Chapter 6, people! Thank you again everyone for your enthusiasm towards this story, it truely warms my heart.

I received an anonymous review in which the person was wondering why Jasper hadn't recognized Rose... don't forget that they have all been drinking, and Jasper's main purpose was not to watch the girls, but to entertain Edward. When he noticed that Marie (Bella) sparked something in his friend, he made it his purpose to offer his friend a private moment with her. He didn't notice much else. I hope this explanation will be to your satisfaction, whoever you are that left me that review! :o)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy!

Empty

Oh. My. God. My highest bid ever! It was for $1000. This has never happened before. Not even to Tanya. Oh my God. The person must be pretty desperate. I mean… who pays that for a night with a girl? I mean really… a $1000? Isn't it a bit too much? The highest bid that was given for me was $750. On a good night.

Laurent dismissed us so the winners could claim their prize. Mine was a tall, lanky blond guy that looked absolutely nothing like the other men in this bar. He didn't quite seem the type to go to a strip club, period. I looked at Rose for a second, but she was already busy with the guy that had won her. Sensing I was looking at her, she looked at me and winked. Um, okay…

I plastered my most winning smile and walked towards my winner. He smiled back and helped me down from the stage. Why does this walk never get easier?

"Hello there," I greeted him once I had my feet firmly planted on the ground… well, as much as they could be with those death traps adorning my feet.

"Hello darlin', how are you?" His sweet, southern voice sounded so out of place here with all the other accents. His was definitely the stand out here for sure.

"I'm very good, thank you kind sir," I replied with a giggle. "May I ask what your name is?"

"Well, I could always tell you, but it won't be of much use, I'm afraid." His eyes held the answer to the secrets he was alluding to but for the life of me I couldn't read his riddle.

"Oh, and may I be so bold as to ask why?" Sometimes the direct approach is the best.

"Well, milady, tonight, you will not be pleasing me." He took a gentlemanly bow and swept his hand in the opposite direction.

"Then who will it be?" I asked, apparently too tired to figure out anything about this situation.

"You see my friend there?" I followed his finger and took in the 'friend' he gestured to; fear and excitement engulfed me at the same time. He pointed right to the guy sitting in the chair leaning against the stage.

Oh. No. Not him. The same guy I kissed earlier. And God! Did he know how to kiss…so not the point, Bella. I chided myself.

Seeing that my bidder was waiting for a response, I nodded, not able to say a word.

"Well, it's his birthday today. Since he seemed to have enjoyed what you did with him earlier, I thought he'd appreciate a little more time with you."

Great, I thought sarcastically. Wait… Why am I so paranoid all of a sudden? I mean… he can't do anything to me, right? I mean… Oh, I don't even know what I mean. All I know is that this guy… there is something about him.

"Ok, well thank you for your business…" I trailed off, wanting to get his name.

"Jasper," he replied with a smirk.

"Thank you for your business, Jasper, I promise to take good care of your friend over there."

With that, I walk towards Jasper's friend. He had his head resting on the table in front of him. I took the chance to slowly pass my hand through his hair. It was the weirdest bronze color, but oh so soft… Just when I though it couldn't get any better, he lifted his head and looked at me. His eyes and mouth fell open at the same time as he recognized me.

"Hello stranger, I'm your gift tonight. Follow me so you can unwrap it," I told him with a wink.

I extended my hand for him to take, which he did after a small hesitation. I felt the electricity pass between us. I was stunned for a moment. If he felt it, he didn't show. He seemed unaffected as he slowly stood up.

Damn, he is tall…Stop with that already!

I mentally tried to prepare as I lead him towards the back of the bar, where the private rooms were situated. The hallway contained five doors. Each door led to a room that contained some furniture: a couch, a table, some chairs, drawers… and each room belonged to one of us. Mine was the last one at the end of the hallway.

We entered the room and I led him to the couch on the far wall. By this point, nervousness was engulfing me.

What's going on with me? Why does this stranger make me feel all these things?

