York, find me." Then he turned around, and walked back into his dressing room.
Sighing, and attempting to still my shaking legs, I walked out to the front of the store to find Alyssa and Alice leaning over the counter at one of the registers giggling like children. Alice leaned back when she heard me coming, and laughed, "How was your friend, Bells?" she asked.
Have I mentioned that Alice was pure evil?
"Sex on legs, Ali. But you knew that… which is why you two DITCHED ME!" I said, laughing. Alice smiled, and winked, letting me know that she had, somehow, known that I needed some alone time with him.
I would have loved to have sex with him. Yes, while it was nice to finally have some welcome, and I mean WELCOME, male attention, I was now more frustrated than ever before. Fuck my life.
I took the clothes out of my hands, placing them on the counter, "Alright, Alyssa. Ring us up so we can get out of here. Apparently, I need to go to La Perla." I looked at Alice, rolling my eyes. Alice let out a tinkling laugh, and slapped my arm lightly, "Silly Bella, I already went to La Perla. I picked out a whole BUNCH of stuff while you were back here getting your stuff and hanging out with Mr. Sex on Legs."
"Shh!" I said, looking pointedly at Alice before looking worriedly around the store. Alice started laughing, but let it drop.
Not two minutes later, Alice and I had retrieved her keys from the doorman, and were walking down fifth; she was staring at me, trying to get me to talk, and I was actively looking at anything but Alice's face. We reached the car, still in silence, though I could feel Alice's eyes on me as I buckled my seatbelt. After I was fastened, I stared out the window; I was really trying to avoid the line of questioning I was sure to be subjected to. I didn't even want to know my own answers.
Suddenly, Alice reached over and jerked my arm, turning me to face her. "Spill it, Bella! I'm tired of sitting here waiting on you. You and I BOTH know that you are going to tell me everything, so you might as well hop to it!" I stared at her for a few more seconds before launching into a long tirade about everything.
As we drove, I told her everything. I told her about my reaction to seeing him for the first time, what he said, what he sounded like, what it did to me. I told her about kissing him, and how I didn't even think about the fact that I shouldn't be kissing a man I just met. I told her about his eyes and how they captured my heart, how, when I allowed my mind to drift for too long, I found myself imagining some sort of sick future.
"But Alice," I said, looking down at my knuckles… the knuckles he'd just kissed… "Nothing can come of this. He lives in New York, I live in Baltimore, and I can't even tell him what I DO FOR A LIVING! How am I supposed to do anything?! How can I do anything?!" I threw my head into my hands, and I felt Alice's hand come over and rub my shoulders. "You'll figure it out, Bells."
"I won't though!" I exclaimed, my body suddenly becoming overcome with panic. "This is the first time in my life that I have felt something even closely resembling 'real' and I'm forced to give it up. I could just lie and feed him one of my usual lines in regards to employment, but I can't base this relationship on lies, Alice. I just can't. I'm tired of it. I'm done." I took a deep, shaking breath, trying to control my panic.
I hadn't had a panic attack in the longest time… I had been forced to get a hold of them when I started my job. You can't exactly be a spy and have panic attacks. But now, here I was, sitting in Alice's car, on the verge of a panic attack.
I reverted back to my old methods of controlling them.
I threw my head between my legs, forced my mind to slow down, and focused on my breathing and the words of the song that was pouring through the radio. Then I felt Alice place a tentative hand on my shoulder, and it helped to ground me. I've never been more thankful for her in my life. And she'd given me a lot of reasons to be thankful for her over the course of our friendship.
Alice knew that I used to have panic attacks, of course… she had just never seen one in action. I had gotten very good and controlling my thoughts, and had given in a few weeks before my interview for the CIA and gone on anxiety medication. It was probably the best decision I had ever made up until that point.
Once I was feeling better, I sat back up, and looked out the window. We were almost back at the airport, thank goodness. I was ready for a day of pampering. Alice allowed me to sit in silence the rest of the trip, which totaled all of about ten minutes, but I was still amazingly thankful.
"You know, Al," I said, as we climbed out of the car and walked across the tarmac towards the plane, "I just wish that I was able to have a normal relationship with someone. I know I'm not the type, but I think it is just unsettling because I know that even if I ever come around, it's still no dice for me." Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder reassuringly. "You know, Jasper knows what I do. We aren't even together yet, Bells, but he knows. But I felt comfortable telling him, because I knew that he needed to know. We're going to get married Bella I just know it. And from the look on your face this afternoon, I would say that Edward made you feel the same way."
