Dirty Little Secrets

by lazykate

Bella's new life in Miami is fueled by one anthem: No Regrets. A steamy late night rendezvous with a cocky playboy is just what she needed, but an encounter with a blond doctor leaves her aching for more. BxE, BxC, AH. Rated M for hot Miami nights.

9. Second Base

Stephenie Meyer owns the copyright to Twilight and all its characters

The original characters, plots, and storyline contained within this derivative work are the property of Brits23 and Lazykate

(Translation: if you steal it, we will send Bitey after your ass…and not in a good way)

Just as a reminder—Lazykate writes the girls and Brits23 writes the boys.

Chapter Nine – Second Base

BPOV

I normally would have dreaded the prospect of the long five-hour drive back to Miami on Sunday afternoon, but it ended up being my favorite part of the past four days. It wasn't that I didn't love Renee and Phil, or that I hadn't enjoyed spending time with them, but being around Renee was exhausting. She had the energy of a two-year-old who had just chased a mega-box of Nerds with a Mountain Dew Big Gulp, and felt that silence was an indication of something wrong. We were constantly doing something or talking the entire time I was in Jacksonville, and the peace and quiet of my car was a welcome relief.

Renee had grilled me about my social life, of course, and I told her that I was casually dating a couple of really great guys, but that I didn't want to get too serious too quickly with either one of them. It was all the thinking I got to do about Edward and Carlisle, since I was asleep ten seconds after my head hit the pillow each night, exhausted from keeping up with the Renee tornado.

After I'd turned on the cruise control on the interstate, I let my mind wander to the two men in my life. I hadn't heard from Carlisle since our chat Wednesday evening, but Edward had sent me some endearingly-odd text messages. I'd promised both of them that I'd see them when I got back, but I figured I could put off calling them until I was back in town.

I wondered how Carlisle's grand opening celebration had gone. He'd been working night and day to get ready for business; I'd been shocked that he'd only just gotten home when he called me Wednesday night. God…just thinking about our conversation still made me blush. I had absolutely no idea where I'd gotten up the nerve to suggest that we mutually relieve our frustration, but Carlisle had been more than willing. The mental image of him stroking himself, thinking of me, was enough to make me ridiculously horny all over again.

When he'd asked me to let him come over, I'd been just a whisper away from saying yes. But I knew that no matter how good our intentions or resolve might be at first, neither of us would be the one to stop it when we got carried away. I'd hung up the phone with a maddening case of sexual frustration, something I promptly took care of with my new space-shuttle-technology vibrator.

I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been momentarily thrown when Carlisle told me his actual age. It hadn't come up before, and he certainly didn't look or act forty-five. He definitely had the sexual stamina of a man half his age. After a brief stunned moment of working out the math, I suddenly realized that it didn't matter for shit if he was twenty years older than me. If I was going to dump a guy over a number when everything else about him was so good, then I was a fucking idiot. End of story.

Edward was only two years older than me, but his age didn't mean a thing to me either. Edward…he'd been on his way to a party when he'd texted me Friday evening, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd taken a date. A little pang went through me at the thought, but I squashed it down immediately. I'd flat-out told him that I was seeing someone else, I couldn't expect him to immediately stop dating and wait for me to make up my mind between two unbelievably gorgeous men. I hoped he wasn't necessarily having sex with all his dates, but I couldn't count on that either.

Especially since I wouldn't mind having sex with Edward again sometime in the future.

Or Carlisle.

Oh God, the two simultaneous thoughts were enough to make my brain explode. But I couldn't do it. I mean, I could, I was sure they would both be up for it, and I definitely wanted to, but I knew deep down that allowing sex back into the equation when things were supposed to be "casual" would just make everything more complicated. I already felt a million times better since both Carlisle and Edward knew I wasn't dating either of them exclusively at the moment, I had no interest in a responsible "Umm, I'm also sexually active with another guy" conversation.

I had absolutely no idea where it came from, but an idle thought suddenly meandered through my brain…damn, if I could figure out a way to get them both interested in a threesome, that would be perfect! I wanted to chastise myself for being a complete perv, but my dirty mind wouldn't allow it, not when the idea was so fucking hot. Two gorgeous, sexy, attentive guys, both worshiping my body and devoting themselves to my every desire…especially when I already knew how incredibly talented they both were…

Neither of them seemed like the sharing type, though, and I knew I would never have the nerve to suggest something like that. But I'll definitely save that idea for the lady spank bank!

The blare of a horn from another car snapped me back to reality, and I realized I'd drifted halfway into the next lane. Okay, damn, no more sexual fantasies until I was safely off the road…I'd have to save it for the space shuttle vibrator.

I very deliberately steered my thoughts away from anything remotely sexual and tried to remember my agenda for the week. Carlisle had already asked me if I would mind stopping by his office on Monday since he was having problems with his internet disconnecting intermittently. He'd mentioned that the office would be closed from noon to one o'clock to allow the nurses and front desk staff to have lunch, and that it would be the perfect time for me to stop by. I wasn't as familiar with the hardware side of things, but from all the part-time IT jobs I'd held in college, I could at least look over the setup and see if it was something I could help with.

I had at least three videoconferences scheduled throughout the week…I would need to catch up from taking two days off…I needed to get that stupid Epi-Pen replaced…I really needed to call and catch up with Charlie…and Edward had already asked me for another date. It was going to be a busy week.

When I arrived home, Alice was already there, busily ruining what looked like pot roast. How someone could ruin pot roast was beyond me, but my best friend seemed to be giving it her best try.

"Hey hon, how was Jacksonville?" She gave me a quick hug and then turned her attention back to the blackened lump of meat.

"Good, it's just tiring, trying to keep up with Renee." I dropped my bags on the floor and then sank into a kitchen chair. "If we're not out running around, she wants to talk. I don't know how she doesn't run out of things to yak about. How was your weekend?"

