Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Song for this chapter: All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera

Secrets by Heartbroken1

Chapter Thirteen - Assume Nothing

Bella Swan

I'd spent the morning running around like a chicken with my head cut off. It felt like my to-do list was five miles long and growing by the second. The breakfast meeting had been nothing more than listening to how bad the economy was and how it was effecting the different trades. Prices for our subcontractors were going up and the values of our homes going down. Our competitors were having to close their doors, which was scary. Carlisle wasn't happy and neither were the two other men sitting around the table at The Pointe.

When my cell phone rang, I excused myself, grateful for the distraction, even it was my mother. "Hi, Mom."

"Bella, how are you? We haven't heard from you in days."

"I'm fine, Mom, just busy. In fact, I left a meeting to…"

"Oh, well, I'll let you go. Say hi to Carlisle for me."

"Bye, Mom."

As I approached the table, Carlisle stood, waving me over to the side. "We're pretty much done here, Bella, if you'd like to cut out a little early and get started with more important things."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, I have so much to do today. We'll talk later?"

He gave me a fatherly kiss on the cheek. "Later."

Grace was beaming when I walked through the door. She jumped to her feet. "I'm so glad you're finally here. I was worried you might not come in today." She handed me a stack of files, bouncing as she followed me toward my office.

"Grace, are you okay?"

"Me? Yep, I'm fine. Totally fine. Nothing's going on, that I know of. Well, I should get back to work. I'm glad you're here." She turned on her heel and hurried back to her desk, flopping down in the chair. It was a pathetic attempt at subtlety, even for Grace.

Music was softly playing in my office and I glanced back at Grace, who quickly dropped her eyes to the paper she wasn't writing on.

Say you love me . . .

You know I do . . .

Love me…

that's all I ask of you.

The music came up as the words dropped off and I walked toward the things that were sitting on my otherwise empty desk. There was a silver dress box and on top a single red rose, tied with a black ribbon. My fingers ran down the ribbon as the words began again.

Anywhere you go

let me go too…

that's all I ask of you.

I opened the box to reveal white tissue paper folded neatly over the dress inside, a red envelope with my name written elegantly in black. The card slid out easily.

My Angel,

Come with me to enjoy

The Music of the Night…

That's all I ask of you.

Love,

Anthony

Setting the card down, I slipped my fingers under the taffeta black dress, lifting it from the box. It was my size and looked like it would fit perfectly. How did he…

"Isn't he the most romantic man ever?" Grace asked in awe. "He's hot and romantic. You need to hold on to this guy, Bella."

If I hadn't been suspicious of her before, I was now. "What do you know, Grace?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," she lied, turning on her heel.

I rushed after her. "Grace Anderson, you tell me what you know, right now."

She didn't turn to face me, but began talking anyway. "You're supposed to be ready to go by 4:00 tonight. It's my job to get you home and dressed by then. That's all I know."

"Really?"

"Well, no," she said as she turned, "but that's all I'm going to tell you." She flushed and bit on her lower lip. "Please don't try to make me tell you more, 'cause I'm so excited I wouldn't be able to keep the secret. It's a wonderful surprise, don't ruin it."

The rest of the day both raced and dragged. I'd tried to call Anthony only once, getting the same song that had played over and over in my office. I'd gotten his voicemail and said, "I'm past the point of no return."

When 4:00 finally arrived, I was sitting on the stool in front of my vanity with Grace pinning my brown curls on top of my head. The doorbell rang and my heart jumped. Anthony was here.

"You look beautiful, Bella," Grace whispered. "Let's go meet your Prince Charming."

"Shouldn't I be meeting the Phantom?" I asked with a giggle.

"Or Raoul." She bit her lip and trapped another curl under a bobby pin, then stepped back to admire her work. "Perfect," she said, more to herself than to me. "Um, you do know that it's Raoul that gets the girl, right?"

"Yes. But I think the Phantom is really sexy."

Grace laughed. "Maybe you can buy one of those souvenir masks for after…"

My eyes widened as I watched her expression turn guilty. "After…"

"Anthony's waiting," she reminded me, flustered, as she hurried me to the door. She leaned in for a quick hug and whispered in my ear, "Have fun, Bella."