I shrugged, because it was the least responsible thing to do.
Alice sighed, walking up the steps to the plane. She turned around quickly when you reached the top, looking me in the eyes. "Talk to Jasper. See what he says. You have five minutes." And she pulled me up the stairs and towards the cockpit. "Jazz?" Alice said, knocking on the door. The door flew open, revealing a staggered Jasper.
I wonder if I looked like that this afternoon. God, Jasper is so obviously in love with her. I looked at Alice. Not that she's much better off…
Stooping down, Jasper kissed Alice's cheek, and waved her off to go sit down. "I heard Alice say that you wanted to talk to me…" he trailed off so I could introduce myself. "Bella." I said, sticking my hand out.
He leaned down to kiss the back of my hand, like Edward had, but this time was vastly different. There was no spark, no set of lips trailing along each of my knuckles in a completely sensual display of affection. It was just a kiss on the back of my hand from a good old Southern gentleman.
Jasper stepped back into the cockpit, waving me in and shutting the door behind us. "Alight, Bella. Shoot." I smiled at his adorable Southern drawl, and said, "I'm not a relationship person, Jasper. And I met a guy today that is making me reconsider all that. But it would never work out between us."
Jasper looked me over for a second before responding. "Well, why do you think it wouldn't work out? Better yet, why do you get such a strong feeling about him?"
"I don't know, that's just it. He struck me… that's the only way to explain it. It's like something inside me turned on, like I'd always been wired incorrectly, and the electrician finally showed up. It's amazing. And it won't work because I can't be honest with him… about everything that I do." "Your job?" he asked, looking at me knowingly.
"Jesus," I laughed, "did Alice spill everything?" He smiled, and shook his head, "No, but I know that it was difficult for her to tell me what she actually did. And since I know that you two work together…" "Ahhh." I said, nodding my head.
"What was it like when you met Alice?" I asked, trying to figure out if my feelings for Edward were even in the same book as "normal".
"Oh my god," Jasper said, clasping his hand over his heart, "I felt the same way you feel now. Like I had been in de-fib and someone jumped my heart. Alice is a breath of fresh air for me. No matter how much time I spend with her, everything is fresh, new, and wonderful. I'm drunk on the feeling, and I hope that I always will be. I want to marry this woman, but it's a little difficult to do anything about our relationship right now."
I nodded, as though I knew exactly what he was talking about. "Jasper, I'm going to tell you this right now, and I expect you to follow through." Jasper nodded, willing to take anything I said and run with it. "Just do it, Jasper. She feels the same way. You have until the end of the week." I smiled, patted his head, and turned to walk out. "Now, let's get this plane in the sky, eh?" Jasper laughed, and said, "Okay, Bella. Go join my future wife."
I smiled at his words, and walked back out to join Alice. "Hey, Ali," I said, as I walked back to the cabin, finding Alice preparing us drinks at the bar. "Cosmo?" She asked, handing me the drink and sitting down in one of the chairs.
I sipped the pink beverage, walking over to the chair next to hers and plopping down. "Do you have safe calling on this thing?" I asked, as we buckled into our seats for take-off. Alice laughed, "Of course I do, dear. You forget what I do for a living." "White House correspondent?" I asked cheekily. Alice laughed heartily, "Shut up, Bella. But yes, I have safe chat on here. This whole thing is like a flying version of your office." I smiled, "Sweet. I need to get in touch with Jake once we get up in the air. I have a feeling that I'm not going to have time to talk to him about my contact any other time today."
Alice snorted, moving to clasp her hand over her mouth quickly to stifle the sound. "Alice…" I said, becoming worried about the mental state of my best friend.
"Don't worry about it, Bella. You'll see."
Okay…
I waited until we were up in the air, before walking over to the phone that was on a table near the bar and sitting down. I dialed Jake's number and waited a few seconds before he answered.
"Talk to me." "Hey Jake, it's Bella. I was wondering what you'd heard from MI6…?" "Hey, Bells! Are you calling from Alice's plane? It's sick isn't it?" I laughed, and said, "Yes, Jake, it's awesome. Now what do you know about my contact? I'm not going to have a lot of time to talk to you about it today, and I wanted to get this done before we landed back in Baltimore."