"Relaxing." She flashed me an apologetic grin. "Jasper and I didn't leave the house the whole time."

"Good for you," I commented, gratefully accepting the glass of wine she handed me. "How's he doing?"

"Fine, but he's kinda miffed at Edward."

"Oh really, why?"

"I guess Edward went to some party Friday night and didn't bother asking Jasper if we wanted to go too. I don't know, he didn't really say much about it, but I think his feelings were hurt."

"Aww, poor Jasper," I murmured, before a thought crossed my mind. "Edward texted me Friday night on his way to a party…I wonder if he was bringing some random skank as a date and didn't want Jasper to mention it to us?"

Alice's eyes grew wide. "Ohh…I didn't even think of that. Do you want me to ask him about it?"

I shook my head. "No, let it go. If I'm dating around, then he's allowed to as well. And I probably don't want to hear about it."

She nodded and then gave the pot roast one last disgusted poke with a fork. "Are you hungry?"

"Umm…"

"Because I was just thinking about making a sushi run. You game?"

I laughed as Alice speared the pot roast and dumped it into the garbage. "Sushi sounds like a plan."

xoxoxoxo

The next morning I dressed casually in a snug white tee and khaki capris, having learned long ago that comfort was the way to go when it came to IT. If you wore a skirt and heels, the problem inevitably could only be solved by crawling under a desk, through an access panel, or by dragging heavy equipment around.

At 11:55 I arrived at Carlisle's new office, and was immediately impressed by the location and quiet sophistication of the building. I was still disappointed that I'd had to miss his opening celebration, but knew he would probably want to give me a tour. I knew how much it meant to him to have his own practice now, and I was genuinely happy for him. Not many people had been as supportive when I struck out on my own, Alice being one big exception.

The waiting room was empty and quiet as I entered and went up to the receptionist's window, the kind-looking lady behind the desk spoke before I had a chance to.

"Hello sweetpea, please tell me you're Bella Swan?"

"I…yes, I'm Bella."

"Oh good, because we're closing for lunch in five minutes and we'll be locking the door. Doctor told me to expect you, though. Internet is working fine everywhere except in his office, poor thing. Oh here, come on around to the door on the left, I'll buzz you in."

I opened the door as she unlocked it, chattering all the while. "My name is Gladys, by the way, and I also wanted to tell you what a wonderful job you did on his website. He just told me this morning that you'd built it; I thought for sure he'd hired one of those big fancy companies to do it. Do you know where his office is?"

"Err, no, this is the first time I've been here."

"Well here, let me show you, it's right down this hallway." I followed her bustling figure to a door at the end of the hall, which she knocked on briskly. "Doctor, Ms. Swan is here."

"Bella," I told her, and she flashed me a toothy smile as she stepped aside upon hearing Carlisle's voice calling from inside.

"Pleasure to meet you, Bella. Now, Doctor, I'll just be up front with my sandwich and romance novel if you need anything."

"You're supposed to be on lunch, though, are you sure you don't want to go out?" Carlisle had risen from his chair when I took a tentative step into his office; his words were to Gladys but his eyes were on me.

"Oh no, I'll be fine. It's a real page-turner, just holler if you need me." With that she gave me a gentle push the rest of the way into his office and shut the door behind us.

Carlisle came quickly around his desk, looking obscenely-sexy in his white doctor's jacket and a dark red dress shirt, a faint smile on his face. "Hello, Bella."

"Hi," I managed, trying not to stare at him. He came closer until I was practically pressed up against the closed door, and I could feel the warmth of his body so achingly close to mine, his beautiful blue eyes boring into me.

"Do I get to kiss you hello now?"

"I think I qualified that you could kiss me hello in public, Dr. Cullen," I reminded him. He cocked his head slightly to the side and smiled.

"Gladys is here, doesn't that count?"

"Um, no. Not with you looking like that and only a door between her and us."

He hummed contemplatively. "Right, how could I forget how much you love seeing me in my work clothes?"

"Carlisle…" I warned, and he chuckled.

"Fine, but I'm holding you to what you said…" He leaned forward and pressed a gentle warm kiss to my lips, then took an immediate step away. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," I managed. "How did the grand opening party go?"

A faint shadow passed over his face but it was gone almost as quickly. "It went extremely well, I'm sorry you had to miss it."

"Me too. Now I'm here in an official capacity, so…"

"Ah, yes. Back to business, I suppose." He rested one hand lightly on the small of my back, guiding me towards the massive oak desk that dominated the office. "I'll let you see for yourself…"

At my insistence he sat down in the rich leather desk chair and began clicking on various applications, demonstrating the error messages that popped up with almost every one. A light went on in my head when I spied his landline office phone.

"Okay, I've got to get under the desk, but I want you to stay put, because I'm going to need you to try all of that again after I fiddle with your connections under there. I'm assuming that's where all your main ports are, anyway…"

Carlisle's eyes went wide and he scooted the desk chair back as I dropped to my knees and crawled under his desk. There was plenty of room to move around, and I immediately located the data ports. "My…what a big desk you have, Dr. Cullen," I teased, my voice echoing as I began rearranging the plugs between the ports built conveniently into the floor.

"Uhhh…" was the only response I heard from above and I laughed softly to myself. "Okay, don't do anything yet, but I think I know what the problem is. With this setup, the internet connection is actually routed through your phone. So you have to plug the internet into your office phone, and then plug your computer into the phone. Does that make sense?" When there was no reply I chanced a glance over my shoulder only to see Carlisle frozen in his chair, his eyes glued to my rear end. "Enjoying the view?"

To his credit, he flushed a dark red and scooted further backwards. "Yes, I suppose I was."

I giggled and untangled one final cord. Whoever had done his setup had done an awfully sloppy job with it. "At least you're honest about it."

"Well Bella, after Wednesday night, I would think we'd be on very honest terms with each other," was his prompt retort.

