A/N: Hey all - I'm so sorry it took longer than normal to post this chapter. Unfortunately RL stepped in the last couple weeks and kicked my ass. Subsequently, stuff at the job has picked up dramatically since my return to the living and I'm going to have to adjust my posting schedule. I will still continue to try and post on a weekly basis, but it may be as much as two weeks before you see a new chapter. I love giving you updates quickly, but I want you to get the best of me and I don't want to rush through it just so I can continue to post weekly. Soooo, please forgive me!

As always I want to give a big shout out to my wonderful betas whom I love and adore.

casket4mytears, I LOVE you. That is all. She has two fic's she updates on a regular basis and they are both fucking awesome. check them out you wont regret it: Tattoos Like Mile Markers - http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5263510/1/Tattoos_Like_Mile_Markers and Deliratio - http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5196172/1/Deliratio

bbwraven, I adore you and i truely DO love your ledges. They give me inspiration. Her fic Awakening is FANTASTIC! Please read it. You will laugh, you will cry and you will get completely sucked in. Awakening: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5366276/1/Awakening

Disclaimer: S. Meyers owns all things Twilight, even Edward...dammit

Winning it all -ain't gonna walk away

Giving it all - no matter what you say

Ain't gonna fall - don't wanna lose today

Winning it All~Outfield

EPOV

"Dude, you really got her to agree to a date?" Emmett was literally rubbing his hands together in anticipation over the progress that I had made with Bella. He seriously thought I was a lost cause when it came to her. Little did he know that I saw much more in Bella than everyone else did. I guess when you're feeling that magnetic pull from someone, it's easier to see when something returned.

"No Emmett, I got her to agree to the bet which is going to win me the date. And let there be no doubt, I'll win; pool is totally my 'thing.'" Emmett looked and me and snorted. "What? It is..." I tipped my near empty beer bottle at him and continued, "Remember back in college when we went over to Styx and played all the time? That's nothing compared to now."

"If you say so bro! All I know is Rose is totally pumped up about Friday night, so I hope nothing goes wrong."

"Nah, I got this in the bag." I slapped him on the back and tipped back my beer downing the rest of it. "Say, why don't you go over to the bar and get us another round? It's on me." I said, throwing him a twenty. "I feel like celebrating."

Emmett made his way over to the bar and ordered our drinks. It was pretty busy in here for a Tuesday afternoon. I kept glancing around hoping for a peek at Bella, even though I knew she stayed cooped up in her office most of the time. I glanced back toward the bar and found Jacob glaring at me. I tipped my head back and nodded at him; a friendly hello never hurt, right? When he shot me the finger a broad smile grew on my face. I didn't know what kind of beef this guy had with me, but I could only assume it was Bella. He must be feeling pretty threatened for me to be eliciting this kind of response from him. Personally, I figured a little friendly competition never hurt, as it kept one on their toes; at least, it did for me.

Emmett returned to the tables with the drinks and handed one to me.

"Say, whatever happened with him? Was he really sick or what?" I asked, gesturing toward Jacob.

"He told Bella he got food poisoning and forgot to call. Supposedly, he was in his room all day and night getting sick. Unfortunately for him, Rose is not as forgiving as Bella. He managed to cover the rest of the shifts at Jam Fest, but Rose decided he needed to be knocked back a couple feet. Said he was getting too big for his britches and was expecting to just jump right back in with no repercussions. That's why you see him here this afternoon. She's making him work the afternoon shift and gave the evening shift to Mike to work."

"Oh, that's a bad blow - pretty insulting if you ask me. Was he pissed?"

Oh, I'll say, but Rose said he just gritted his teeth and took it. It was after she left the room that he got really mad. He stormed out of the bar yesterday pissed, but he seems okay now. He'll get over it, do his time and be back in their good graces before you know it; Jake's a charmer, especially with the ladies."

**********

I got into work earlier than usual the next morning, still pumped up over my victory and the almost date with Bella. I was hoping to do some voice-overs that had not gone so well the day before. When I walked into the booth, Jessica was sitting there writing notes on a piece of paper. She looked up with a smile on her face, all bright and cheery as usual. I really liked Jessica; she was always on the ball and ready to try anything new without complaint. Her attitude was infectious, and she was always in a good mood. We got along great. It was the perfect working relationship.