"Wait, where did you guys go?" I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose between my fingertips. "You know how Ali is, Jake. She wanted to take me up to Barneys to buy a dress for tonight. So we're flying back from New York. Now SPILL!" He laughed, clearly amused at how easily fed up I was.
"Alright, Bella. His name is Edward Cullen," "Cullen?" I interrupted, "of the Cornwall Cullen's? As in disgustingly rich Cullen?!" Jake sighed, "Yes Bella."
"Holy fuck!" I said, laughing. "How did MI6 score him?"
Jake laughed, " As children, Edward and his brother, Emmett, were surprisingly persistent when it came time for them to decide what they wanted to do with their lives. Edward always wanted to work for MI6, and it turned out that his scads of money actually really helped him out in a lot of situations. Because he didn't have a title or anything like that, people in the international community didn't know him, and those from the UK didn't really care. His great-grandfather was Duke of Cornwall, but his grandfather abandoned the title; he didn't want to have to subject his family to the lifestyle." "Wow," I said, "that was really lucky." "You're telling me." Jake said.
"Alright, so what am I supposed to do? How am I approaching this? Have you gotten in touch with them yet?"
"Yep, just got off the phone with them, actually. They want to play this… interestingly." "Oh god, Jake. What?" "Don't worry, Bells, it's nothing you haven't done before. They just want you to play it like you and Edward are a couple. When you get there, you are to greet Edward like he's been off on business for a few weeks back in London."
"Okay… I can do that." I let my mind create a number of situations so I was prepared for anything. "Why do they want us to play it this way, exactly?" I asked, unsure. "They think that it looks more legitimate. I don't really know, Bells. I just take orders." "Ain't that the truth…" I scoffed jokingly. "Ha ha ha. Shut it, Bella. Alright, let me give you a more logistical breakdown of what's going to happen. You ready to listen?" "Of course, Jake." I said, "Shoot."
And shoot he did. Jake launched into a fifteen-minute discussion of how I was to act this evening, where I was to find my contact… Edward (weird, seeing as how Barneys man was also named Edward… and British.) I didn't have a picture of him yet, but from the instructions that Jake gave me, Edward was supposed to "surprise" me at the gala. Apparently, I was supposed to stand outside the jellyfish tank, and he was going to walk up behind me and give me the code phrase.
"What's the phrase?" I asked. "The phrase is 'my angel, my all, my very self'." "It's the first line from one of Beethoven's love letters." I said, sighing. "Is it?" Jake asked? "Edward chose it. You'll have to congratulate him on being well read."
"Hmm." I said, looking off into space.
Maybe pretending to be in a relationship with this guy won't be so bad. He's well read, British… now all we need to know is what he looks like. "Are you going to get a picture of him so I know who to expect?"
Jake sighed into the phone, and I knew that it was bad news. "Well… MI6 doesn't want to give it over. They said that because he was going to be identifying you, you didn't need to know what he looked like. Apparently, they don't easily give out agent pics."
"Well that's good, I guess. But Edward knows who he is looking for, right?" I asked, examining my fingernails. The woman at the nail salon is going to HATE me. "Yes, from what I hear he is being briefed as we speak. He is getting a screen shot of you, and a little bit of information about what you look like. He is supposed to identify you from there. We just got your receipt from Barneys, so we were even able to tell him what you would be wearing tonight."
I loved working for the CIA. It made my entire life so much easier.
"Thanks, Jake. Alright, well, Alice and I are going to have girl time. I'm going to be busy all day, and I won't be near a secure phone until at least seven. I'll be ready at eight thirty sharp; I should be at the Aquarium at quarter of nine, depending on traffic. Am I allowed to take my car?"
"Yes, Bells. It's actually encouraged." "Why's that?" I asked.
Jake laughed into the phone. "You are pretending to be normal. Showing up in an Aston to one of these kinds of events is normal. You'd be out of place if you took the MTA."
I sighed, remembering the last time we had gotten the intel on the situation wrong.
I was working in Bangkok, on assignment of course, trying to get in with this sex trafficker. Jake had me driving a car around Bangkok, even though I was posing as a poor immigrant… yeah, I stood out. Thank god I figured this out within the first day of being in the city, and was able to ditch the car and invest in a pair of comfortable shoes.
