AN/ SMeyers owns it all. On with the show..

BPOV

Even though I fully intended to avoid inebriation for the evening, I decided to stay at the Chamber dinner long enough to sample some tiramisu and a glass of white wine. I mingled a little and gathered a couple more business contacts and story leads before calling myself a cab. Home was only a few miles away, but it was cold and my feet were aching from wearing heels all day.

My mind wandered as the city lights blurred past on the drive home. Edward Cullen. I rubbed his business card in my jacket pocket and the little girl in me thought about sniffing it, but I pushed the thought aside and grinned to myself. I was actually looking forward to work on Monday because I knew my first order of business was to call Edward for an interview. Rehearsing the conversation in my head, I stopped short when the look on Carlisle's face drifted in. Emmett had told me to watch my ass and I made a mental note to get more details on that warning as soon as possible.

Making my way to the front door, I turned the key in the door and turned on the light in the entryway. My townhouse was quaint, but with every day that passed it was beginning to feel more like home. I couldn't help but smile as I took off my shoes and stepped onto my cinnamon colored pottery barn rug. I got a great deal on a normally $1,200 rug on eBay and still practically squealed whenever I felt the thick soft woolen fibers squish between my toes. Angela helped me put the purchase into perspective with a passing remark six months ago. "Look at it this way Bella, you've wanted one of these forever and at this rate, you are never going to be able to afford it. Give yourself a break once in a while, throw caution to the wind." From that purchase on, I slowly began shifting my décor towards a cinnamon and taupe theme and saved for the nice things I wanted rather than making do with cheap substitutes.

I looked at the clock and remembered how much work I had to do before Charlie's arrival in the morning. A little excited flutter of butterflies danced in my abdomen and I hurried to the closet with plans of making the other bedroom as homey and inviting as the rest of the house. Once I shed every trace of my work clothes and climbed into my spaghetti strap camisole and yoga pants. I grabbed a glass of my favorite chilled Sauvignon Blanc, and put my ipod in the dock and shuffle unexpectedly brought one of my favorite songs. The sad guitar strings crooned through the ihome speakers as I made my way to the back bedroom.

Cocaine flame in my bloodstream
Sold my coat when I hit Spokane
Bought myself a hard pack of cigarettes, in the early morning rain
Lately my hands don't feel like mine
My eyes are stung with dust and blind
Held you in my arms one time
Lost you just the same

Jolene, I ain't about to go straight, it's too late
I found myself face down in a ditch
Booze in my hair, blood on my lips
A picture of you holding a picture of me, in the pocket of my blue jeans
I still don't know what love means, still don't know what love means
Jolene

-Ray LaMontagne, Jolene

Ray, you're not the only one who doesn't know what love means. At least not the kind of love you're singing about.

Focusing on the task before me I dug in and started putting all my favorite story books from my childhood on the book shelf. I rubbed the worn spine of Jack in the Bean Stock lovingly. The escape that stories always provided me was something of a double-edged sword. Fantasy was a happy retreat that always embraced me, but it can also become a crutch that enables avoidance.

I hope these books mean something different for you, baby.

I was on my second glass of wine and well into unpacking the third box when I heard a knock at the door. "Just a minute," I called; trying to unbury myself from the folded sheets I was in the midst of unloading on the closet shelf.

I walked down the hallway and looked out the peephole and saw Emmett peering back with a smile on his face and I unlocked the door.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here after you sabotaged my meeting tonight," I spat. "Seriously, my editor was suspicious about my interaction with Carlisle who had the gall to KISS MY HAND in front of my boss, his sworn enemy no less and you … you have the nerve to call Mike a fucktard! Well I have three words for you Em. Pot, kettle, black."

He was practically laughing at me with his eyes until I mentioned Mike. I've only seen Emmett angry a couple of times in all the years I've known him and I was fairly certain the flash that passed through his eyes just then could have set something on fire.

"For years I have sat back with nary a comment about the 10-ways of fucked you have gotten yourself into with that dim-wit. Bella, be pissed if you want about Carlisle, but don't you EVER compare me to that dead beat that left my best friend pregnant and broken," Emmett's face had transitioned from anger to hurt and when I looked closer to the message behind his eyes, I saw something I'd never seen before. Longing.