We rounded the corner and Anthony stopped talking midsentence. His jacket and pants were dark as pitch, with a white dress shirt and black red tie. The suit has been perfectly tailored to hug each muscle of his toned physique. A low whistle cross his lips, fading as his smile grew. In in hand was another long-stemmed red rose with a black ribbon. "Ready, love?

"You look hot, Bells!" Jacob announced, growling softly as he wrapped his arm around Grace. "Tony, you'd better behave yourself." Jake raised his brows then added a wink and a laugh.

Anthony chuckled and nodded to Jake as if the two of them had some kind of secret they weren't going to let me in on. Tony opened the front door to reveal an ebony limo. "Right this way." His hand was warm on the small of my back. "Thanks," he muttered, and I looked just in time to see him accepting my overnight bag from Jacob.

Suddenly I was overcome with nervous energy. What exactly did Anthony have planned for tonight? And where exactly did Jake and Grace's loyalty lie?

Grace's smile was huge, her dimples even more pronounced than usual. She waved to me, shooing me toward the beautiful, sleek car. "Don't analyze, Bella. ."

Jacob's eyes were twinkling as he smiled at me. He was usually so annoyingly protective. What had changed that? As if he'd read my mind, he caught up with me. He took my hand as Anthony disappeared behind the limo to assist the driver with my bag. "Relax, Bells. Have fun. This guy loves you."

"You think?" My heart jumped at the thought.

He nodded, then leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Any guy who would put this much effort into a date…" He shook his head. "He's making me look bad to my girl."

I laughed. "Your girl thinks you hung the moon."

His knuckles ran gently down my cheek, tucking a loose curl behind my ear, then he glanced over my shoulder and smiled. "I think she's pretty fabulous too."

"You ready, love? We're gonna miss our flight."

Flight? "Um, yeah."

Anthony opened the car door and just as I sunk down onto the soft leather, Jacob yelled, "Oh, and don't worry, Bells, I put a roll of condoms in your bag…just in case."

Heat and, I'm sure, color flooded my face--my neck, my entire body.

Anthony closed the door before I could respond, not that I had a snappy come back anyway. His head was shaking back and forth on his shoulders, which were moving with his amusement. When he slid in next to me from the other side, I mumbled, "I'm going to kill him."

"Oh, don't be too hard on him, love." He lifted my fist and uncurled it, kissing the tension out of each knuckle. "I could have never pulled this off without him and Grace."

"So now you've confirmed who to blame for all of this."

His hands cupped my face. "I'm hoping you'll blame me…over and over again." His eyes were on fire as his lip lifted at the corners. "I'm the one you should punish."

"Anthony," I warned.

He chuckled softly and rested his hand on my thigh, using his thumb to rub circles on my skin through the light fabric. The motion was comforting and highly erotic.

You will not sleep with him, I told myself. You will not be his mistress. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to focus on anything but the way his touch made me want to rip that fancy suit from his body. Breathe. Filling my lungs with a deep breath only brought with it the delicious fragrance that was Anthony; masculine male, expensive cologne and sex. Dammit, I'm screwed. I bit back a giggle. Well, I will be.

The limo eased to a stop and brought me out of my thoughts. Through the tinted glass I recognized the airport, but instead of being in the regular terminals, we were parked next to a private plane. The pilot was standing in full uniform at the bottom of the steps.

"Anthony, what is this?"

A smile spread across his face causing his eyes to twinkle. "I have big plans for you tonight, Bella." He reached into his suit coat pocket, pulled out his cell phone and turned it off before returning it to the safety of his pocket. After a quick kiss, he opened the door and slid out then reached in for my hand.

With a sigh on my lips and butterflies in my stomach I slid across the soft leather seat and stepped out next to him on the plush red carpeting. He held tightly to my hand as we took the few steps to greet his friend.

"Emmett, I'd like you to meet Bella."

"You were right, Tony, she is beautiful." He chuckled as I felt the blush rising in my cheeks. "We're all ready for take off as soon as you get yourselves situated." Emmett took my hand and shook it gently. "It's nice to finally meet the woman who captured this gigolo's heart."