I finished the assignment within a month.
"Alright, just call me if you need anything. Have you thought up any new gadget projects for me to work on?" Jake asked, excitement leaking through his voice.
Because Jake was the man behind the curtain to most people, they tended to forget that he had an amazing ability to work with technology. A lot of the gadgets I had were either made by or designed by Jake; those that weren't, Jake had taken apart before he gave them to me to make them better. It was amazing what that boy could do with a screwdriver and a few circuit boards.
"Not really; I haven't been thinking about it a lot lately. I mean, I would love it if you could create me some wireless headphones like my earpieces… but that's not exactly espionage related." Jake chuckled into the phone and said, "No, it's not. But I'll do it for you until you find me something better to tinker with."
I smiled broadly, thinking about Jacob's huge hands working on making me tiny, invisible ear-buds.
"Alright, well, Ali and I are going to have girl time. I'll call you if I need anything."
"Alright, good luck tonight Bells."
And we clicked off.
Walking back over to Alice, I plopped down in the chair, and angled my body so I could look at her. She was gazing out the window, clearly lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about, Al?"
Alice sighed, rubbing her tiny face in between her hands before saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do, Bella. I think I'm in love with him. But… we just met a few weeks ago. And he works for me. I can't… ugh!" She bent over, throwing her face down into her lap, letting her hands dangle at her sides.
I laughed, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back. "Alice, this is a completely simple conversation. You love him. End of story. Who cares if he works for you… this isn't like some sort of company. You hired him to fly your plane, and you two fell in love." Alice looked up at me, shocked. "What do you mean "you two fell in love"?" "He loves you, Ali. He told me so himself, but even if he hadn't… I would have known. It's written all over him, Alice. Just like it's written all over you."
Alice looked down, probably starting to think about her options.
"Alice, look at me." I said, my tone playfully forceful. She obliged, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "When this plane lands, I am going to get in the car we left back at the airpark and drive to my appointments. I am also going to call you a limo, and make you dinner reservations. You are going to take Jasper to dinner." She opened her mouth to protest, and I raised a warning finger and cut her off. "I don't want to hear it. Alice, everything is going to work out. You know it, I know it. Now stop protesting, and let yourself think about it."
Alice smiled her genuine smile before reaching over to wrap me in a hug. "Thanks, Bella." She said, her voice muffled by my hair. I smiled, "Anytime, Al."
True to my word, I called the first limo company on google search the second I got off the plane.
After practically pushing Alice into the cockpit and running out of the plane like a six-year-old, I figured I at least needed to make some sort of effort to repay them.
Knowing Alice, I knew that she would want to go somewhere low-key, but still nice on her first date out with Jasper. I made her reservations at the Black Olive, a restaurant on Bond Street downtown. It was nice, yet rustic and relaxed in a way that only a Baltimore restaurant could manage.
Have I mentioned that I loved Baltimore?
On top of being absolutely amazing, the food is to die for, and the location is brilliant. Bond Street is in the heart of downtown, and there are even a few bars nearby in case Alice needed a little liquid courage before asking Jasper to stay the night at her place.
Because I knew that she would.
Checking my watch, I realized that it was about quarter after one. "Fuck," I said quietly, as I jumped into the car, "I have my salon appointment in fifteen minutes."
I sped to the salon, ready to begin my half-day of relaxation.
One brow wax, leg wax, underarm wax, bikini wax, mani/pedi, and massage later, my body felt like Jello.
I drove Alice's car back to her place, which was about a five-minute walk from mine, and started back home.
Dropping my keys and wallet on the table by the door, and yanking my shoes off my feet, I padded into my bedroom placing my shoes carefully on the rack I had retrieved them from.
"What time is it…?" I asked out loud, leaning out of my closet to take a quick look at my bedside table. It was three-thirty.
"Well…" I said, silently marveling at the fact that I was having a conversation with myself. "I guess I could squeeze in a two hour nap."
Throwing back my blankets, I stripped down to my underwear and climbed into bed. Making sure to set my alarm for five thirty, I rolled over, closed my eyes, and allowed myself to drift into dreamland.
"What do you think you're doing, Bella?" Edward asked, stalking towards me in the dressing room. "Nothing" I murmured; my voice and body were trembling, and I was unable to stop it. As I walked backwards, I found myself walking into the dressing room.