"I would," he said, catching himself mid-yell and lowering his voice, "Well. . . I would never have treated you like that Bella."

When I looked up at him, my pissy resolve dissipated and I felt my heart fluttering in surprise and by his admission and sudden closeness. He was only a couple of inches from my face and his hooded blue eyes were staring at my lips. I unconsciously pulled my bottom lip into my teeth. Emmett closed the distance between us and brought his hand up the side of my neck, lifting my chin so that I had to look into his eyes. My whole body flushed with unadulterated need and I felt knees go weak when Em leaned in and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth.

Cautiously, as if he expected me to bolt any minute, he pulled back to gauge my reaction. My breathing hitched when his soft lips left mine and I leaned in and kissed him back. That was all the encouragement Emmett needed. He wrapped his arms around me and stepped between my legs in one motion and pulled my body up to his. I closed my eyes when he kissed me the second time and tried to focus on the sensation of his warm tongue rubbing mine, and his obvious hard on growing against my hip. His breathy kisses slowly morphed into forceful needy ones and his right hand moved up my side. Taking his swollen lips off of mine, Emmett placed a few kisses along my jaw as his hands pushed the straps of camisole off my shoulders.

"I've wanted to touch you like this for so long Bella," he said quietly as he sucked on my earlobe. I felt myself go slightly rigid at his admission and I sucked in a breath to tell him to slow down a second.

What the fuck am I doing? I backed up a few steps but Emmett caught me up in his arms and I felt his tongue on my collarbone as his thumb circled my nipple.

I heard myself mutter an incoherent "unngh," and decided I didn't care. He kissed further down my chest and pushed my shirt down below my breasts and sunk to his knees on my carpet. I leaned back a few inches and was suddenly grateful that the couch was so close to the front door.

"God, you are so beautiful Bella," he moaned into my skin before taking a nipple into his mouth. He sucked and bit it lightly and any resolve or hope I had of stopping this freight train before it went too far, flew right out the window. I pushed off the arm of the couch and went to my knees in front of him. The weirdness that I expected to feel as I ran my hands down his chest and stomach to the hardened outline of his cock was lost in the wave of lust that crashed over me.

I moved his T-shirt up over his abs and leaned down to lick his chest, placing open kisses all the way to his neck. Somehow in my own quest to touch his skin, I hadn't noticed him slipping my shirt to my hips. Emmett's hands palmed my breasts, his thighs firmly against mine. His body leaned into me and my hair fanned out on the very carpet I had pondered not two hours earlier. Emmett scooted between my legs and crawled up my body, kissing my lips gently.

"Bella do you want this too? Do you want me?" his deep voice practically growled in my ear as he ground himself into my wet pussy.

"Please Emmett, stop talking and just fuck me already before I change my mind," I heard myself say. I was so turned on and it had been so long since I had an orgasm by something other than an electrical appliance, my responses were practically running on auto pilot. Emmett lifted my ass off the floor and pulled off my pants and my panties. My clothes got caught up on my ankle and he pulled my pants over my foot. He looked up at me and watched my reaction as he planted a kiss on the arch of my foot, repeating the gesture behind my knee and inside both of my thighs.

I was a little self conscious when I realized I was completely naked and Emmett still had most of his clothes on. I was about to sit up on my elbows and demand he follow suit, when he spread my legs open to tasted me. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I tried to remember if anyone had ever made me feel this good before. "God, you taste so fucking sweet Bella. I'm going to make you cum so hard."

He plunged two fingers inside my pussy and I cried out something unintelligible. Emmett continued licking me while he fucked me with his fingers. I arched my back to get a better view of him between my legs. I was so sensitive at that moment I, I swear I could feel his taste buds massage my clit.

I ran my hands through his hair and pulled him closer to me. I could tell I wasn't going to last long and rather than let him have his way with me, I sat up to unbutton and unzip his jeans. Emmett pulled a condom out his wallet and I snatched it out of his hand before he could put it on. I got up on my knees and ran my hands around to his ass before coming back around front to touch his balls and grip his cock. He was leaking and I bent down to lick the pre-cum from his head. He twitched a little when my tongue circled his head and groaned in protest when I pushed him back down on the carpet. Straddling him, I bent down to lick him one last time before rolling the condom over him.

