Chapter 3: Unorthodox Situations
(Edward)
My outburst seemed to break the dam of stunned silence. The sound of Bella's voice raising a couple of octaves higher than normal as she asked, "What exactly does that mean?" Emmett, being Emmett was all too happy to provide answers in near litany of perverse terms.
"Paddles, hair pulling, kneeling, ball gags, anal plugs…."
"Anal plugs….BEN!" Bella shrieked as her boss tried to calmly reassure her, his voice rising with each word to out-talk my idiot partner who never paused in his Wikipedia of BDSM terms.
"Handcuffs, ropes, canes, sensory deprivation, orgasm control…."
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers as I felt my blood pressure rise dangerously. Carlisle, ever the observant one, spoke calmly yet firmly rising above the chatter.
"Edward, I know this is unorthodox…."
The voices swirled like a tornado inside my head….Bella's fear, Emmett's humor (or attempt at it), Ben's comforting tone and Carlisle's voice of reason. I took a deep breath and centered myself before yelling.
"Everyone stop for a goddamn minute!"
Immediately, I was greeted with blessed silence. Internally, my psyche breathed a sigh of relief. I just needed to think this through for a moment. Carlisle opened his mouth to speak and I held up a hand, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Okay, both agencies agree that we are getting nowhere fast being on the outside." I was pleased that everyone agreed in silent nods.
"To get these bastards, we have to get on the inside and honestly, I can't see another way. Now, everyone please hold you're damn tongues and let Carlisle and Ben explain what the fuck they are getting us into. Carlisle, the floor is yours."
My boss seemed pleased that I was able to keep my temper, for once in my career. Inside, I was a cacophony of thoughts. Fear (although I would never admit it to anyone) of the dangers of going undercover again….the last time got me shot. The excitement of finally having an edge to bring these fuckers down once and for all and I'll be honest, curiosity of how in the hell we were going to pull this off. Okay…okay….my dick was feeling a little bit of lust thinking my boss was giving me open permission to bend this little spitfire over a chair and fuck her senseless. Sue me….I'm a guy, we think with the one-eyed trouser snake most of our lives.
"Thank you, Edward. As I was saying, I know this is an unorthodox and unprecedented idea. Ben and I feel that is what is needed to get the evidence we need to collar these guys. We realize that this is asking a lot of the two of you, but we both know that you both are the best we have and actually have a good chance of pulling this off." Carlisle spoke calmly and carefully.
Ben took the momentary pause to begin. "We realize this will be a very delicate operation. The utmost discretion will be used and the file will be sealed to anyone's eyes but Carlisle and me until the evidence needs to be presented at trial. At that time, only the bare essentials will be made available to the public, if at all. I have a confidential informant on the inside that is willing to train the two of you to make sure your undercover identities will be rock solid and every available safety has been put into place to protect you."
"Train us? In what exactly?" Bella asked, pulling her pouty bottom lip into her mouth and nibbling it nervously.
"The world of BDSM is a very intricate and somewhat twisted world. To most people, they imagine spankings, handcuffs and pain. While those have their own niches in that community, it is so much more than that. They have their own hierarchy and pecking order…their own mannerisms and rules that are followed to the letter or there are consequences." Carlisle said, his eyes bouncing between Bella and me to gauge our reactions.
Ben continued confidently, "We have secured a home for the both of you. You both will live here throughout the investigation, posing as a 24/7 dominant and his submissive. We've created the dossier of your past and present lives, read it…memorize it." He said as he passed Bella and me a thick folder.
"Wait a minute, live together? Ben…I mean…" Bella's leg bounced nervously.
"Bella, as we said before, this is unorthodox. We understand your trepidation, but the reach that the Volturi have is all encompassing. You can bet that you will be followed and watched as soon as we breech their circle. We can't even chance you both living one second outside these personas. I know we're asking a lot…but Bella, you and Edward are our last hope." Carlisle said as Ben nodded gravely.
"I'm going to go ahead and address the elephant in the room here….what will we have to do?" I asked hesitantly, both excited and dreading the answer.
Ben and Carlisle shared a pointed look and both took a deep breath before Ben spoke quietly, "Whatever it takes."
The intake of breath Bella and I shared echoed through the office as my gaze swung to her. I'm sure her wide eyed expression mirrored my own. Leave it to Emmett to break the dramatic moment.
"Damn, E, you're getting permission from your boss to get laid! Fucking lucky bastard! Will you at least give me play-by-play? Or pictures, videos? I'm not picky."
"Jesus, McCarthy! Rein it in please." Carlisle chuckled and it broke the tension of the room as we all laughed, mine sounded hollow and insincere.
"We'll need you both to go home and pack just the clothes that you feel comfortable in for everyday life at home. Everything else will be provided for you. You can bring books, IPods, and comfort items, but no computers or anything that could give away who you really are if it is compromised, and you can bet everything will be searched at one time or another. The Volturi brothers trust no one and they will have their minions checking out every avenue they can." Ben said, shaking his head at Emmett's "teenage boy mentality".
"Tonight, you both have some homework to do provided from our informant. A rule book, of sorts, of what it will mean to be a Dom/sub couple; our informant will be at the house at 9am tomorrow morning to begin your training. Guys, you have two weeks to become this infallible couple…I know it will be trying, but please listen to Jasper. Follow his instructions to the letter and it will give you all the ammunition you need to get on the inside." Carlisle said his voice a step above pleading.
"Ben, but what about Jake? I can't leave him to his own devices for who knows how long." Bella's whispered question forced a snort from my nose.
"Sorry, baby, I'm not into threesomes…unless you have a cute little girlfriend you want to introduce to our bed. I'm all for that." I said cockily and Emmett chortled.
"Jake is my dog, you fucking pig!" Bella's eyes alight with fury as I put my proverbial foot in my mouth.
Ben sighed at our exchange, beseeching Carlisle with a look before muttering "God, C are you sure this is going to work? They may kill each other before they get inside Aro's club."
Carlisle smiled knowingly and addressed Bella, "You're dog can come too, just make sure to remove any tags with your name on it, I'll have some made up with your undercover information. And Ben, it will be fine…trust me."
Carlisle walked around the desk and propped himself up between us. He handed both Bella and I key rings with three or four keys each on them. "Here are the keys to your new home, and the keys to your cars that you will be using during your time undercover. We thought it easier to remain the use of your first names, so Edward and Isabella will make it easier for you to remember and answer to. The rest of your information is in the file. Emmett is going to pose as your landscape architect. He will be redoing your entire landscape both in the front and the back yards. This will give him the excuse to stay close should we need back-up."
Emmett looked shocked, "Edward gets to play hide the sausage and I get to plant flowers and trees? This blows, Big C!"
