All characterizations, plot lines, backgrounds and details belong to the author. Plagiarism is theft. No copying or reproduction of this work in any language is permitted without the express written authorization of the author. Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Thank you. March 2010.
Thanks as ever to my wonderful beta, xrxdanixrx.
For all of you reading and reviewing-thank you! Hope you enjoy and as ever, let me know what you think.
On with Bella…
BPOV
Chapter 9
"He's going to do it," I breathe as I shut the door and lean against it.
Rosalie's eyes look as if they are going to pop out of her head. "Are you fucking serious?" She jumps up from the chair in the corner of my office and whips me into a hug. "You're a genius." She smiles at me.
"You're the one who thought of it, Rose." I push back from her and take a much needed seat at my desk.
"What's the problem? I recognize that look. Did he piss you off again?" she asks, crossing her arms.
"No, he wants to paint me," I explain, grimacing at her.
"He wants to paint you?" She furrows her eyebrows at me.
"Yeah, he'll do the painting for the auction, if he gets to paint me."
"And you're doing it, right?"
"Yes, Rose, I'm doing it. But only because it's for you, and The Foundation." She claps her hands together and I don't remember Rosalie being this excited…ever. It's rather frightening.
"Oh my God! We have to tell Alice! She can write about it in her column. Oh, think of the press, the donations. This is going to be awesome!"
"Oh, good Lord, I've created a monster," I mutter, resting my forehead in my hands as she yanks the door open and disappears down the hall in a whirlwind.
Once Rose is gone, I bang my head repeatedly off the desk. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. How long does it take to paint someone? I imagine this isn't something that's done in twenty minutes, which means, I'm going to have to spend extended amounts of time....alone...in Edward's studio, or where-ever it is he paints. The thought is simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating.
What the fuck? I'm excited about this? I try to push the thought of being under Edward's intensely seductive gaze for God knows how long out of my head, and focus on the budget for the auction.
It's dark outside when I finally decide to emerge from my office. Rosalie disappeared an hour ago to start 'power planning' with Alice. I feigned needing to finalize budgetary numbers to get out of the insanity that seems to occur whenever they get together to plan one of these. I pack my laptop and head down the stairs, welcoming the cool evening air as I take the short walk back to my house.
I've been trying all afternoon to get Edward out of my head, but it's impossible. No amount of pie charts or pivot tables seem to help. All I can think about is the way he looked at me…all intense and brooding and cocky as hell.
He had the chance to ask me out, but instead he wants to paint me…maybe he's lost interest…moved on. I'm guessing someone like Edward doesn't go without a woman for long. Still, the thought of being alone with him is, I finally have to admit, extremely exciting. I smile to myself.
As I push the door open from the office, a high pitched giggle spurs me from my daydream. I see the outline of a woman who appears to be fondling over a man in the darkened corner of the building.
It's really hard to see them, but it looks like she has him pinned against the wall of the building, and is all over him. I smirk and pick up the pace as I get closer to them. I thank God its dark and I can't see their faces. I feel mine flush as she goes down to her knees. Thank the Lord the street lights haven't switched on yet, or I would be able to see exactly what she's about to do.
I'm closing in on them, and I hear a vaguely familiar female voice. "Let me take care of you, just like you did yesterday." She sounds kind of desperate, like she's trying to convince him or something. Wait a minute…it sort of sounds like Lauren. What the hell? Since when is Lauren giving blow jobs to random guys along side the office building? My eyes are fixated on her shadow. I've got to be wrong.
And then panic hits as I see this woman fumbling with the guy's jeans and reach her hand in. Oh, fuck. She's going to actually do this in public. I can't stop staring at her. The only thing keeping me from breaking into a run is the laptop bag, which feels as though it suddenly weighs a hundred pounds or something.
"Lisa, don't," the guy chokes out, although to be honest, he doesn't sound too convincing. I'm also aware, that despite the fact that his voice is raspy and breathless, it is also somewhat familiar. I breathe a sigh of relief that at least it's not Lauren out here making an absolute fool of herself.
The buzz of the streetlight echoes beside the building and then illuminates their bodies. It might as well be a neon sign flashing arrows at them as I finally slide my eyes from her crouched figure, up to his face.
I take an audible gasp in when I see the man that has invaded my thoughts for most of the day. You have got to be fucking kidding me.
His eyes flash open upon hearing my gasp, and I stop dead in my tracks under the glow of the street light.
He looks panic stricken, or maybe this is just how he looks when he's just fucking horny as hell. My eyes dart back down to the woman, whose hands have now found purchase in his pants, and I swallow back the vomit that rises in my throat.
Lauren's eyes meet mine, wide and horrified as she jerks back from him, standing up abruptly.
"Oh, God!" she shrieks, turning away from me, and picking up her purse from the ground.