My back was pressed against the wall, and I looked over at Edward leering at me from the doorway. Stepping inside the dressing room, he shut the door gently, flipping the lock, the click echoing in the air.
My breathing began to pick up, as Edward stalked toward me; his body was long and lean, his tendons bulging in his arms and neck as he strained to control himself. It was a lost cause, right from the start; we both knew it.
Suddenly, Edward was in front of me, his hands on either side of my head. His scent filled my nose and mouth, and I could taste him on my tongue. Had the dressing room suddenly gotten hotter, or was that just me? I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my face, rounding around to my chin, where it decided to sit. I looked up to find Edward's eyes tracing the path the sweat had left; he seemed to be contemplating something.
So quickly that I wasn't sure it actually happened, Edward leaned down, tracing his tongue along the path. I was both mesmerized and stunned. "What?" Edward asked, his voice rough with passion, yet still light and curious. "You…" I wasn't able to finish the thought, so I merely pointed at my face.
Edward laughed, before leaning down to whisper "You taste fantastic, Bella. I bet you taste just as wonderful everywhere." I moaned, my head forcing itself backwards, causing my back to arch off of the wall and collide with Edward's body.
When my hips met his, I could have sworn that I was in ecstasy.
The contact must have sparked something within him, because before I knew it, we were both naked and panting, while Edward fumbled around in his wallet, presumably to look for a condom.
"Just, fucking…" I started to get frustrated until Edward reached a hand down in between my folds to tease my sensitive flesh. I bucked against his hand, moaning loudly, but forced myself to finish what I was saying. "Don't worry about a condom. I'm clean, and on the pill. You're clean, right?" I asked, gasping for air, trying to control the rapid movement of my hips against his hand. Edward flashed me my smile, leaning down, and licked and nibbled his way up my neck to my earlobe. Taking my earlobe in between his teeth, he continued to tease my flesh, forcing me to the edge. "Edward, I, uhhhhh…"
I couldn't control my thoughts. They were everywhere and nowhere all at once. All I could think about was Edward's hand between my thighs, and how wonderful I was feeling at that very moment.
He pulled his hand away just as I was about to orgasm, causing me to growl at him. He chuckled, picking up my left leg, and swinging it across his back as he lined up at my entrance. Slowly, he began pushing in and -
"Shit." I woke up gasping, my body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. I clapped my hand to my forehead, closing my eyes and trying to slow my breathing down.
That was the single-most erotic dream I had ever had.
Trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore the feeling between my legs, I reached my hand down between my folds and began playing the scene from my dream out in my head.
Once I came, I got up, peeled my sweaty clothes off of my body, and threw them in the laundry basket, as I walked into the shower.
My shower was quick, as I methodically went through the normal motions. Rinse, Shampoo, Rinse, Condition, Body, Face, Rinse.
The shower was always my favorite palce to think, and even though I knew that I needed to think about what had just happened, I decided that it was probably better that I didn't. I couldn't stand the fact that I had just masturbated to the idea of having hot, illicit sex with a man that I had just met. A man that I would never see again.
See, in my opinion, it was one thing to think about having sex with someone you might potentially see again… or someone that you would actually end up having sex with. It was another thing entirely to think about having sex with someone you would never meet or see again.
That was why that only "made-up" fantasies I had involved book characters. They may not actually exist, but you can go and visit them any time you want. Because of this, Mr. Darcy and I were well acquainted.
If you know what I mean.
Walking back into my bedroom, I noticed that I was about six, and I knew that I needed to start getting ready. Slowly toweling off, I pulled on sweatpants and an old button up, walking back into my bathroom to sit down at my vanity.
I studied my face for a moment, trying to decide what kind of makeup I should apply, given the event and my outfit.
I finally selected Retrograde Urban Decay eye shadow, Lancome Le Crayon Khôl Waterproof Eyeliner, and NARS Striptease lip gloss. The look was intense for my eyes, as I opted for a deep purple eye shadow to really play up my brown eyes. By merely glossing my lips, I still drew some attention to my mouth, but allowed people to really look into my eyes.
I slowly applied the makeup, making sure that everything looked polished and well-done, before I blow dried my hair. Taking a curling iron, I worked on defining my natural curls, trying to make them look more sophisticated. Finally deciding that I liked my look, I ran a hand through my hair to loosen them up, and give my hair a tossed look.
