…'Meyer' made the mold…but we are all here to break it…lol…

Chapter 9

EDWARD TURNED the corner and pulled onto the Drag, heading through town towards his parent's house. There was no way to count the number of times he'd traveled these same roads, going to his fiends' houses or heading out on a Friday night to watch the football game and cruise the streets. He remembered how much he'd wanted to leave this small town and head for success and the big city. And that's just what he'd done. But Georgetown was changing. There were small suburbs know, and huge corporate chain stores were beginning to litter the outskirts of town.

People used to have to drive to Round Rock or even into Austin to get certain goods they couldn't get here. Not anymore. But there was still that part of town he grew up in and respected. The heart of his past. It still existed in a little shell, safe and practically untouched by age and change.

Picking up his cell, he dialed New York and waited for Jackson to answer.

"Sun Devils & Co., Jackson Lutz, Company Manager, speaking." Jackson's voice was raspy and low.

Damn he sounds exhausted.

He had obviously been putting in some overtime now that Edward was back home for a while.

"Hey man, it's me. How you hangin' in up there, bro?" Edward and Jackson had gone to the same business college together. After being teamed up for their sophomore class project, they had become strong fast friends, each having a great deal of respect for what the other was capable of doing.

Jackson was from the Northeast coast, Jersey City, NJ, and was one tough mother fucker. There couldn't be a more perfect partner for running two existing restaurants and the beginnings of a third.

"Same old thing man, except I haven't slept for more than three hours during any given night since your dad's heart attack. The restaurants are hoppin' though." You could hear Jackson yawn through the phone.

"But what could I do? Let your mom take care of everything by herself? You just tell her that if she could find any spare time to make me a batch of those banana coconut brownies, I would do anything she asked me to do for the rest of my life!" He chuckled but then remembered something.

"No seriously, man. Your girlfriend, if that's what you are still calling her, is making life very difficult around here. It seems that while you are away Victoria Denali comes out to play…if you get my drift. She's been showing up at The Blue Sage and Brazil every night with a least five to ten guests, and she expects the staff to obey her demands immediately, no matter how busy they already are. Some of the waiters and one bartender have threatened to quit because of this, already." Jackson let out his breath slowly, continuing, "I hate to say it, bro, but you need to get rid of her ass now. She's bringing bad news for Sun Devils & Co. We can't let a…pardon my French… 'little pussy'… get in the way of all our hard work, can we?"

Jackson looked up as he sat in his chair and waited for Edward's response, waiving briefly as their Assistant Manager-slash-Staff Captain, Nikki Greene, walked in to his office.

There were two words for her: Stunning and Warrior.

Damn broad looks too good for her own good today.

Nikki had worked for Sun Devils & Co. for six years now and literally did all the ugly work. She performed all the hiring interviews and oversaw weekly schedules as well as all the front-of-house ordering. The entire wait-staff loved her.

She waved the invoices in his face and motioned for him to start signing then now.

Jackson gave her a mock glare and couldn't help glancing down at her ass as she turned around and left to room.

He shook his head back and forth, trying to remember what he was doing.

Ah yes…Ms. Denali…

Dead silence met him on the other end of the line still.

Edward was furious. How could she think that she was that important to him, or was she just so spoiled that she thought she could do whatever whenever. Fuck. He had never felt this threatened and protective at the same time. They were talking about his dream, his baby.

Barely containing his fury, Edward said harshly, "Damn it! I knew I'd put it off for too long! Man, Jackson, I'm sorry, bro. I've wanted to call it quits with her for a long time, but I've been so busy with my family that I just put it in the back of my head instead. I'll take over on that situation immediately."

"Edward man, the bitch is like a walking and talking time bomb just waiting to spew open with lies and destruction. All fun and games to her, I'm sure. You need to break it with her now. Okay?" Jackson knew his buddy wouldn't let all their hard work go down the drain. Nothing could jeopardize any of that now.

"I'm on it, bro!" Edward pulled onto his parent's street and headed down towards the end of their cul-de-sac.

"Cool…I know you'll take care of it. Anyway, is everything good on your end? I imagine you're going a bit stir crazy back home, eh?" Jackson stretched his legs over the ottoman near his custom made desk and relaxed some. "I'll send you a care package, packed with smut and slut. My treat." Jackson snorted, knowing what his friend's reaction would be before he did.