I realize I'm still standing there…just staring at him as he looks back at me with his mouth gaping open. I shake my head quickly and start walking again. How I'm standing upright at this moment is a fucking miracle, and I thank Jake for the countless hours he's spent making sure I never loose my footing.
I concentrate on the ground in front of me as I pick up the pace. The pavement blurs as I take the corner for home, my breathing rapid. The laptop bag is a fucking three thousand pound weight, and I fight with the sudden urge to hurl it to the ground so I can move faster.
"Bella!" Fucking prick. He's following me now. I wipe the tears from my eyes and resolve that I will not shed another one for this asshole. Damn it, why can't he just leave me alone?
I stop in front of my house and turn around to face him. Mercifully, the tears have stopped, and the stare I give him should fucking turn him to stone.
He stops a few feet in front of me, panting. "It's not what it looked like," he breathes, raking his fingers through his hair.
"What or who you choose to do on your free time is none of my concern, Edward," I say, reaching into my bag to find my keys.
"Please, Bella, hear me out. I came back to see you."
"It seems you have me mistaken for the other brunette in the office. I'm sure it happens to you all the time. We're all fairly interchangeable, aren't we?" Where the fuck are my keys….
"Bella, she came onto me, I-"
"Edward, you don't owe me an explanation."
He grabs my arm roughly and jerks it towards him, throwing me off balance slightly. "Please let me explain," he says with a shaky voice.
"Get your hands off me!" I raise my voice and he drops my arm as I right myself before falling flat on my face.
"I'm sorry. Please give me a chance to tell you…" His voice trails as he stares at me. He actually looks…I don't know…worried, sad, sorry? Yeah, sorry he got caught.
"It's irrelevant. You are irrelevant," I hiss as I finally find my keys. I take the two steps up to the porch and prop the screen door open with my hip as I fumble with the keys. My hands are actually shaking and I feel the tears threatening. Oh, why does he have this affect on me?
"Bella, just listen. That's all I'm asking."
"It's none of my business, Edward." The key, thankfully finds its way into the lock, and I turn the knob thrusting the door open.
His hand is on my shoulder as I rid myself of my laptop bag and whirl back to him.
"Bella, wait. You need to hear me out." He sounds desperate, pleading, as he holds the screen door open.
"I don't need to do anything, Edward. You're nothing to me, so why do you even care what I think? You're free to do whatever you want. If I were you, I'd go back to Lauren…that's her name by the way. Not Lisa…Lauren. How could you just leave her there? I don't deserve an explanation from you, but she sure as hell does." He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath as I close the inner door and lock it.
I lean my back against the door and close my eyes listening for something… anything. An immeasurable period of time passes until I hear the faint creak of the screen door, and his footfalls as they descend off the porch and into the night.
As the air becomes silent, I open the door and peek out. He's hunched over, his head down, his hands shoved into his pockets as he slinks back down the street.
I suddenly feel sorry for him. What? No, wait, I can't feel sorry for Edward Cullen. The guy is a prick. I don't know why I even care. He's free to do whatever he wants. If it's not Lauren, it will be somebody else tonight. I shut the door and make my way to the kitchen in the hopes to find some left over wine. I don't know what I'm thinking…there would never be left over wine in my house. I've never had left over wine in my life. Who would be stupid enough to leave any wine left in a bottle?
I yank open the fridge and find two Creemore Springs beers from Emmett and Rose's last visit. I cringe. I hate beer. I slam the fridge door shut and wander into the bedroom to get changed.
As I'm pulling on my lounging-around-feeling-sorry-for-myself yoga pants, my eyes fall to the box of goodies brimming on my lower shelf.
OK, so it's been a while. I actually have to wipe the dust off the box before opening it. Half of these little treasures are still wrapped up nicely in their pretty little packages.
I take out good ole reliable, and lay down on the bed. After what seems like a lifetime, it becomes all too obvious that this is just not doing it for me. I've tried to imagine every possible man that I've ever found even remotely attractive. I drop my now less than reliable friend onto the bed, and decide to take matters into my own hands.
I shut my eyes and immediately, before I even have a chance to push it away, its Edward's face above me. I squeeze my eyes closer together as my body arches off the bed involuntarily, and I succumb to this fucked up fantasy.
His fingers graze up under my t-shirt and find my nipple as he pulls and twists. "Is this what you want, Bella?" I'm reduced to merely groaning as his hand travels down to my stomach, needing the taunt flesh. He drifts further down between my folds and circles my clit. He works slowly, taking his time as he consumes me, tortures me, for what seems like hours, but is still not long enough.
"Come for me, Bella. You know you want to," he whispers as he adds a second finger and curls them, bringing me closer to the edge until I am panting with need.
"Edward." My voice sounds like someone else's, and its mere seconds before the room is actually spinning and I crash down.
"No one will ever make you feel like this," he says...and then he's gone.
I sink into the pillow and throw my arm over my eyes. I'm equally satisfied and disgusted with myself. The best orgasm I've had in months comes-quite literally- courtesy of Edward Cullen, and he's not even in the room. I stare up at the ceiling and shake my head.