I glanced a look at Anthony, who was now blushing too. "That's enough, Emmett," he said as he took my hand and escorted me up the small staircase.

The inside of the plane was everything you'd expect it to be; plush leather seats, low lighting--roses, champagne chilling, and battery-operated candles glowing softly.

We sat down on one of the side seats and Emmett disappeared into the cabin, closing the door behind him. Anthony helped me with my seatbelt and then secured his own. "Ready, love?"

"Exactly how many surprises have you got planned for this evening, Anthony?"

He pressed his lips to my forehead. "You don't wanna know, love. Just enjoy them."

I groaned. My body leaned into his as the plane began to ascend into the beautiful blue skies over Phoenix. "How long is our flight?" I asked, remaining close to him even though the plane had stabilized.

"Not long." His hands gripped my shoulders and eased me forward. "I have something I want to show you." He bent over and began to dig through a bag that was on the floor by his feet. As he sat up, he handed me a file folder.

"What's this?"

His smile brightened. "Open it. See for yourself."

My shaking fingers took the folder and let it sit in my lap. It felt uncomfortably heavy, like the weight of the world was between the thick cardstock. I was curious as to what he would be giving me, but I was also filled with anxiety.

Anthony was completely comfortable next to me, sitting back against the cushions as he watched me debate whether or not to open the folder. "It's okay," he encouraged. I stared into his intoxicating green eyes still unsure of what to do. He smiled and nodded his head. "Do you want me to do it?"

"No, I can…I'll do it." Living up to my word, I gently peeled back the front cover. Beneath were legal documents--divorce documents. My eyes wandered over the legal jargin, finding his signature at the bottom. "What are these?"

He chuckled softly. "These," he said, tapping the papers grasped in my hands, "are the end of my old life and the beginning of the one I want to start with you--tonight."

"Oh," I gasped.

"I love you, Isabella. You are my future and I hope you want me to be yours."

"I um…" I watched as his thumb traced circles on the back of my hand.

He lifted my chin with a gentle motion of his other hand. "Bella, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking…" My voice was barely above a whisper. "…that the ink has barely dried to free you from one wife and you're all ready asking for another. Where are we going Vegas?"

One of his brows arched. "As a matter of fact, we are going to Vegas."

"I'm not going to marry you." My heart clenched as the words left my mouth. I did want to marry Anthony, to be the wife completely devoted to him, but this was not the time and Vegas was certainly not the place. Elvis would not be the man asking me to declare my devotion to Anthony Masen.

"I hope you don't mean ever. I do want you to be my wife, Bella, but not tonight, not this trip." He took my hands in his and squeezed gently, the papers fluttering to the floor in front of us. "The day I make you my bride will be the happiest day of my life. I don't want Elvis to be the only one to hear me devote my life to your service. I want to shout it from the rooftops, let every single one of our friends and family, and anyone who will listen, know that you are the love of my life."

A tear welled up in the corner of my eye and gradually flowed over the lid, sliding down my cheek. He cupped my face and rubbed at it with his thumb. "Please tell me those are good tears."

"Yes." I smiled and offered a soggy giggle. "There is nothing I want more, Anthony."

His face moved toward mine and he kissed the spot that had been dampened by my tear. Then his lips slowly moved to the other cheek, over my nose, until settling on my lips. He kissed me with an intensity that caused my bones to melt and my toes to curl. His tongue slipped between my lips and a small moan of approval wafted into the air. He smiled against my skin as he continued to flood my senses with his presence.

"Tony, we're just beginning our descent." Emmett's voice announced over the loud speaker.

Anthony growled and kissed me lightly one more time, then leaned over to pick up the phone. "Thank you, Emmett," he said with a case of heavy sarcasm. Emmett's laughter boomed through the phone. "How's the weather?" Anthony asked. He hung up the phone and smiled. "It's a little chilly tonight. I hope it's okay but I brought a wrap just in case."

As the wheels hit the tarmac Anthony stood and pulled a box from the overhead compartment. It was similar to the one that had contained the dress. "The wrap?" I asked with a smile.

He nodded. "The wrap."