I look fucking awesome.
Smiling, I walked back out into my bedroom, pulling out the Barneys bag from earlier. Tucked inside, of course, was the La Perla bag that Alice had gotten. Rolling my eyes, I opened it up, spotting a box of adhesive bra cups, and pair after pair of lacy lingerie sets. "I can't believe Alice did this…" I muttered to myself, pulling the bag out and dumping everything out on the bed. The pairs were all matched together, thank god, so I quickly threw those into a separate pile on my bed.
Once I had sorted through everything, I came across a single black thong, with no matching bra, with a tag on it. Written on the tag, in Alice's gorgeous script was the following:
Bella,
Don't fight me on this. Wear them.
Love you,
Alice
I sighed, taking her advice. As I pulled the thong up over my legs, I marveled at how soft the fabric was, and how sexy I already felt with it on. I guess this is what Alice means when she says "Power Panties".
Unbuttoning my button-up, I popped on my adhesive bra, taking a moment to admire my body in the mirror.
I had a pretty decent body, mostly due to the fact that I worked out religiously twice a day. I knew that I wouldn't have time to work in my weight training workout tonight, so I had done it this morning, but I usually go for a five to ten mile run in the morning, and lift at night. Over the years, my body has gotten stronger, and leaner, but I made sure that my body still kept its soft, feminine curves.
What can I say, I love them.
Sliding my sweats back on, and buttoning a few buttons on my button up, I checked the clock, making sure I had enough time to eat something before dinner. Awesome, I thought, it's not even seven thirty. Hello, dinner!
Walking back into the kitchen, I set to work, reheating chicken from the night before, and throwing together a quick alfredo sauce, while I cooked up some penne and peas. While I waited for the pasta to cook, and the alfredo to simmer with the chicken and peas I'd made, I made myself a small salad.
Walking into my living room, I plopped down on my couch, leaning over to grab the remote and click on the BBC. I love watching the news, weirdly enough, but I will only watch BBC and WJZ-13 Baltimore. I cannot stand American news stations… they are all way to biased for me.
The only reason I watch WJZ is for Manic Monday anyway. That, and I should probably know what's going on in my city.
As I listened to the anchor's soothing British voice, I found my mind drifting back to the other British voice I had recently been listening to… the one that belonged to a sexy man in a gorgeous tuxedo with piercing green eyes.
Smiling to myself, I shook my head, clearing his image from my brain, and proceeded to quietly eat, listening to Matt Frei's lovely voice give me a breakdown about the happenings in the world today.
Around seven forty five, I walked back into the kitchen, quickly throwing together my pasta, and cleaning all my dishes, before walking back to the living room. I ate my dinner quickly, trying to allow myself enough time to get ready before I had to leave.
Even though Jacob told me that I was going to need to leave here by eight thirty to be on time, I tended to live by the idea that "to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to not show up at all."
Of all the things that I had learned from my father, that was definitely my favorite. It paid off so often in my life, that I knew I would be eternally grateful.
I finished everything by five after eight, and threw my dishes into the dishwasher before I ran off to my office. Quickly punching in the lock codes on my gadget cabinet, I pulled out my ear piece, my "freckle mic", a few audio bugs, a few edible tracking devices, and my spy-approved iPhone. This had the same number as my other iPhone, so if anyone called me, it would go straight through to this phone, as long as the other one was off. That way, it still seemed to function like a normal iPhone, and thus didn't cause anyone to become suspicious. This one, however, was capable of x-ray vision, infrared vision, night vision, heat vision, text translation via an image (though, I was able to fluently speak twenty languages, so I hardly ever had to use it), and scads of other things that made it the Swiss Army Knife of my spying world.
I was in love with this thing.
I grabbed a small zippered pouch, which to the casual observer looked like a makeup pouch, and walked back to my room. I grabbed the Emilio Pucci bag and threw it on to my bed, while I placed my mic on my neck, and secured my listening device in my ear.
Walking into my bathroom, I grabbed a few of my hollowed out make up containers, which I used as holding devices, and walked back to my room. I threw in my actual lip gloss, because nothing is more annoying that needing to reapply, and put the edible trackers in the bottom of the faus-mascara container. I then put the bugs into the bottom of an eye shadow container, throwing them into my simple black zip up (that really deflected x-rays so people couldn't see what was inside the bag), and placed them, along with my spyPhone into my Emilio Pucci.