I completely forgot that I was under a heavy solid oak desk; my head snapped upwards at his words and connected with a sharp crack against the underside of his desk. "Ow!" I yelped, and immediately Carlisle was on his knees, guiding me out from under his desk, one hand covering my fingers as I pressed them against my throbbing skull.

"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry," he murmured, pushing me back until I sat down on the top of his desk and he stood before me. "That was all my fault; I should have just kept my mouth shut."

"No, it's okay, really…I can't even tell you how many times I've done that over the years."

"Hold still," he ordered, prying my hand away and gently running his fingers over my aching head. "That was one hell of a bang."

"I'm used to it," I muttered.

He quirked an eyebrow. "That doesn't make me feel any better. How many concussions have you had in your life?"

"Three."

His jaw dropped slightly. "Well, that was meant to be a joke, but…" His fingers touched a particularly tender spot and I winced. "You need to be more careful with this beautiful head of yours. I'm very partial to it now."

I sighed and half-shut my eyes as his fingertips carefully massaged my head. "As long as it's still attached, that's all that matters."

"Uh-huh," he said softly, his fingers moving more slowly now. "I could kiss it and make it all better, you know."

I couldn't help but grin. "That was a pretty cheesy line, Carlisle. Are you going to ask me to play doctor and nurse next?"

He gave me a crooked smile. "Only if you insist." His fingers had stopped moving completely now and were just entwined in my hair, leaving my face framed between his palms. "My nurses usually aren't allowed to sit on my desk, though."

"That's good to know."

Carlisle leaned forward slightly and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then untangled his fingers from my hair and ran them down my neck to my shoulders. Before I could say anything, his lips were following the same path, sliding smoothly down my face, over my jaw, and then down the length of my throat. I let out an involuntary moan as he reached the spot where my neck and shoulder joined and gave it a tiny nip.

At that noise his lips glided back up along my neck until they settled against my jaw, just in front of my ear. "Tell me about Wednesday night, Bella."

I whimpered.

"Tell me that you did exactly what I imagined you doing. Tell me that you made yourself come."

"Yes," I whispered, not enough shame left in me to even color my cheeks.

He groaned softly and was about to speak again when the phone, sitting directly behind me, let out an obnoxious squawk.

"Doctor? I know I'm interrupting, but Dr. Gerandy is here. He said he's sorry to drop in unexpectedly, but he had an opening in his schedule…"

Carlisle let loose with a string of profanity I'd never heard from him before, then leaned around me and pressed the intercom button on his phone. "He's here now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I tried to tell him…"

He took a deep breath and then released it in a long hiss from between his teeth. "Please show him to the conference room, I'll be there in a moment."

He punched the button to end the conversation more viciously than necessary, and then turned his gaze back to me, still wanting. "God, Bella, I'm so sorry…I had no idea he'd come by today. He's the medical director at Mercy now, and since I'm affiliated with them…"

I nodded somewhat awkwardly, and then accepted his help to slide off the desk. "No, I understand. I really…I just need to change around the plugs on your phone and I'll be out of here."

"Bella…" he breathed, as I tugged at my shirt, straightening it out. "I won't ask you to stay and wait while I meet with him, but…"

Every cell in my body cried out in protest as I made my decision, then leaned forward and gently kissed his beautiful lips. "I'll go, Carlisle."

"Bella…" His voice was pleading.

"It's okay, go meet with him, call me later." I reached and touched my fingertips to his lips. "Maybe I'll tell you more about Wednesday night."

He groaned again. "That does not give me a good reason to leave you right now."

I grinned wickedly. "You'd better get out before this other doctor busts in here and catches you bending me over your desk. I'll fix your phone and computer, let me know if you have any more problems, okay?"

He took a deep breath and I could see when he finally allowed his professional mask to slip into place over his features. "You are…beyond unbelievable, do you know that?"

"So they say."

"I'll call you tonight." He pressed one last fierce kiss to my lips before straightening up, smoothing out his jacket, and striding out the door. I quickly set about making the necessary corrections to his phone and computer connections, then double-checked to make sure his internet was working. I had to get out of there before the mental image of Carlisle bending me over his desk weakened my resolve too much.

Five minutes later I was on my way back out through the waiting room, flipping a quick wave to Gladys, and out to my car to contemplate why my willpower had gone to complete shit in less than twenty-four hours.

xoxoxoxo

True to his word, Carlisle called me that evening, but he sounded completely exhausted and we kept the conversation short. We tossed around the idea of a date over the weekend, but I told him to get a good night's sleep and that we'd iron out the details later.

After we hung up, I dialed Edward. The phone rang twice before he answered with that lazy teasing drawl that made me smile whether I wanted to or not. "Well hello beautiful…what took you so long?"

"Oh please," I retorted, curling up on the couch in the living room. "As if you've been on pins and needles all day, waiting for me."

"Well I have. I was hoping you'd call when you got home yesterday, actually."

"Pushy, pushy," I laughed. "How was your weekend?"

"Just dandy. Yours?"

"Draining. Keeping up with my mother is like babysitting a pack of strung-out Chihuahuas. That's why you didn't hear from me until now, I've been recuperating."

"Ah, gotcha. Well if I remember correctly, you owe me a date, Miss Swan."

"Dang, you really do get straight to the point, don't you?" I settled down deeper into the couch and grinned; now that I'd set some ground rules for myself, casually dating two gorgeous guys was actually proving to be pretty good for my ego.

"I haven't seen you for a week, so yeah, I'm getting straight to the point."

"Well then…what about dinner? I could come by your place and pick you up; I have a squeaky toy for Taylor." I rolled my eyes a little as I said this; part of my whirlwind weekend trip with Renee had included a visit to a pet boutique, even though Renee and Phil didn't have a pet. I hadn't even bothered asking why we were there, but I'd found a stuffed pink heart with I Love My Daddy printed on it. It was cheesy as hell but I bought it anyway, knowing Edward would get a kick out of it.