His eyes inspired trust but my head resisted. It was too dangerous to trust anyone, much less someone who came to 'use me' in this damn club. I don't even know him! And how could a guy like him ever like a girl such as me? I mean, I'm a stripper… okay, yes, I was forced into it, but still… And as much as I try to tell myself that I will find a way out, I can't help but doubt sometimes. I mean, I've been here for two years, and I still haven't thought of anything that could help me and Rose out.

Since there was no point driving myself crazy over what would never be, I concentrated on what was happening right this moment. I sat Birthday Boy down on the couch and straddled him.

"What's your name, big boy?" I ask him while caressing a finger down his cheek.

"Edward," he replies.

"Edward, huh? I like it. I heard it's your birthday today, Edward. How old are you?"

"21." His innocence is so sexy.

"Oh, the big 21. Well guess what? I'm not 21 yet, but shhhht! You can't tell anyone," I tell him in a faux whisper.

He chuckled. Well at least I amuse him.

"So, Edward, what would you like me to do?"

He thought for a second.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm not the one that came up with this idea. I didn't even want to come here in the first place." He replied with complete honesty.

I frowned a little, he certainly seemed to be enjoying the evening earlier when I had him bent over while sucking on his tongue.

"Alcohol did help me enjoy the night." He replied as if he could read my mind.

"Did I think that out loud?"

He nodded, chuckling. I blushed. I fucking blushed. What was it with him? I've never blushed with my guests.

"What do you think if I start with a lap dance? Would you like that, Edward?" I asked, hoping that I really did make this a night he would enjoy, since it was his birthday and all.

"Um…can we just dance first?"

"Sure, no problem."

I got off of his lap and went to the stereo behind the bar. Britney Spears' I'm A Slave 4 U started playing and I made my way back to him. I extended my hand out to him and helped him up. I led him to the center of the room and started lightly swaying my hips, waiting for him to follow. He did after a few seconds.

Before I even realized it things heated up and I found myself grinding my ass against his crotch, him keeping my hips in place with a hand on my stomach, the other traveling up and down my back under the fabric of my top. His cool fingertips touching my warm skin was heaven. I still felt the small shockwaves pass over me. It was pure heaven. Never had I enjoyed a night so much.

I realized that while he was almost drunk, he knew how to dance. We went on like that for a few more songs, and then he pulled me back to the couch to sit. I offered him something more to drink. When he reached for the drink I took the opportunity to straddle him again, moving a bit to the beat of the songs playing. We didn't say anything for a while, but somehow the silence wasn't awkward.

Edward's hands began to wander on my body, and it was amazing. The electricity between us was stronger, but it felt…right. He had started dropping light kisses on my collarbones when D'Angelo's How Does It Feel came on.

"I love this song," I heard him say between kisses. That was my cue.

I gently pushed him away and stood up, my arms above my head and swivelling my hips to the slow but sensual rhythm of the song. Soon, he stood up as well and joined me, moving with me, his hands moving on my abdomen, under the fabric of my top. His fingers went up to the underside of my breasts, but they never went higher than that. I was grateful and disappointed at the same time. Grateful because he seemed to be a gentleman, respecting my limits, and disappointed because somehow… I wanted his hands everywhere on me. They made me feel incredible… alive. And the electricity… it was almost unbearable. I needed a minute, so I gently pushed him away again. I slowly walked around him with my hand dragging along on his chest. When I was behind him, I leaned my whole body against him, both of my arms around him, and we rocked together to the music for a while. Edward pulled me back around in front of him again. This time, I was facing him. He leaned his forehead against mine; I placed my hands on his forearms, until he kissed me. And I mean, full on the mouth kissed me. I could almost hear fireworks exploding around us. The longer we kissed, the more the electricity crackled. I was almost scared we would be the cause of a power surge, it was so intense.

At that moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered was he and I, here. Nothing else existed outside of our bubble. I barely knew the guy, but at the same time it felt like I had known him forever.

I suddenly found myself lying horizontal on the couch, Edward above me, his mouth still kissing my neck and collarbones.

"Can you feel it?" he suddenly asked.

"Feel what?" I asked despite my foggy mind.

"This…the electricity…between us…"

"Yes, I can feel it. It's… oh my god…" I trailed off when he found a particularly sensitive spot around my ear.

"Tell me to stop." He panted against my skin.