"Should I be expecting anymore of these boxes?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to or not to be expecting. Please just enjoy what I have planned for tonight."

"Okay," I conceded, leaning into the warm, hard body that stood in front of me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tightly. His lips brushed across my forehead.

"Get a room," Emmett laughed from behind me.

"Stop it," a female voice chided.

I turned to see a strikingly beautiful woman emerge from behind the mountain of a man named Emmett. He used one arm to wrap her in an embrace and he kissed her hard, bending her over slightly. Her long blond locks flowing nearly to her rear. She giggled and pushed against his chest.

"There will be plenty of time for that later, Bear. Right now, I need to meet Bella." She stepped out of his arms and held out her hand. "Hi, Bella. I'm Rosalie. It's nice to meet you."

Our clasped hands moved slowly up and down, Anthony's hand moving at the same rhythm up and down the small of my back in a soothing motion.

"You have been the only thing this sonofabitch has been able to talk about since Valentine's Day." She laughed softly. "You should have seen his face when that guy said he was going to… Ow!" Her fingers moved over the place on her arm where Emmett had just pinched her. "Well, anyway, don't do anything I wouldn't do." And then the two of them departed out the door and into the night.

"She liked you," Anthony said while he gathered our things.

"You called."

"I call you a lot, Bella." His eyes avoided looking at me.

I grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. When our eyes met, his were full of pain. "It was you. On Valentine's Day."

"We met on Valentine's Day. I'll never…"

"Stop it, dammit!" I shook his arm as I squeezed. "Admit it. You called and Jacob told you…well, he insinuated…dammit. It was you."

He sighed heavily. "Yes. Come on, we're going to be late."

"I'm not done." I dug my heels in and refused to move.

"Please, Bella, once we're in the limo, I promise to beat this dead horse until you're finished. But I spent a lot of money on tickets for tonight's show and I don't want to be late." He took my hand in one of his and picked up our overnight bags in the other.

Neither of us said anything until the limo started to move and then I opened up the discussion again. "Was it you, Anthony?"

"Yes." He shifted next to me, the arm he had draped over the seat behind my shoulder rubbed the back of my neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He chuckled sourly. "Tell you what, love? I heard you moments before you made love to another man and that it ripped my heart out? I'm not the kind of man who likes to show his emotions."

I turned, folding my leg under me. "Anthony, I'm sorry." I gathered his hand in between mine and bent to kiss them. "So sorry."

"You had every right to sleep with Jacob. I was nothing more than some guy you'd met in a bar." His voice was thick and he cleared his throat before he started speaking again. "Look, I am not a man who has felt jealousy a lot. Like I've said before women were dispensible to me--until you. You changed everything. You caused the green-eyed monster to roar in fury."

I ran my fingers lightly over his eyes. "And what beautiful green eyes he has."

He smiled. "I've not felt that intense feeling in I don't even remember the last time I hated another man for having what I couldn't. Bella, I'm not some arrogant ass who only wants you because Jacob had you. I realize that I would feel that way if any man had you. I need to be that man, the one making love to you."

"What about your wife?"

"What about her?"

"Didn't you ever feel jealous of other men she…associated with?"

"There have been other men. She doesn't think I know, but there's been one in particular man who has set up house in my guest bedroom. And no, I haven't felt jealous of him once. There was only one other woman who caused me to feel anything like this. We lived together for a while and our neighbor…. It doesn't matter, Bella. What I'm telling you is that you're special. You're the one I want to spend forever with."

The limo slowed, then stopped and the door opened. The driver offered his hand and helped me out. We were standing in front of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas. Anthony straightened next to me and gave the driver a tip.

"I'll take care of everything, sir."

"Thank you," Anthony muttered, taking my hand. "If it's okay, we'll get something to eat after the performance."

"The performance?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are we seeing exactly?"

"Haven't you figured it out, my angel?" he purred.

"The Phantom?"

"Of course."

I wanted to squeal. It was one of my favorites. "And which one are you?"

"Which one do you want me to be?"

"Raoul gets the girl, but the Phantom is sexy."

"Can the Phantom get the girl?" He leaned down to growl in my ear.