"Yeah…uh…" He paused for a moment. "I don't know if that would be such a good idea, you coming over here."

I blinked. "Oh, um, okay?"

He cursed quietly. "Look, it's a long fucking story that I'll tell you later but I really don't think you should come over here by yourself, all right?"

I was beyond confused at this point. What in the world was his problem with me coming over to his apartment? It wasn't as though I hadn't been there before…granted it had been pretty late when we'd arrived before, but still…

"So instead, how about lunch, would lunch work? Tomorrow?"

I shook my head a little. He didn't want me at his apartment but he wanted to see me again that soon? "Sure, lunch sounds great. Do you want me to meet you somewhere? Or I could come pick you up at work?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect if you don't mind, let me give you the address."

I hopped off the couch and grabbed a pen as he rambled off the address and told me the best way to get there from Coral Gables.

"Okay, got it. How does noon sound?"

"Noon works, my schedule is wide open until two o'clock. Just come on in to the front reception area and they'll page me."

We said our goodbyes, which involved in part Edward instructing me to go have naughty dreams about him, and then hung up. I sighed and laid my head back against the couch, rubbing the sore spot I had from my run-in with Carlisle's desk against the upholstery.

Naughty dreams about Edward and fantasies about Carlisle bending me over his desk.

I shook my head, wondering if I'd turned into a complete nymphomaniac overnight. I had to stop thinking about having sex or my head would explode, or maybe I'd end up humping Edward in the middle of the restaurant during lunch tomorrow.

I programmed the address Edward had given me into my Blackberry navigation and then, after a moment, dialed Charlie's number. It rang several times before he answered, sounding distracted. "Hello?"

"Hi Dad…is this a bad time?"

"Bells?" his voice lightened, he actually sounded pleased. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, miss me yet?"

"Sure do, kiddo. So is Tampa everything you thought it would be?"

I took a long silent breath. Charlie had always been semi-oblivious to what was going on in my life, I'm not sure why I was even surprised by it anymore. "Miami, Dad, I'm in Miami. Do you still have my address? I wrote it down for you?"

"Uh, yeah, I probably have it here somewhere. Miami, right. What's the weather like?"

"Hot. Humid. Not like Washington at all."

"Huh," he grunted, and then there was a brief silence. "So I saw Jacob the other day."

I clenched my jaw and reminded myself that Charlie loved me and wasn't telling me this to intentionally hurt me or fuck with my head. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he was down at La Push visiting Billy…he brought his new girlfriend."

I shut my eyes, an unexpected spike of pain slicing through me. "Oh."

"Nice enough girl but really…she has nothing on you. Nowhere near as pretty. I don't know what Jacob was thinking."

Charlie loves me, Charlie is not trying to make me feel like shit, DO NOT hang up on Charlie…

He chuckled. "Dull as dishwater too. Jake was an idiot, letting you get away."

I gritted my teeth. "He didn't let me get away, Dad. We broke up. It happens."

"Yeah but you two were so perfect together…"

I was starting to see red, but I tried to keep a lid on my temper. For a cop, Charlie had always been pretty clueless when it came to his own flesh and blood, and he wasn't known for his tact either. "Obviously we weren't, Dad, or we'd still be together. He cheated on me, and that was kind of a deal-breaker, you know?"

"Yeah," he grunted. "But you have to admit it was nice when you guys were together, and would come back to visit. What were the odds that you'd end up together, living so close to each other here and then meeting in Seattle? It was almost like fate."

I almost dropped my Blackberry at that point. Jacob's dad, Billy Black, lived down on the La Push reservation, but rarely made the trek into Forks. After Jacob and I had gotten together, Charlie had formed a friendship with Billy, bonding over their mutual love for hunching over fishing poles at unholy hours of the morning. It was pretty strange that Jacob and I had never crossed paths before we met by coincidence in Seattle, but Billy and Charlie had turned into little old matchmaking ladies after we hooked up, declaring that we were meant to be and other similar sentiments. I think those two had been the most disappointed when I'd called Charlie to tell him Jacob and I were through and I was heading for Miami.

"Dad…seriously…can we change the subject?"

"Yeah…I just thought it would make you feel better, knowing that she is nowhere as great as you, Bells. Jake is a damn fool."

There was a compliment hidden in there somewhere, I knew it. But hearing that I'd been cheated on and dumped for someone uglier, more boring, and not as all-around awesome as me was not helpful in the least. Even if nothing in the world would make me get back together with Jake, it still hurt.

"Well, I hope you kept your opinion to yourself, Dad," I said, a little more sharply than I'd intended. "Jacob and I are through. I'm dating again down here, and I really don't give a damn what he's up to."

"Hey, Bells, I wasn't trying to…"

"Dad…" I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to calm down. Clueless wasn't the same as malicious, I had to remember that. "Just…I don't want to hear any more about Jake. I've moved on, and it doesn't help to hear about him."

I could practically hear rusty cogs and wheels creaking in Charlie's brain as he tried to process my outburst. "Well…if that's what you want, Bells…I just thought it would make you feel better, you know?"

"I know, I get it. Just…don't feel obliged to keep me updated on what he's up to, okay?"

"Right." An uncomfortable silence followed, Charlie and I had never been big on easy communication. "So you're doing all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll try to do a better job of keeping in touch."

He grunted again and I could hear a female voice in the background. "Oh…Sue says to tell you hi."

Sue Clearwater –now Swan- was my dad's new wife. He'd met her down at La Push after one of his many fishing trips with Billy...yet another tie to a former life I wanted so desperately to forget. "Um, yeah, tell her I said hi too. Listen, it's been a long day, Dad, I probably ought to go. I'll try and call more often, or you can call me anytime. I love you."

"Love you too, Bells. You take care of yourself…I hear there's an increase in crime down there in Tampa."

I groaned internally but let it go for the time being. "Right, okay. 'Bye Dad."

"Talk to you later, Bells."