"Hey Edward! You're here early today."

"Hi Jess, I wanted to do some voice-over work on the clips we were recording yesterday. I don't like the way they turned out. Since you're here, you wanna work on them with me, or did you have something else you needed to work on?" I inquired.

"Oh, that would be great Edward; I was just making some notes for this mornings show but I'm about done. We can work on the clips. Which ones did you want to redo? I really liked the Rhianna one."

"You did, because I was not real fond of it. I thought I was talking way too fast. Are you sure?"

"Yes, but if you feel better redoing it, then redo it."

"I think I will...Let me cue up the music."

I toggled the board and selected the right track off the computer. Once I had my headphones on and my cheat sheet in front of me I started the music for the clip and pressed record.

'Don't forget, we have Rhianna in studio this week singing her new single, 'Russian Roulette." She also has a special announcements for her fans, so be sure to tuned in Thursday morning so you don't miss out!'

I pressed the end record button and played it back. It was better. At least I didn't sound like I was steamrolling through it this time.

"Not bad, I think I'll keep it. Let's do the others."

Jess and I ran through the Jay-Z Promo and then did a general one together for our morning show. Later I'd listen to some random clips of us talking and have our producer Ben throw some funny intros together for us to use for our morning show. We had been on the air long enough together now that we had some decent material to finally use, which was good because I was getting really tired of the lame ass commercials they were using.

"You know Edward, you have a really great voice for stuff like this. I'm surprised you don't do more of it on the side. You could make a killing, you know."

"Believe it or not, I actually thought about it. I even tried it for a stint right out of college but I really wanted to be on the radio, so when the opportunity came up in Portland, I jumped. Now with all the stuff I have going on here and our sister station, I couldn't imagine leaving this profession. It's what I'm good at and what I love."

I took off my headphones and moved over to my chair to get ready for the show. For the first time in my life, I was wishing it would just hurry up and be over with. I could not wait until Friday. I was putting my notes in order when Jessica interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey Edward, I was thinking..." she said, looking unsure.

I looked up at her and oh no... I knew that look. Please don't say it, please don't say it...

"Maybe Friday, we could go grab a drink after work?"

Shit! She said it... Why was it, when I finally found a compatible female co-worker that I showed no interest in, she had to go and screw it up by wanting more? At least she had asked me about Friday and I had a good excuse to turn her down. I mentally gritted my teeth and turned toward her.

"That sounds great Jess, but I have plans Friday night," I said.

"Oh! okay maybe some other time then?" she said, a little too cheerfully.

Crap, I had hurt her feelings.

"Um, yeah sure. Maybe some other time." Boy, this was awkward.

"Are you going to do anything fun?" she asked.

My God! The girl was not going to give up, was she? Okay. I'd just tell her and get it out of the way, because I really needed to get things back on target with Jess.

"Actually, Bella and I are going with Emmett, Jasper and the girls to play pool." Hopefully the Bella part had thrown her off track, and she would take the subtle hint.

"Oh, I didn't know you and Bella were an item. She's such a sweet girl, all homey and such. I bet she cooks really good."

"Bella and I just started dating, so I really wouldn't know how she cooks yet, and I would hardly call her homey." Now she was getting on my nerves. Insult me if you want, but that was a low blow for Bella. What was wrong with Jessica?

"I'm sorry Edward! I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that she seemed so sweet and nice, like someone who would take care of you. I'm sorry it came out the way it did."

Yeah, sure it sounded like she was sorry. It seemed that there was more to Jessica than I realized. She seemed to have her claws out for Bella, and I could only assume she was trying to discredit her out of jealousy. Whatever... Jessica was no match for Bella; I'd pick Bella hands down over Jess any day.

"Are you ready to go on the air? It's time," I said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, always... Edward? I really am sorry, I didn't mean to insult Bella. Are we okay? I'd hate for my big mouth to ruin our friendship."

"We're good Jess, no worries!" I said, flashing her a smile. Yeah right... I was keeping my eye on her.