"You've already got her." I stretched up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his jaw.

*******

The curtain closed and the lights came on. I felt like I had been on an emotional rollercoaster, which is what this particular musical always did to me. I wanted to cry for the poor phantom who only wanted someone to love him for who he was. No masks, no pretenses.

Kind of like my Anthony.

He was finally tired of running from who he truly was, a sensitive man aching to be adored. I would adore him for the rest of my life.

"Did you like it, Bella?" he whispered in my ear.

I wondered just how long I had been silently pondering the similarities of a deformed man to the beautifully perfect one next to me. My eyes sought out Anthony's. "Yes," I sighed, "I liked it very much. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He stood and so did I. "The limo driver took care of checking us in. We just have to go to the front and pick up our keys. Do you want room service or I was thinking we could go check out Wolfgang Puck's place? It's up to you."

"I'm tired. Let's just order in."

A smirk lifted his lip. "Sounds good to me."

As Anthony slid the card key in, the light changed to green and a soft click indicated the room as open. He opened the door and allowed me to enter first. On the table in the center of the room was a vase filled with red roses, each tied with a black ribbon. Next to the table was a roll away bed.

I glanced up at him questioningly and, with a shrug, he answered, "I didn't want to assume anything."

"Thank you," I whispered, walking over to admire the beautiful flowers. "They're gorgeous."

"They don't hold a candle to your beauty, Bella," he said from right behind me. His fingers gently moved my hair from my neck and his lips kissed the goosebumps from my flesh. He chuckled softly. "I love that I have that effect on you, love."

"Like you're surprised." I had been trying to be defiant, but ended up just whispering the response. I turned in to face him and his eyes were aflame with desire I felt, but didn't dare act on.

There was a war happening in my conscious. I had promised myself that I wouldn't be his mistress. There would be no lovemaking until he was free to be completely mine. But my entire body ached with the need to feel him inside me.

"Anthony…"

He loosened his grip and stepped back. "I know, Bella. Like I said, I don't expect anything." His hand motioned toward the tiny bed that was still folded in half.

"Thank you for understanding." I sighed and stepped into his body, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his chest. "I do want to make love with you, more than I've ever wanted anything in my life." He chuckled. "Soon, I promise, I'll be ready soon."

"And I'll be ready." His hips moved forward and I felt just how ready he was pressing into my stomach.

"I'm sorry," I groaned, wanting desperately to give the man I loved some relief from his torment.

"It's okay, love. I just want you to know that I'm willing and able to change our relationship as soon as you'll let me." He kissed the tender space just under my ear and whispered, "No pressure."

"Yeah," I laughed nervously, "no pressure."

"Why don't you get changed and then you can have the bed."

"Are you kidding?" I gawked at him. "I'm not letting you sleep on that…thing. You'll be uncomfortable as hell. You'll sleep with me."

He raised a brow as the same side of his lip lifted. "I get to sleep with you?"

"Only sleeping will take place in that bed tonight, Anthony."

*****

"Good morning, beautiful," Anthony's voice was warm and exactly what I wanted to wake up to every morning.

"It is good, isn't it?" I snuggled deeper into his arms and kissed the bare chest I'd been using as a pillow.

Anthony's arms tightened around me as his lips brushed the top of my head. "You up for a shower?" His tone gave me the impression that what didn't happen last night may still happen this morning--at least I hoped he would ignore my apprehensions from last night.

I propped my body up on my elbow and traced the defined lines of his chest. "I'd really like to a shower. You?"

His eyes widened in surprise as a small gasp escaped his lips. "You mean…together?" He breathed the question.

I nodded, bit my bottom lip and ran my finger down his chest, over his abs, only to have his hand wrap around mine as it slipped beneath the sheet. I giggled, unable to hide my amusement with his reaction.

He lifted my fingers to his lips, kissing them gently. "I promised not to push you, Bella, and I won't. When we make love, I want you to be completely comfortable with your decision."

"I…"

He kissed me in order to cut off my protests. "I love you, Isabella. I won't mess up the best thing I've ever had in my life."

"Don't you want…" I couldn't finish the sentence because I couldn't find the words.