I was sitting with my Blackberry pressed against my forehead when Alice ran in the front door, just ahead of another Florida rainstorm. "Ooooh, you look pissed, what's up?"

"Talked to Charlie," I muttered, sliding down to lay flat on the couch with my feet propped up on the back.

"Oh dear," she said pertly, running her hand through her spiky black hair. "And how are things back in Dullsville, USA?"

"Well…he felt the need to tell me that my replacement is uglier, duller, and just an all-around pale shadow of me."

"Umm…" Alice flopped down on the chair across from me. "Let me guess…he meant all this as a compliment, right?"

"Of course."

"And he just can't understand why you're so much better off without Jackass?"

"Naturally."

She cocked her head to the side. "Charlie never was the most perceptive person in the world."

"Nope," I sighed. "I didn't expect it would make me feel like crap, though."

"What do you mean?"

I half-shrugged. "I don't know…I don't want to get back together with Jacob, I'm not jealous or anything…it just hurt to hear about how easily I've been replaced."

Alice hummed in agreement. "That's understandable. Plus it would have been preferable to hear that his skank dumped him and he's wallowing in misery and regretting ever letting you go."

I shuddered. "That's not a premonition, is it? Because I really don't need him calling me or anything."

"Nah, just an observation," she replied cheerfully. "Know what would make you feel better?"

"What?"

"Sex!"

I laughed. "I'm not having sex with you Alice, how many times do I have to turn you down?" It was a running joke of ours.

She pretended to pout. "Oh fine, I suppose Jasper would be jealous now anyway. Well how about either one of those fucking gorgeous guys that are drooling over you?"

"No more sex…for the time being. Carlisle did almost get to second base today, though."

She squealed. "What? Where? And second base, is that dry-humping or just making out or what?"

"I think it's making out? I don't know…anyway, I went by to visit him at his new office and he sat me down on his desk and was about to have his wicked wicked way with me…" I paused, licking my lips salaciously, knowing that Alice was about to explode.

"And…"

"And then we were rudely interrupted by his elderly secretary!"

Her jaw dropped and then she started laughing. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, hand-to-God, I really thought he was going to cry for a minute. I thought I was going to cry for a minute."

"Wow…so he had you sitting on his desk…that sounds seriously hot, Bella."

"It was." I grinned at the memory. "And he had on his doctor's coat and everything."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You and this new doctor fetish you've developed. Okay, speaking of, how's the animal-doctor doing?"

"I talked to him right before I called Charlie, and we're having lunch tomorrow. I'm picking him up from work."

"Are you going to let him get to second base with you in the restaurant?"

"Hmm…maybe. Depends on how secluded the table is. Hey listen, since you're grilling me about my sex life, what's up with you and Jasper? Has he tried doing any hobbit role-playing in bed yet?" Alice had told me all about the first time she'd managed to seduce Jasper, of course, but I hadn't gotten much more out of her.

She giggled. "He's the complete opposite of everything you've told me about Edward and Carlisle. He's so sweet and shy…it's just adorable. But he's got what it takes and he knows how to use it. And no, he hasn't tried any role-playing, except for the other night we, uh…" Alice's giggles abruptly ceased and her face turned fire-engine red.

"Mary Alice Brandon…you're blushing. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you blush. Spill it."

She shook her head emphatically. "No way."

"I'll stop telling you about the two hotties I'm juggling," I threatened. She shook her head again and mimed zipping her lips. "Oh my God, it must be really good. I'll ask Edward, I bet Jasper told him everything."

"No!" she finally screeched.

"Tell me!"

"Not right now…ask me again the next time we're drunk, okay?"

"Oh, wow, it must be kinky," I teased, getting up from the couch. "And I will be asking you about it again, you'd just better hope it's not in front of Jasper."

She glared at me. "Do it, and you die. Painfully."

I blew her a kiss. "I'm going to bed, goodnight sweetheart!"

xoxoxoxoxo

I arrived at the Humane Society promptly at noon the next day, dressed in a flirty little sundress that Alice had picked out in a fit of remorse over her refusal to dish about the kinky sex she and Jasper were having. I walked into the front lobby and then hesitantly over to the desk, wondering if I was supposed to ask for Edward, or Dr. Masen or what. Luckily for me, he was there behind the counter, handing over a manila folder to one of the techs. He grinned immediately when he saw me.

"Hey baby, you look amazing."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the head of every single employee present, all of them female, turned to look at me. I would have been embarrassed except that I was too busy appreciating what Edward was wearing. Holy crap, vets wear white coats too? Oh my God, maybe I am developing a doctor fetish! "Thanks, you look pretty good yourself."

"Except that I'm covered head-to-toe with cat and dog hair." He shrugged out of his coat and turned to one of the techs with the panty-dropper smile. "Bree, would you mind hanging this back up in my office for me?"

She snapped her eyes away from me. "Um, sure, no problem Dr. M."

"Thanks," he murmured, already coming around the counter towards me. Before I knew what he was doing, he'd grabbed me around the waist and was planting a very hot possessive kiss on my mouth, even giving my lips a little swipe with his tongue before releasing me. I heard one of the techs choke back a giggle.

"Let's go get some lunch then. I'll be back in a bit, ladies!" He reached down and grabbed my hand, leading me out the front door.

"Ummm…what was that?"

"That's what we call an Oklahoma Hello, Ado Annie," he drawled.

"You greet everyone that way?" I was still a little breathless. Between Carlisle and now Edward, I was going to end up spoiled completely rotten when it came to saying hello.

"Nope, only you. Plus maybe now the entire female staff of the shelter will stop trying to climb down my damn pants, if they think I'm taken."

I scowled at him. "Just when I thought you were trying to be romantic…"

"Hey, that was pretty fucking romantic for me. Come on, let's take my car so I don't get dog hair all over your interior."

He held the door open for me and a moment later we were on our way. "So since when do you have that much of Oklahoma! memorized?"