"You fucking do that and I will kill you…" Edward smiled a bit at the thought of looking at those magazines and comparing them to Bella's lush curves. No comparison.! He wanted absolutely no distractions from her.

Pulling into the driveway, Edward drove the short distance around the house to the back where the guest house was located.

Turning off the engine, he said, "I'm really not having such a bad time down here after all. There is plenty to catch my interests. And besides, I don't want my mother finding that kind of stuff around. I am sure she would sniff it out in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah, right! I won't do that to you." Jackson laughed. "So just what, or should I ask who is interesting down there?" He rubbed his tired eyes. If Jackson knew his friend, there was always a woman involved. "Look, Edward…I think you need to be focusing on the current situation rather than getting involved with the next one, don't you? Man, you're unbelievable!" he said shaking his hand at the ceiling. "How do you do it? Must be that small-town charm of yours." Jackson hadn't had sex in months and Edward could barely get rid of one before starting with another

"I ran into an old friend, is all. A very interesting old friend. But look, dude. I'm not going to let Victoria do anything. So don't worry. Now leave me alone so I can fix all your problems…" Edward said sarcastically "…You're always making me clean up after your messes." he joked, trying to put his friend at ease. "Look, I'll let you go, and remember, don't flirt with the hostesses any more, Jackson. You're a grown man. Get a real date."

With that, Edward punched end on his phone and opened the door. Hoping out, he got his board and equipment and headed to the garage where he stored his gear. He parent's still made room for his stuff after all these years. Going to the front door of the guest house, he opened it, walking inside and across to the kitchen counter and emptied all his personal items from the pockets of his board shorts into a bowl. He couldn't stop thinking about Bella and how she had played along with him, and even kissed him. He could still feel those soft little kisses and the feel of her hands on his bare chest. His head spun at the memory. This thing he had started with her was going to kill him most likely. Or he would end up attacking her and taking her in sheer desperation. Her breasts had pressed against his chest, firm and soft. He could feel their peaks through the thin fabric of her bikini top. He'd wanted to strip it off her and ravish her right there. God help him! He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such a powerful need to have a woman, such an agonizing urge to pleasure her and tease her severely for tormenting him so much.

Shaking his head, Edward tried to focus on his unpleasant task. Phone still in hand, he punched in her speed dial…why did he ever have her on speed dial?…wishing to God that this would be easy because he had more local matters to attend to.

It rang once…twice…three times. No answer. Damn. He'd have to leave a 'Dear Jane' message.

At the sound of the beep…he began, "Hey, look, Victoria…it's Edward…"

xxCSxx

"NOT THAT dress, Mom! It makes you look like you are 50 years old or something!" June said irritably. She sat in her mother's lounge chair, munching on some cherry tomatoes and critiquing everything her mother had to wear.

Tossing the dress on the bed, Bella looked at her empty closet. She had already tried on every outfit possible and there was absolutely nothing left. She never had anything to wear…hence, her now empty closet.

Bella looked at the clock on her dresser.

Christ, it's almost six o'clock! Where had the day gone?

She had exactly one hour to get over to the diner.

After Bella left the beach she had come straight home to load her work into her Jeep and take it over to Sam's. When she'd arrived, no one had prepared any of the wall space for her stuff to be hung. She'd had to take everything down and clean and repair a few spots before she could begin to arrange her pieces across the walls. By the time she had finished it was late afternoon and time to get the girls.

"Knock, knock. I brought you some clothes to look at and hopefully wear," Tanya said as she peaked around Bella's bedroom door.

Ohthankfuck…

"Yes!"Bella ran over to her friend, animated and relieved, and grabbed the clothing like her life depended on it, all the while June observed her mother's behavior in a silent-but-deadly-judgmental stare. Pretending to be disgusted as Bella held the clothing up to her frame in the standing mirror intently critiquing her choices, June hoped off her perch and planted a big kiss on Tanya's cheek.