His hand gently ran through my hair, gripping the back of my neck. The gorgeous emeralds burned as he stared into my eyes. "Would you like to know what I want?" He didn't wait for me to answer. "I want you. I love you. You are my present and my future. There has never been another woman I've wanted or loved more. And I want years and years to make love to you, years to fall deeper and deeper in love."

I kissed him quickly, then climbed out of bed and started toward the bathroom. I glanced over my shoulder at the beautiful man still laying on the bed and smiled. "I appreciate your chivalry, Anthony." My stomach was being assaulted by a flock of butterflies as my fingers lifted the hem of my tank top.

Anthony's sharp intake of breath caused me to smile. "Don't you know it's not nice to tease?" His was husky with desire.

"Who said I was teasing?" I asked as I slipped my thumbs beneath the waistband of my pajama bottoms and dipped them just enough to show off the top of my thong.

He growled, running fingers through his hair. "You'd better shower quick, sweetness," he threatened with a sexy grin on his face. "I'm going to check my voicemail, then I am getting in the shower--whether or not it's still occupied."

My only response was a giggle. I left the door wide open, tossing my clothing out into the room as the steam from the shower began to fill the room. The spray was hot, nearly scalding, as it ran over my skin. I grabbed the soap and made quick work of washing every inch before using the shampoo to clean my hair. I only had five minutes and cursed myself for not brushing my teeth.

I couldn't decide if making love with Anthony for the first time in the shower was the way I wanted it. It certainly wasn't how I'd imagined--or dreamed--it would happen. But I had set things into motion and if, when Anthony came in…. My whole body tingled with the anticipation of feelings Anthony's hands caresses.

It was strange how last night hadn't felt right, and that this morning there was nothing I wanted more. Was I a hypocrite for giving in before the divorce was final? Probably. I swallowed hard, trying to swallow the doubt that had started creeping into my thoughts. My mind was trying to talk me out of what every other part of me wanted.

Where is he? my thoughts grumbled. My toes had started to prune as had my fingers. Hell, that is so not sexy. I'd give him a few more minutes, then I'd go looking for him. What if he left? The question had barely been thought and my stomach clenched with the frightening possibility. He had said that he hadn't always been Prince Charming.

I turned off the water, wrapped a towel around myself and stepped toward the still open door. The room outside was perfectly still, completely silent. Panic was threatening to take over and I inhaled a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped out into the room.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed in only his boxers. Relief was the first emotion to strike, followed closely by a worried panic. His every muscle looked tense as he held his head in this hands. His knuckles were white as they clung to his phone.

"Anthony, what's wrong?" My feet nearly tripped over themselves as I ran over to him. I knelt on the floor next to him and wrapped my hands around the one holding the phone. Looking up into his devastated face, my heart broken into a million pieces.

"I'm sorry," he muttered without opening his eyes.

My heart was thudding so loudly in my ears it made it hard to hear anything else. "Why?" I breathed. "What's wrong? What happened?"

His eyes opened and the tiny pieces of my heart shattered even further at the tears that shimmered so close to the surface. "There's been a…death."

"Oh." I threw my arms around him in hopes of comforting some of this pain away. "I'm so sorry."

He peeled my arms from his neck and cleared his throat. "I'm the one who's sorry, Bella. We have to go now." He stood and crossed the room. "Please, hurry," he pleaded before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Tears stung my eyes, although I wasn't sure if it was because of his pain and loss or my own. How selfish is that? I thought as the first tear rolled down my cheek. I used the corner of my towel to wipe it away. Anthony needed me to be strong for him, not a blubbering idiot in a self-induced pity party. Swallowing my feelings, I quickly dressed, packed, and was sitting at the little table when he walked out fully dressed.

He attempted a smile and asked, "Are you ready?"

I nodded and stood.

"Let's go." He strode over, wrapped me in a hug and sighed into my hair. His hold tightened as if my being in his arms was the only thing keeping him together. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's fine, really. Let's get you home."

He kissed the top of my head, then my cheeks and finally my lips. There was a hunger there, a desperation. "I love you, Isabella. I will always love you. Always."