The phone buzzes beside the bed and I roll over to get it, looking at the number before answering. "Hey, Alice."
"Bella! Rose told me about Edward. Is he really going to donate something for the auction?" she asks excitedly.
"So he says." I roll my eyes and sit up in the bed, scowling at the box of goodies on the floor.
"Oh my God! This is massive! I have to do an interview with him. Bella, this is going to be so good for The Foundation!" She sounds more excited than Rose did.
"Rose says it will bring in a lot of money," I say as I make my way with my disappointing friend into the bathroom to wash it off.
"This could be huge, Bella," Alice says. I shake my head and put the goody back into the box, shoving it into the closet with my foot. "Oh, wait, you can take Edward to the auction. This is perfect!" I'm fairly certain I hear her clapping her hands together.
"I don't think so, Alice. That's definitely not happening."
"Why not? Rose said he asked you out and that he's painting you. He likes you."
"Edward doesn't like anyone but himself," I say, moving into the living room.
"Wait a minute. Did something else happen with Edward, Bella?"
"No, nothing happened. I'm just not interested, Alice, and neither is he."
"I'm coming over there," she threatens.
"No, don't, I just…" But it's too late as I hear the dial tone and groan. I sink into the couch and stare out the patio doors into the night, trying not to think about just how pathetic my life is right now.
The house is so quiet, it's actually painful. I don't even own a pet to keep me company. I flip through the latest edition of Vancouver Magazine as I wait for Alice, wondering if I should get a dog or a cat, maybe a fish to start with.
I'm not left waiting long she does just live down the street, before her familiar knock comes through the door. She opens it and comes in, scanning the room before her eyes fall onto mine.
She shakes her head and holds up a bottle of Summerhill Gewurztraminer
white wine, and a large Toblerone bar. "Are we having a 'let's get drunk so we forget all about him' night, or an 'I just want chocolate because my life is oh so horrible' night?" She plops down beside me and smiles.
"A bit of both I think," I say, swiping the wine and getting up to move to the kitchen.
She follows me and sits on one of the stools at the counter. "So, let's have it," she says, looking at me eagerly. I fill up two wine glasses and tell her about tonight's little encounter. Her eyes grow wide as she stares at me in disbelief. "So, she was just going to go down on him right there beside the office building?"
"Yep," I say, downing my wine and opening the Toblerone.
"Wow! That takes some balls."
"You're telling me. I almost saw those balls for God's sake." She smirks at me and starts laughing.
"Bella, he likes you. Despite what you saw tonight, he came after you. Doesn't that tell you anything?"
"It tells me he's sorry he got caught," I answer as I proceed to take a knife roughly to the Toblerone.
"Hey, that chocolate didn't do anything to you." Alice laughs and pushes me to the side, taking over.
I sit down at the counter and stare back at her. "What am I going to do, Alice? He's supposed to paint me, and I don't even think I can look at him right now."
She hands me a piece of chocolate which I devour eagerly. "Well, first, you need to admit you like him, Bella." I scowl at her and she issues me a knowing look. "This is me you're talking to. You wouldn't be this upset if you didn't really like him."
"He's so, so wrong for me," I say, burying my face in my hands.
"Maybe he's not. Maybe, Edward is just as lost as you are. Don't you think you should find out? I mean, Bella, this is the first time someone has had this affect on you since the accident. What does that tell you?"
"That I need to get laid. Desperately."
She laughs and hands me another piece of chocolate. "So, why not ask out Mike, or Jake, or just some random guy, then, if that's all you're looking for?" She smirks at me and stands with her hand on her hip. She knows me too well.
"Because, I don't just want to get laid," I admit begrudgingly.
She nods her head. "Yes, and?"
"I like Edward," I mutter under my breath.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that," she says as she smirks and holds out another piece of chocolate to me. I try to swipe it from her, but she pulls it out of my reach. "You were saying?"
"I like Edward, alright? Are you happy?"
She smiles and hands me over the chocolate. "Yes, very." She takes a long sip of wine, and then gets a determined look on her face. Oh, no. Dear God, she's hatching a plan.
"You're scaring me, Alice," I say, taking a sip of wine. "I'm not guaranteeing you that I'll do everything that's floating around in your head right now. We're not in high school any more, and quite honestly, I don't think I have the patience."
She smiles devilishly at me. "Is there a date set for this painting he's doing of you?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
I shake my head at her. "No, but I'm not even sure that I'm going to…" She holds up her hand, stopping my weak objection.
"For once in your life, Bella, just listen. That's all I'm asking." She looks at me sternly, and I nod my head because, it's just not worth arguing with her, but more importantly, if I'm being honest, I could really use the help. She twirls her wine glass in her hand, and then unveils the master plan.
Chapter End Notes
Next…oh, no…what has Edward done with himself after this fiasco?
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