**********

BPOV

It was hard to believe Friday was already here. The week had flown by in a rush, probably because we had been so busy. On Monday, I'd posted my first official blog on the bar's new blogging site. It was just an introduction to the facility and the people who ran it, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment in completing the task. Earlier last week we had sent out a mass email to patrons who filled out the notification sheet for when the site was up and running. In the first day we gained 50 followers, and I became a nervous mess. Between my upcoming 'tournament' with Edward and the pressure to produce material good enough to post, it was enough to send me to the funny farm.

I'd decided earlier in the day that if I were going down - even if it were by my own hand - I was going down looking good. Alice and I had gone shopping earlier in the week and I bought something I had never worn in my entire life: a blue jean miniskirt. Alice of course had to talk me into even trying it on, but once I did I was actually rather impressed with myself. Tonight I was going to pair it with a black ruffled halter top that had a tie back neck and my black chucks. If anything, I would at least drive Edward crazy while I tortured him with his silly bet. I did my hair in loose curls, brushed on some light makeup, tousled my hands through my hair and was ready to go.

I walked out of the bathroom and into the living room where Rose was waiting.

"Oh, Bella you really are out to torture him, aren't you?"

I looked at Rose and grinned, "You told me to make him work for it, so I figured, why not? Besides, I've never worn a jean skirt before, and it makes me feel younger, sexy. I think I'm really going to enjoy making Edward work for his date."

"Emmett said he's really pumped up about tonight; Edward thinks he's already won. I swear I couldn't get Emm to quit laughing for five minutes to even tell me that. I really think he's looking forward to someone finally showing his brother up and it's just perfect that it's you. Poor Edward won't know what hit him. When he sees how good you are at pool, he's going to be praying to God that you screw something up."

"Rose, if this night goes half as well as I think it well..." I just grinned, despite the fact that I had fought tooth and nail against my feelings for Edward, I really waslooking forward to seeing him, hearing his voice, actually spending some unrestricted time with him where I wasn't trying my damnedest to ignore him or pretend he didn't exist. "So, is Alice ready? Like I should even be asking a question like that: of course she's not ready."

"I'm here, I'm ready! OH! Damn Bella, you're gonna have him on his knees."

I just looked at Alice and grinned.

"Are you two ready to go? I'm ready to make Edward squirm."

**********

We walked into Rack Em' and I glanced around the room looking for the guys. I found them tucked into the back corner of the room, sitting around a high round table laughing and drinking a round of beer. I had to stop myself from staring, he looked absolutely delicious and I just wanted to drag him home now and have my way with him. The things I wanted to do with that man and his tight grey shirt, and that hair...damn, I wanted my hands in it.

"Bella...BELLA!" Alice practically yelled at me.

"Damn Alice! You don't have to yell."

"Apparently I do, You were zoned, and if you keep acting like that, he's gonna have you beat in five minutes."

"Shit!" I shook my head as if to clear it and laughed. "I just couldn't help it. I mean, look at him, just sitting back looking the way he does, drinking a beer...I just find it hard to believe that he wants me."

"Believe it, Bella, you're a catch." Alice wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Now, come on, the guys see us."

We made our way over to the pool table where the guys were waiting for us, Edward stood and walked toward me as we got near.

"Hello, Bella". Edward grinned at me, took my hand and kissed it. Inside I melted; this man turned me to me to putty. Outside, I put on my front. I pulled my hand back when he was finished.

"Edward, I see you're already trying to wiggle your way onto my good side. But I can assure you it won't work," I said with a smirk on my face. "I hope you're ready to be schooled."

"Ah, see there's where you're wrong, Bella dear. I'm here to win a bet, get my date and make you fall madly in love with me." The grin on his face as he said this was priceless. It was all smart ass and I loved it!

"Ha! I hope you're prepared for disappointment. You ready to play?"

"More than ready, bring it!" he said, confidently.

"Would you like to rack or shall I?" I gestured my hand toward where the cue rack was hanging.

"By all means, ladies' choice."

"Okay then; I'll rack, you break."

The first game went by quickly, and surprisingly, we were pretty evenly matched. Neither one of us showed any outward sign that we played other than for fun. I sunk the eight ball with a triumphant grin on my face, winning the first match.