"Aw come on, I'm not a total barbarian. I could even give you a Persian Goodbye later, if you want." He leered at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, enough. Where are you taking me?"

"A nice little Mediterranean place…it's so close we probably could have walked, but I wasn't sure what kind of shoes you'd be wearing today."

I couldn't help but smile at him. "How very sweet of you. My feet appreciate it since my mother insisted on running me ragged while I was in Jacksonville."

"Yeah, that's what you said." He pulled into a tiny parking lot. "This place has great food, I get carryout at least once a week."

Confirming his words, the hostess greeted him by name and, at Edward's request, seated us in a tiny private booth, tucked back in the corner. The waitress appeared almost immediately with menus and took our drink orders, then the moment she walked away from the table Edward reached across the table and grabbed my hand again. "Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"Listen I, uh…I kinda owe you an apology."

I blinked, surprised. "Okay…what for?"

"After I got off the phone with you last night I realized that maybe what I said to you came off the wrong way. I mean, about not wanting you to come over to my apartment."

Oh that. "Well, I was curious about it, yes."

He nervously tapped his thumb against the table, still gripping my fingers with his other hand. "It's just…I have this fucking creep of a neighbor. A real sleaze. And he uh…he said something about you the other day. And I don't think he'd, like, try to molest you or anything but it made me nervous and…"

"Wait, wait, hang on," I interrupted. "What do you mean he said something about me? How does he know me?"

"He said something about seeing you when you left my place, you know, that first night."

"At five o'clock in the morning?"

"Yeah, like I said, he's probably a fucking creepy-ass vampire or some shit, staring out his peephole. And he said something about you and I…just do me a favor and don't show up unannounced, okay?"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "I don't make a habit of being that rude, Edward."

"Shit, that's not what I meant," he hastily amended. "I mean, I want you to come over again…just, when I'm with you. Fuck, I'm saying this all wrong."

"No, it's okay, I get it," I replied slowly. The idea of a pervy neighbor staring at me through his peephole that morning gave me the creeps too. "No wandering around the building without you, I think I can live with that."

Edward exhaled heavily, but his thumb didn't stop tapping the tabletop and I noticed that his jaw was clenched. "Hey…what's wrong?"

"Bella, I…" he started, only to be interrupted by the waitress bearing our drinks and ready for our order. Without even looking at the menu I asked for a chicken fattoush salad, Edward ordered the house shawarama special. We handed over our menus and then sat in silence for a moment.

"Edward…I can tell you're upset about something," I finally said, wondering what in the world had him so uptight. There was tension in every line of his body now, and he gave my hand one final squeeze before heaving out a sigh and rubbing his palms over his face and then raking his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, I don't even really know how to start this," he said finally. "I don't…I mean, I have my friends and my pop and they know me and all my bullshit, but no one else does, and I prefer to keep it that way. But you…you're something special to me now, and I'm kinda hoping you'll be around for a while, and it's not really fair to you to…fuck, I'm not making any damn sense!" He banged his clenched fist down hard on the table, rattling our drinks and making me sit back in my seat. "I guess I'll spit it out and if you want to run for the hills, you can. Do you remember everything I told you last week about my mom?"

My mind ran backwards to our conversation over dinner, the anger he still felt towards his absentee mother had been more than evident, even with the little he'd said. "Yes."

"Okay, well evidently she's had some kind of epiphany and decided she wants to come visit me here. And I can't talk her out of it, and I don't know how to handle it."

"All right," I said slowly. "Back up a little. Why is she coming?"

He snorted in disgust and then reached both hands back across the table to me again. "I don't know. I mean, she says one thing but she probably means another…she's just…you have to know my mother."

"Do you want to tell me about her?"

Edward swallowed hard, and for the first time, I saw a brief flicker of raw vulnerability on his face. "What I told you over dinner…that's just the tip of the fucking iceberg. I'll give you the short version…remember I told you that my real dad, my biological dad, lives here in Miami? My mom was on vacation here with her family when she was seventeen and she met him. They either fell in love or it was a summer fling, depending on who you ask. When she went back to Chicago, I was already a bun in the oven, even though they didn't know it yet."

"Oh, wow," I said quietly.

"Yeah. So when my mom's parents found out, they flipped their fucking shit. They were old money, the elite of society and all that. The idea of their precious darling having a brat out of wedlock…" He spat the word out. "Well, they just weren't having it. So before my mother was too far along she and my grandparents hooked her up quick with a guy that had been crazy about her for a while, even though he was ten years older. One month later, boom, they were married."

"Why didn't they contact your father?"

He gave me a bitter half-grin. "He was too young, without a recognizable last name, and not enough money for their standards."

"Oh."

"So they got married and when I was born they did the whole oh the baby was premature thing even though I doubt anyone bought their bullshit. I grew up thinking Edward Masen, Sr. was my father."

"Was he…?" I hesitated, not sure how far I ought to pry.

"Oh, he was a good guy," Edward said quickly. "He wasn't really around all that much with work and everything, but he was the only father I knew for a long time, and he was good to me. I mean, he was my dad. I loved him, he loved me in the weird-ass ways he had of showing it. He was just more the type to buy the jerseys for my Little League team than to actually show up for the games, you know?

"So life just kinda went on until I was eighteen, and he was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was fucking bad, they gave him about three months to live when they caught it. Towards the end, while he was still conscious, I went to see him in the hospital and he told me exactly what was in the will for me, not that I fucking cared. To me, my dad was laying there dying and he wanted to talk to me about money? I just didn't…"

He drew a long shuddering breath and I squeezed his hands gently. "Yes?"

"So my mom went in and talked to him after me, and when she came out, she was crying. She took me down to the hospital's chapel and she told me the real truth about who my dad was, said that the only father I'd ever known wanted her to tell me. That it was only fair to me. That it was his dying fucking wish or something. So I've got my dad dying of cancer only to find out he's not really my dad, my dad is actually living in Florida and doesn't even have a clue I exist because my mother and grandparents are stuck-up assholes."