June looked at Tanya and said, "I'm out of here. It's your turn anyway to help Mama get ready. Last time I had to do it and I missed my favorite TV show, the Voice." As June turned to run out the bedroom door, Bella raised her voice a bit, and said, "Hold it. Hold your horses a minute, June-bug. Before you can go off lounging, I need you to do what I asked you to do once before already…clean up your room, please…five minutes is all it will take."

"Alright, alright, alright…" June stomped off to her room, loudly shutting the door but not enough to be considered an official slam. Bella rolled her eyes as she threw down the clothing on top of her lush, antique bed; except for the strapless summer-white dress with accompanying pinstriped denim jacket, tailored to fit.

Tanya went to sit on the bay window, grabbing a pillow and settling in to watch, and help if need-be, her friend get ready for the showing. "So, girl…tell me. Do you think loverboy will come tonight? Not much goes on in this town and remember how many people came to the last one? You never know who's gonna be there!" Her eyes were twinkling with mischief at her friend as she reached into a carryall and pulled out a few choices of shoes. "But look…here are some shoe choices for you. Personally I like the red heels with the white and denim combo. But pick whatever you like!" She held out the beautiful shoes suggestively.

Grabbing them up, Bella blew her disheveled hair out of her face, saying pointedly, "I told you what I said to him! He had better not show up if he knows what's good for him…" and headed back to the mirror, thinking the red heels were too flashy for a featured artist to wear to her showing. She needed something more respectable and solid. "…and I think the red's too much. I need something else. What 'cha got in the bag that's not so hypnotic?" At that, Tanya tried to hide the bag behind her legs. But Bella had already seen it and held out her hand.

Dropping her chin to her chest and pouting her lower lip, Tanya reached down and produced the bag to her friend's outstretched hand. "You spoil everything."

She watched as her friend took out a dark brown pair of high heeled leather boots, then continued in a defeated tone, "I have no choice but to put a pretend spell on you…" Raising her hands above her head in a hypnotic rhythm, Tanya, pretending to be in a higher state of mind, cleared her throat and continued "…the next time you see Edward Kiss-me-Cullen…you will lose control of yourself and attack him for wild animal sex…" At that, Tanya reached over and pinched a bit of Bella's face powder from its container and flicked some at Bella's face and said, "Poof!"

Tanya and Bella both stopped and stared at each other, thinking on that image, then they both broke down laughing. She and Bella had always been able to tease each other when it came to the other's personal life. But Tanya's spell sounded more like a warning to Bella's ears. Dusting the falling powder off the boots, Bella scoffed lightly at her friend, saying, "Yah, like I would ever be so brave as to pull that one off. Besides, he is used to that sort of women, I think. So, I'm sure he would be oblivious to my 'wow' factor, so to speak."

"Girl, you don't know and won't know until you try it…" Flopping back against the pillows, Tanya sighed as if thinking of someone in her past, remembering and biting her lip.

Going over to her sink area, Bella sat down on her cushioned bench and began to apply her make-up in the usual manner. A little face powder, eye-liner with shadow, mascara, blush and lip gloss. Except this time she chose the darker colors for a little more dramatic effect. Her brown eyes looked so dark, almost black, when she finished.

Next, she grabbed her curling iron and proceeded to give her wavy brown locks larger softer curls, leaving them hanging loose down her shoulders and back. As she primped she heard Tanya's cell phone buzzing to the tunes of Alicia Keys.

Another handsome hunk, no doubt.

She wished she could have even one-tenth of the attention Tanya got from the opposite sex.

Tanya jolted out of her memory, sitting up and grabbing her phone, examining the number coming in. Smiling wide, she glanced sideways at her friend and winked.

And Bella was amazed, yet once again, as she was witness to the transformation of best friend Tanya into Sexy Tanya the goddess. Talk about inferiority complex.

Finished with herself at the mirror, Bella moved back to her bed to get dressed, listening as her friend answered her call as she reached for the dress.

Tanya pressed a button on her phone and flung her hair behind her shoulder, "Hey there, baby…" She practically breathed sexy into her voice. Whoever was on the other end had to be jizzing in his pants right now.

Now there's a vision for you.

Gross.

a/n…thank you thank you all for reading and reviewing…and let me know what you think about these new characters, too…i wonder just what is going to happen next…*grins knowingly*…xxx jess