By the time we got to the second game, I sunk two balls when I broke, one solid and one stripe, allowing me to choose what I wanted to play. I selected solids and proceeded to sink two more balls before it was Edward's turn again. He shot the 9 ball in and his cue hit the rail just hard enough to line up a perfect corner shot for the 15 ball. He pulled back the butt of the cue lightly and as smooth as silk tapped the cue ball into the 15 sinking it perfectly. He looked up at me, still bent over the table and smirked. It was then that I knew I was in trouble. He was playing me; Edward knew exactly what he was doing, just the same as I did.

Edward lined up his next shot, putting just a touch of English on the cue ball so it bounced in just the right direction, hit the rail and sank the 11 ball in the corner pocket.

"Okay, Edward...I think we aren't communicating well here. Spill: when and where did you play?"

"Why Bella, I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with a sarcastic grin.

"Okay, if that's the way you want to play, I'm game. You're on buddy - no holding back anymore."

"Anymore? You were holding back?" He said this with a laugh. "How about a little side bet, Bella?"

I cocked my eyebrow at him, "What are the terms?"

"I win, and not only do you go out on a date with me, but you play and sing for me."

Fuck! Was I willing to do this? I had already resigned myself the fact that Edward and I were in fact insanely attracted to one another. In my mind, I was already on a date with him. I had never played in front of anyone but my family and my closest friends; could I do this for him? Hell Bella, give it up...you already have.

"Okay, Edward, you're on."

Alice and Rose both looked at me with their mouths hanging open. Clearly in shock. Emmett turned his head sharply toward Edward with a shocked expression on his face, clearly stating that he had no idea what to make of anything. Jasper just leaned back up against the wall with a slight smile on his face, taking it all in. If I didn't know better, I would say he was vastly enjoying himself.

Edward missed his next shot and I lined up the cue ball and sank my next two. When Edward was up again, I'll be damned if he didn't run the table and win the second game. Damn, he was good.

"It's shot time everyone, I just ordered a round of Patron for us all. You two take a break from the game for a bit."

"Shit Rose," I whispered. "You know what tequila does to me? The last think I need is to be acting like a fool that can't keep her hands of Edward, in front of everyone."

"Oh, it's just one shot Bella, and the worst it will do is help you."

She gave me an evil smile and shoved me back toward Edward. I turned toward him, glanced over his shoulder and saw the one person I did NOT want to deal with tonight coming our way with her fake smile and vomit inducing personality.

"Edward! I didn't know you came here. I was just over there with a couple of my girls when I saw you, and I thought I would come over and say hello to everyone." She turned toward me and raised her eyebrows assessing me. "Bella, how are you?"

"Jessica, it's good to see you again. I'm doing well, thank you."

Surprisingly, Edward looked a little peeved that Jessica had come over. It made me wonder if he, too, saw what we did. Inside I smiled, thinking to myself that I could have a little fun with this... if Edward was game. I walked up beside him and put my arm around his waist and hooked my other hand over his shoulder. Instinctively, like he knew exactly what my game was, his hand skimmed along my bare back, under my shirt and settled on my waist. I shivered at his touch. I could really be shooting myself in the foot, playing like this.

Just then, I saw the waitress coming over with a tray full of shots. I looked up at Edward and gave him a smirk. Looking back at Jessica I said, "Jessica, we were all just about to take tequila shots. Would you care to join us?" Edward and I were just at a turning point in our 'relationship' so to speak, not that we were an item-yet, but I'd be damned if this twit of a woman was going to sweep in here with all her fakeness and even attempt to take Edward from me. Not at this point anyway... He was mine to choose to turn down and she was NOT interfering.

"Really, Bella? I'd love to join you."

"Fantastic! Let's get these shots passed out then."

"Hey, Bells, she can have mine, I'll have the waitress bring me another," Jazz said with a grin, like he knew what I was doing.

"That's so sweet of you..." Jessica said.

"Jasper Hale, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you. Edward speaks highly of you." Jasper said, being the gentleman that he was.

"Oh, you're too sweet" she said waving her hand at him.

I was going to vomit soon if we didn't get a move on. "Edward," I said. "Would you mind taking your shot last? I need you to do something for me."