I didn't care if his pants were still around his knees; I just needed to feel him in me. He didn't disappoint in the size department, but it had been a while so I gently lowered myself onto him. Emmett whimpered when he was fully sheathed and held my waist to pull himself in and out of me.

"Uuungh, fuck Bella you feel so tight on me," he said in between groans. After a few strokes I was already so close to coming. Pushing myself further over the edge, I lifted myself higher off of him, slamming him deeper inside me with every stroke.

"Fuuck, I'm so close Em." He held my ass firmly against him and his final thrusts lifted us both off the floor, and I lost myself in the spasms of my orgasm. Emmet let me ride it out for a second, and I felt sweat trickle down my back. Emmett kicked off his pants the rest of the way and told me to get on my knees. I giggled at his demand and playfully wiggled my ass in front of him.

"You like that Bella," he said as he rubbed my clit with his hand and teased my entrance with himself. I pushed back into him and he grabbed my hips and buried himself deep inside of me over and over until he cried out with his climax.

We both laid fell back on the floor. To stave off the awkwardness of the situation, I hopped up to get us a towel to clean ourselves. I steeled myself for the talk that needed to follow up this complete fuckery.

Well, Bella, this one takes the cake for dumbest thing to do on a lonely Friday night. Maybe Em was lonely too and this won't permanently mar our friendship, I thought hopefully.

Once we cleaned up, we sat on the couch and I put my hand inside his.

"Emmett, you made me feel amazing, honestly. But … what the fuck was that?" I asked, feeling a little shitty that I needed to spring this conversation on him in the midst of our lingering post-coital bliss.

"Ummm, Bells I know it's been a while but uh, you'd think after having a kid you would have remembered the birds and the bees lesson," he joked, slipping his T-shirt over his head. He recognized that I was insulted by the inexperience jab and wrapped his arm around my waist. He rested his head on my chest and sighed.

"I meant what I said about wanting to touch you forever. I wasn't trying to confuse you. You were just so sexy standing here all pissed off at me in these skimpy pajamas and I couldn't help myself."

I gave him a sideways smile and stood on my toes to kiss his nose. "You're not so bad yourself, but Zephyr comes home tomorrow and. . . " I trailed off, thinking about how confusing this would be for my son. "You know I love you, but if I ever get into a relationship, it's going to be for love-love, not friendship-love."

As satisfying as that session was, it was all hormones devoid of butterflies and sparks. Emmett pursed his lips as if I had hurt his ego, but loosened his grip on me and kissed my cheek. He sighed and looked at me curiously, "I know Bells, but you can't blame a guy for trying." He was definitely confused. It's weird to think that you can make love to someone you don't love. I understood his confusion and felt a little prick of disappointment knowing that I won't ever get to experience that again.

We turned down the lights and snuggled up on the couch with a bag of popcorn and watched Lost in Translation on HBO. The flick was a fitting metaphor for Em and I. Maybe if we had met each other at different times in our lives we would have had a chance. As I slipped into oblivion I wondered sadly if I would ever find a man I could love and who loved me as completely as my best friend. Maybe not, but tomorrow I would love on my son after not seeing his sweet face for an entire week.

It was enough.

-0-

Emmett had a couple of hours to kill in the morning before he left for work and agreed to help me get Zeph's room finished. Putting the bed frame together was pretty quick but Emmett was particularly useful in reconfiguring the Lego figurines that had been jumbled in the move.

"You missed your calling bud, you should have been a Lego engineer," I joked.

"Yeah, I wish! Oooh where did Zephyr get the sweet X-Wing Fighter," Emmett said holding up the boy toy in reverence. "I tried to snag one of these last Christmas on eBay but lost the auction."

I laughed at the thought of Em buying toys on the Internet. "Aren't you a bit old for toys? I mean, you could always spend your money on fixing up your apartment. Have you even replaced that goddamn toilet seat that pinches your ass when you sit on it?"

Cocking his head and wearing a smug look he went back to work. My jab didn't even dignify an answer.