Sliding out of my clothes again, I applied my signature scent, Miss Dior Cherie, before walking over and grabbing my gown off of a hook in my closet. Sliding the gown over my hips, and feeling the smooth taffeta on my curves… was absolutely heaven.
I sat on my bed and secured my Jimmy Choo pumps, standing up to admire myself one more time before I walked out the door.
I grabbed my bag, and my car keys, and took the elevator down to the garage to my car. I settled into my car, taking a deep breathe before starting her up. I love the purr of the engine.
Pulling out carefully, I reached over, turning on some Coldplay to accompany me on my ten-minute drive to the Aquarium. Traffic wasn't nearly as horrific as I thought that it was going to be, but I still had a few extra minutes to sit in my car. Pressing lightly on my mic to signal that I wanted to make a call, I called Jacob really quickly. "Hey, Bells. You almost there?"
"Yep," I said, leaning up to make sure that my makeup was still good as I glanced at myself in the rear-view mirror. "I just wanted you to know that I was on my way. Have you turned my tracker on yet?" I asked, looking my arm. "I didn't feel anything." I said. "No, I haven't turned it on yet, Bells. You want me to do that now?" "Sure, go ahead." I replied, as I waited for the quick jolt in my neck.
When I first started my job, I was told that I was going to need a tracking device installed in my neck to make sure that they never lost sight of where I was. I didn't like the idea of someone being able to watch my all the time, so I managed to convince them to install one that would give me a little zap every time it was turned on and off. The two zaps were different, much like morse code. When it was turned on, it would zap once, and when it was turned off, it would zap twice.
The first time it went off, I jumped about ten feet in the air because it scared the absolute shit out of me. Now, I was so used to it, that I didn't even think twice. I just waited for the zap, and went about my business. Once I felt the device come on, I smiled, "Thanks, Jake. Alright, well, I'm pulling up to the valet now. I'll call you if anything goes wrong. Watch my back." I said with a smile and Jake replied, "I always do, Bells."
It was our signature sign out. The first time I had met Jake, I had told him to "Watch my back." We were six, and I was going to try and sneak cookies out of the kitchen for us to share. It was still amazing to know that Jake still had my back, even though we were twenty-six now.
As I pulled up to the front of the valet line, I got out, smiling at the man who went to get in. "Take good care of here, now." I said, with a smile, and I slipped the man a twenty. He grinned, pocketing the money without checking the bill size, and drove off.
I walked into the Aquarium, walking immediately over to the open bar. "Vodka and cranberry please." I said, placing five dollars in the tip glass. The bartender smiled at me, before beginning to make my drink. I reached into my bag, pulling out my phone to check the time. Twenty five after eight. Alright, he should be here soon.
I scanned the crowd, looking to see if this "Laurent" figure was here yet. I saw him standing over near the open tanks, leaning slightly over to watch the rays and turtles swim around with some of the large fish. There didn't appear to be anyone with him, but I would continue to discretely monitor him just to make sure.
After getting my drink, I walked over to one of the tanks that held a bunch of brightly colored, and presumably exotic fish. I stood their quietly, sipping my drink, and watching the fish swim around together, with no idea that they weren't actually in an ocean, but in a never ending cycle, with the same fish, and the same space.
Suddenly, I felt someone coming up behind me. I felt my shoulders tense, but I forced myself to relax. I didn't need anyone who just happened to be casually passing by to think anything even remotely suspicious about me. The person then leaned down into my ear, placing his hands on my hips, and in a silken British voice whispered, "My angel, my all, my very self." I smiled, playing the part, when I heard my cue. Turning around in his arms, I found myself looking at the man's chest. I dragged my eyes up his form, which was quite solid and gorgeous, and looked into his eyes. And I immediately felt like my heart was going to explode.
"Edward?!" I asked, shocked to see the man that I had encountered in the Barneys dressing room today. I felt my face flush with heat, as I tried to hide my face.
Edward's hand caught my face, forcing me to look at him. "Bella? When they said… I never…" He stuttered, looking down, trying to think of something to say to remedy the situation.
Never, in a million years, had I thought that I would be anywhere even remotely near Edward again. When I left him at the dressing room in Barneys that was where I intended him to stay. And now… now I find out that he is a spy.
What the hell am I supposed to do?