"Oh Edward," I said softly, my heart breaking for him. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he'd gone through at that moment.

"So my dad…I mean, I call him my stepdad, which isn't exactly correct since they put his name on the birth certificate, but otherwise it gets confusing…his body pretty much shut down right after that. And then he died three days later. I stuck around for the funeral, I owed him that, and my mom guilt-tripped me into staying for the reading of the will, but then my ass was out of there. I drove to the airport, left my car there, and took the first flight I could get to Miami.

"I just wanted to get the fuck away from her, as far as I could. I enrolled at UM, I looked up my biological father based on what my mom had told me, and I tried to move on. I'm still trying to fucking move on. And then she pulls this and comes barging back into my life. It's like every time I think I've gotten over what she did to me, how she made me feel like I was a trophy when she was in a good mood, a pain in her ass when she wasn't…then she has to go and do something like this?"

The waitress picked that moment to bring our lunch over, and starting on my salad gave me a chance to turn Edward's words over and over in my mind. He'd mentioned before that his mother had basically ignored him for his entire childhood, shipping him off to boarding schools and summer camps so she could flit around spending money and playing the role of a socialite. And although he hadn't spelled it out in so many words, the hurt that neglect had caused him ran deep and still affected him today. Finding out about his true parentage the way he had must have dissolved the last bit of attachment or loyalty he had to her.

"So why is she coming here now?" I asked finally.

Edward shrugged, picking at his shawarama. "She was crying when she called me, babbling some shit about wanting to make up for all the mistakes she's made, blah blah blah. I can't believe her, though, she may change her mind between now and then and decide our relationship is just fine the way it is. She's getting here sometime next week. I don't know how long she's staying, but her family has a house in Palm Beach so she'll probably head up there after she gets bored with me again."

I swallowed hard at the pain in his voice. As much as he tried to sport a nonchalant attitude about it, I could tell how much this upcoming visit was tearing him apart. Charlie and Renee may not have been the most attentive parents in the world, but I'd never felt unwanted or unloved. It was clear to me that Edward felt both, and had for a long time. I put down my fork and reached across the table to him.

"Hey," I said softly. "What can I do?"

He sighed and stroked my fingers and the back of my hand. "Nothing baby, just…I might not be around too much while she's here, for everyone's well-being. But…it made me feel better getting all that off my chest. You're one of very few people that know about all this shit, and it gets kinda tiresome after a while. I mean, it's not a part of my daily life, but when she chooses to play the caring mommy, she just fucks everything up."

"Well, let me know if you need anything, okay?"

A small smile curled up the corner of his mouth. "Anything?"

I scowled at him. "Almost anything."

"Aww hell, and here I thought I'd found the key to an all-night pass to your bedroom." His earlier anger and frustration had completely vanished from his face as he turned The Look on me full-force.

"Edward…do not make me throw my pita bread at you."

He laughed and the conversation lightened considerably after that. I gave him the squeaky pink heart for Taylor that I'd remembered to stuff in my tote, and his delight at the gift was obvious. He told me all about the shelter and his coworkers as we finished lunch and drove back, and then he offered me a tour.

"Are you sure? I don't want to take you away from work…"

"My next appointment isn't for another twenty minutes." He reached down and took my hand, lacing my fingers through his. "I'd like you to see where I spend my days."

We entered the building through a side door this time, and Edward showed me around, pointing out the room for the cats in their cages and the rows of kennels where the adoptable dogs were kept. A lump formed in my throat as the dogs came crowding up to the front of the kennels, tails wagging furiously, eyes begging for a friendly pat.

"I wish I could take them all home…you're amazing to be able to do this every day."

"Well, like I said, we always need foster homes if you want a test-run on adopting one…or we have volunteers who come in and take them for walks. For some of them, it's the only time they really get exercise out of the kennels."

"All I have to do is take them for a walk?"

"Yep, in the park next door. Are you interested?"

"Yeah, I think I would like to do something like that. Working from home can get pretty isolating, I have to remind myself to get out once in a while."

"I'll have our volunteer coordinator give you a call then, if that's okay." Edward checked his watch. "My next appointment is going to be here in a few minutes, let me walk you to your car."

We walked in silence back out to the parking lot to where I'd parked my car a little distance away, in one of the few shaded spots. I unlocked it and reached in to put the key in the ignition, starting the car so the air conditioning could get a head-start on cooling off the interior. Edward grinned. "You learn quick."

"Now that I have air-conditioning in my car, I plan on using it," I retorted. "Hot and sweaty is not sexy."

His green eyes darkened slightly. "I beg to differ…in fact, the memory of you hot and sweaty is one of my favorites."

The blush that I could feel climbing over my face had absolutely nothing to do with the thick humidity or the hot metal of the car behind me. "You say the sweetest things, Edward."

He lifted a finger and ran it gently over my cheekbone. "Bella…we're both adults here. We're attracted to each other and we've got great chemistry in bed. Not to mention I…I feel like I can trust you. I told you enough crazy shit at lunch to make you run screaming but you're just so amazing about everything. I've never known anyone like you and I…" He took a deep breath. "I want to get to know you better."

I knew that a seemingly-innocent statement like this was practically the equivalent of a marriage proposal for someone as commitment-phobic as Edward. "I want to get to know you better too, Edward, don't you know that?"

"What are you doing this weekend?"

"I don't have firm plans yet, why?"

"I was thinking…why don't you come over and we can spend some more time getting to know each other? In and out of bed. I'll even barricade the door so my douchebag friends can't break in."

Even though the thought of spending the weekend in bed with Edward was tempting, warning bells were starting to chime faintly in the back of my head. The fact that I wanted to have sex with both Carlisle and Edward again didn't mean I could…not unless I was willing to cut one of them loose. And that wasn't a decision I could make at that moment, standing in the middle of a parking lot.

"Edward I would really love to say yes to that, you have no idea how much."