"Sure Bella, what do you need me to do?"

I licked my wrist and sprinkled some salt on it, grabbed my shot glass with one hand and picked up the lime with the other. "Could you hold this for me?" I asked holding out my lime. He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Right here, Edward." I held the lime up to his mouth, cocked my eyebrow at him and smiled; he opened his mouth and placed the lime between his teeth. I dared to glance at Jessica and the look on her face was priceless. She was seething under her cool exterior; her eyes said it all.

I licked my wrist and tossed back my shot. Reaching up, I pulled Edward's mouth to mine, biting the lime between my teeth, juice dripping down my chin and onto my neck. Edward released the lime and pulled it from my mouth; I licked my lips, lapping up the rest of the lime juice. The look in Edward's eyes was smoldering and I was on fire.

"It's my turn now Bella." He reached over and grabbed the salt and then placed his hand around the back of my neck pulling me back to him. Brushing my hair back over my shoulder he leaned in and lightly grazed my neck with his teeth and kissed me. He bent his mouth toward my ear and whispered, "Turnabout's fair play Bella. Are you ready?"

He leaned back and looked in my eyes. I gave him a silent nod. My heart was pounding, my core was starting to make demands of my body and I was at that point a very willing participant. I could feel his breath on my neck as he started placing open mouth kisses on my neck and when his tongue made contact, lapping at me, I actually moaned out loud. He lifted his head and sprinkled the salt on my neck. "Are you ready Bella?"

With one final lap of his tongue that ended way too soon, he slowly licked my skin clean of the salt. When he pulled back, he had a feral look in his eyes. Taking the shot glass and the lime, he threw back the shot and squeezed the lime over my neck licking up the juices with his mouth, his tongue making tiny circles on my skin. I was going to die. With one final kiss to my neck he took a bar napkin and wiped up any juice he had missed.

"You taste fantastic Bella, thank you."

Ugh, I was being slowly tortured by the Gods of dating.

I dared a glance in Jessica's direction, and her mouth was hanging wide open. Mission accomplished. "Any time, Edward."

"Well, thank for the shot you guys, but I think I need to head back over to the girls. They're probably wondering why I'm taking so long."

"Sure," Edward said. "Thanks for joining us Jessica." He gave her a little wave and turned back to me. "Now, where were we?"

"We were about to start game three, and it's your turn to break"

I racked the balls and positioned them on the table. Rather than standing at the side like I had been, I went to the front of the table and leaned over, staring at Edward as he pulled his cue back to break the balls. He looked up at me, pushed the cue forward over his bridge and completely flubbed the break.

"Edward? What happened?"

"You know exactly what happened, Bella."

Edward walked up behind me, brushing his cheek along my ear. "You're a vixen, you know that?"

I intook a sharp breath, pulled away from him and grabbed my cue. I walked back to the other end of the table and shot the cue ball into the crowd of balls, sinking a stripe. I sank three more stripes in a row and then missed the next shot. I would have to start missing balls from here on out so Edward could win the game.

Edward stepped up to the table and looked up at me. "I'm going to clear this table, and then we're going to talk."

What a cocky son-of-a-bitch! "You're quite sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Actually, yes." I stood there and watched Edward clear the entire table of solids. When he only had the 8 ball left to sink to win the game, he looked back up at me. "A kiss for luck, Bella?"

"Kiss this," I said, raising my hand and giving him the bird. He threw back his head and laughed.

"I do love your sense of humor, Bella."

Edward leaned over the table to take his final shot. I walked up behind him, ran my hand up the back of his leg and over his ass. He sucked in his breath and turned his head to look at me.

"That's cheating, Bella."

"Turnabout's fair play, Edward"

I could hear the deep breaths he was taking as he concentrated on lining up the cue with the ball. Effortlessly he pulled back on the stick and sunk the 8 ball. He turned to me and grinned. "So Bella, pick your poison: chicken or steak? I'm cooking you dinner next Friday."

"I have to work next Friday, Edward"

"No you don't Bella, your schedule's clear," Rose chimed in.

Fuck! That was almost too easy for him. "Steak, Edward: I like steak."

What did you think? Want more ExB loving? Let me know!

Mwah~MB