"Why?" For the life of me I couldn't find a reason to actually say the words he asked for.

"Because I… I don't want this to happen like this." I understood the reasoning behind the words but still couldn't make myself say them.

My moment of hesitation must have given him the chance he needed to pull away without me saying anything. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to tell him to stop.

He put his forehead against mine again, breathing heavily.

"I want to get to know you." His clear, sweet eyes revealed that his words held no untruth at all.

I wanted to cry. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't tell him anything. He couldn't know. I was crushed to know that the one person on the planet that wanted to know me, couldn't.

He obviously misunderstood my pause because he quickly said, "Please." The pleading quality did me in.

Reluctantly, I nodded. Opening my eyes, I could see a crooked smile adorning his face. It was breathtaking.

"I'll even pay you, if you want…here," he reached into his jeans and pulled out a fifty dollars bill. "Fifty dollars. And we play twenty questions."

I giggled.

"Okay," I agreed.

His smile was once again breathtaking. He left a searing kiss on my lips that made me moan, and then manoeuvred us around so we were spooning on the couch, his left arm under my head, and his right around my waist, his hand under the tulle of my top, lightly caressing my stomach. I felt content. There was nothing sexual about this contact, it was purely soothing.

"Okay, first question. What's your name?" His voice was clear and strong yet his face seemed hesitant.

"Marie." I replied, two years of coaching kicked in.

"Isn't that your stage name?" Somehow he saw right through me.

I nodded hesitantly, biting my bottom lip.

"Aren't I more than a customer by now?" The desire to be more clearly evident.

I sighed, resigned.

"You're right. You can call me Bella." I bit my lip in nervousness, two years I had survived with only Rose knowing who I really was and now that I had said it out loud it scared me to trust him with my secret. What if this was a set up?

I felt him nuzzle my hair.

"Hmm. Bella. Beautiful in Italian. Very appropriate."

I blushed. So maybe he really was as interested as I was.

"You have seventeen questions left," I told him after a moment of silence.

He chuckled.

"Okay, let's see…how old are you?"

"20."

"Your favourite color?"

"Green," I answered immediately, and blushed. Until today, it was blue. You can't blame me for changing though, his eyes are gorgeous.

"Hobbies?"

"Mmm…reading, writing, mostly. I also like to watch movies."

"Interesting. What do your parents do for a living?"

"My father is a cop, and my mom, well…I don't know. I don't really talk to her."

Which isn't very far from the truth, I haven't talked to Renee in the two years I've been trapped in this situation.

"Do they know about your current job?"

I bit down on my bottom lip.

"I don't think they do, no."

"Did you take this job to pay for school?"

Shit. How do I get out of this one?

"Um… not exactly. I kind of postponed my studies for a bit. I didn't really know what I wanted to do once I was out of high school."

"Do you know what you want to do now?"

"I think I will study English, to be an editor or something along those lines."

"That's great," he said, leaving a light kiss on my shoulder.

He was silent for a moment, lightly brushing his lips against my shoulder and at the base of my neck. I couldn't help but arch into him.

"Ten questions left," I reminded him.

He chuckled. I smiled. This felt so natural.

"Were you born here in Washington?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

I was saved by a knock at the door. This was the signal that the club was closing soon. I sighed, sad that I had to let him go.

"What was that?" he asked.

"The ten minutes warning. The club is closing."

"Oh." He seemed genuinely disappointed. I was flattered.

"Yeah."

I slowly sat up, and he followed suit. He made me straddle his lap again, hugging me tight to his body. I couldn't help but hug him back. It certainly felt like he didn't want to let me go, I understood fully because I didn't want him to go either. It felt like there was no one else but us in the world. But I had to let him go. For his sake, his safety. As much as it pained me, I couldn't get involved with him. Not for as long as I was trapped in Phil's clutches.

A moment later, Edward stood us both up.

"I will come back," he promised.

I only nodded, leaning my forehead against his. It was all I could do. If I opened my mouth to say something, I would only cry. With a deep kiss that left me panting and wanting more, we said goodbye. I could feel him getting farther and farther away from me, with each step he took the more empty I felt.

Thoughts? Leave a review! Until next Sunday ;o)