He smiled lazily and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his body. "So say it."

"But I can't."

His brow furrowed but his grip on my waist didn't loosen. "Why not?"

"I told you why not."

He looked confused for a moment; I was probably the first woman to have ever turned him down for sex. Then realization dawned over his face, followed quickly by a scowl. "You're still seeing that other guy?"

"Yes, and I…"

"Bella," he interrupted, "What the hell? Are you telling me you don't feel this, what we've got going between us?"

"Of course I do, but…"

"So what you've got with him is just as good as this? Jesus Christ, we're amazing together and you know it! Just fucking kissing you drives me crazy!"

"I know that, but what you're asking me isn't fair…"

"I put myself out there asking you this and you're saying what we've got isn't good enough?"

"What are you asking me, Edward?" I snapped, finally losing my temper. "Because you weren't exactly clear on that. Are you saying you want me to date you exclusively or are you just mad that I turned you down for a weekend of fucking?"

"What? Neither one, I mean I…aw fuck!" He pulled me even tighter to him and then his lips were on mine again, effectively ending the conversation. His kiss was hot and hard and angry this time, his tongue all but forcing its way into my mouth as his free hand tangled in my hair to hold my head still. For a brief moment I considered giving him a stiff poke in the gut to get him off of me, but no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than his lips softened a little. The anger melted out of his kiss, replaced by a sweet urgency.

"Bella," he whispered, pulling back just enough to speak, "What are you doing to me?"

Any answers I would have tried to give him were silenced as he promptly moved his lips back to mine. This time he was gentler, nibbling carefully along my lower lip until I gasped a little and willingly opened my mouth to him. The hand that had been gripping my hair relaxed and moved down to lightly stroke my throat; my own fingers slid down and came to rest on his hips. I moaned softly and my body relaxed into him, he felt it and deepened the kiss in response. My heartbeat sped up as his tongue slid more gently back against mine; I had an almost visceral reaction to him now. Each time he kissed me, each time his fingers made my body quiver under his touch, it reminded me of that night...that one night we'd had together...

It wasn't until a wolf-whistle sounded from across the parking lot that I remembered we were in public, and at Edward's place of employment no less. I stiffened slightly, he pressed one last soft kiss to my lips before drawing away.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have mauled you like that. I just…I don't know what I want. When I'm with you it all kind of makes sense, but I can't change who I am overnight."

"Neither can I," I pointed out. "And you're forgiven. But there's no rush…we've got plenty of time to get to know each other."

"How about you introduce me to this other guy you're seeing? I'll follow him home and kick the shit out of him, problem solved."

"Oh my God, what…?" I looked up at him in shock, only to be met with the smirk I was more familiar with. "That's not funny!"

"I thought it was."

"Uh-huh. You're late for your two o'clock, Dr. Masen."

"Hmmm…" He leaned back in and nuzzled my neck. "It makes me horny when you call me that."

"Go away!" I laughed breathlessly, giving him a shove when he showed no sign of moving.

"When do I get to see you again?" he asked stubbornly.

"I don't know! Call me later this week, okay?"

"I will." Edward planted another kiss on my lips before stepping away and turning back towards the shelter, running his hand fiercely through his unruly bronze hair.

I got in the car, the interior now shockingly-frigid against my overheated skin. It was a welcome slap back to reality.

What the hell was that?

I needed to do some serious thinking, and fast.

I snapped on my seatbelt and was just about to put the car in reverse when my Blackberry rang inside my purse. I reached over into the front pocket, my eyes going immediately to the caller ID. The name there was one I'd meant to erase a long time ago, but had simply forgotten until this very second.

Jacob.

xoxoxoxo

A/N:

Kate: As Bob Barker says, don't forget to spay or neuter your pets. Twin, does that include Jacob?

Brits: Um, I think in Jacob's case you should probably take him out to the back forty with a shotgun and a shovel...I never DID like that damn mongrel...

Kate: Me neither...that pickle-dick mofo is nothing but trouble! Kate takes deep breaths Okay, how about we talk about the homework we have for our darling readers instead?

Brits: Oh yes, of course! points at readers Don't think your only job out there is to sit back and revel in the fuckhotness of Edward and Carlisle. No, no, my friends, this is an interactive fanfiction. My twin and I will be writing a series of outtakes, smuttakes, dirty fantasies and whatever else you lovely ladies would like to see from Dirty Little Secrets, but didn't quite make it into the main story.

Kate: And as those of you who frequent the DLS thread already know, we've declared that ANYTHING GOES for the outtakes! Which brings us to the Very Very Serious Disclaimer now... Before anyone starts screaming ZOMG THAT'S GROSS, THEY'RE FATHER AND SON, YOU'D BETTER NOT WRITE A THREESOME OR I'M GONNA FLOUNCE! just remember that BELLA DOESN'T KNOW about that little fact...and besides, making something a 'dream sequence' makes it allllll okay in fanfic-land!

Brits: For realz, naked Edward and naked Carlisle are ALWAYS win in my book! Don't focus on the little things, ladies. Let's concentrate on the big...throbbing...hard things... brits eyes glaze over

Kate: Hey twin, speaking of which, did you see those new RPatz and PFach photoshoots that just came out... drool Oh wait, of course you did...we share those sort of things on PORNDAY over on the DLS thread! www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=8305

Brits: Yes, everyone join us over on the thread. Porn, porn, DLS teasers, porn, porn. I really don't see the downside, ya'll...

Kate: And because we are generous pervs, if you follow us on Twitter (lazykatevamp and brits23) we'll even REMIND you about Pornday...and give you teasers...and heads-up on when new chapters will be up...all we ask from you in return is maybe a little pervy love in a review. Oh, and your outtake suggestions, of course.

Brits: Yeah, what she said! Leave us your review, along with your request for smut...I mean an outtake! We'd really appreciate it!

Kate: Love you guys, talk to you again very very soon!