Yikes. Some of you are very distraught over Charlotte, lol. I don't know what to think about it...

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope FFn gets their shit together soon and stops cockblocking people from being able to read and review!

3

Peter explains to the group how to safely escape being strangled, then shows us how to execute it by using a volunteer. I can feel Cullen's eyes on me, but I refuse to look over until I have to.

When it's time to try it out ourselves, I turn to him.

"I'll go first," I tell Cullen, giving him a sarcastic smile.

"Can't blame you for wanting to strangle me," he mutters, in a less playful mood now.

We stand close, and I reach up to wrap my hands around his neck. I apply gentle pressure, and his Adam's apple bobs under my thumbs.

He stares down at me, but he brings both of his hands up to cup my wrists, the way Peter explained.

I squeeze a little harder.

Cullen smiles somberly. "You can hurt me. It's fine."

"Shut up," I say softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"No? I deserve it."

I shake my head, and he raises one arm and brings it down across my forearms, sufficiently breaking the hold.

When it's my turn to have his hands on my neck, my chest heaves, but he doesn't add any pressure at all.

"You can hurt me," I say, repeating his words, hoping for a little snark to return between us because I apparently made it awkward by bringing up his girlfriend.

He just shakes his head, licking his lips. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Bella," he admits, and it feels like he's talking about something else.

I use the technique to disengage his hands from my body, even though it's the opposite of what I want to do.

"We have one more de-escalation skill to practice," Peter tells the group, "then we'll test you all on what we've learned today. The last skill will be how to remove yourself from being grabbed from behind. For that, you will use the lever method." He glances around. "This one is a bit involved—can I get another volunteer?" No one speaks up, so he narrows in on me. "Could I use you for a second?"

I point to myself. "Me?"

"Yes."

"It's not really considered a volunteer if you ask someone," Cullen quietly snarks. "I'll volunteer," he says louder, offering himself up instead of me.

"It's okay. It will be better to show this on someone who's smaller than I am," Peter explains.

I swear I hear Cullen nearly growl before I make my way to the middle of the room.

"So, the lever method will involve momentum and movement. Stand in front of me, but turn away," he instructs. When I do, I'm facing in Cullen's direction, his eyes never leaving me. "You'll come up behind your partner and wrap your arms around their waist. Make sure their hands are by their side, so they don't have use of their arms."

Peter's body is behind me, then, and he tightly wraps his arms around me.

I can feel the heat of Cullen's gaze from across the room.

"Try to move," Peter tells me. I squirm a little but can't get away, and some people laugh. "Great, so now… sorry, what's your name?"

"Bella."

"Should have asked her name before you got all up on her," Emmett hollers out, earning another laugh from some folks.

Cullen doesn't laugh. I know, because I'm only watching him.

"Apologies," Peter says, staying professional. "Bella, what you're going to do is try to bring your hands up and wrap them around my wrists. One above my wrist and one below." I try to do what he tells me to, but it's difficult. "I'd loosen my grip, but challenging you will only help you in the long run."

Cullen coughs, but his face stays impassive.

I can't look at him anymore.

I fight against Peter, squirming enough that I'm finally able to get my hands on his wrists.

"Great. Always make sure you're in a supportive stance—your legs wide and knees bent a little."

I do that, too, which only brings the lower half of my body closer to his.

The movement of Cullen removing his hat and fisting his hair catches my eye.

"Wonderful, you're doing great, Bella. Now that your posture is balanced, and you have a grip on my wrists, you can push to break them away. Once I release you, you'll pivot and rotate away from me."

We do exactly that, and everyone claps at my success. If Peter wasn't here trying to cultivate a positive workplace, I'd flip them all off. Instead, he holds up his hand for a high-five. I smack our palms together to not leave him hanging, but it probably looks as awkward as it feels.

"All right, everybody. Let's see you all practice it now."

I make my way back over to Cullen.

"What?" I ask.

His jaw tenses. "Nothing."

"Why do you look like you're pissed?"

He ignores my question. "Let's just get this over with."

"Turn around," I order.

He rolls his eyes and stands with his back facing me. I press my body close to his, wrapping my arms around his, locking my hands together.

"I'm gonna get out of this hold in, like, one second," he insists.

I keep my grip tight, and he fights against me. My face presses against the cotton of his shirt, and I try and fail not to inhale his scent. He easily breaks out of my hold, grinning triumphantly.

"Your turn," he says.

I cross my arms over my chest. "I already did it with Peter. I don't have to do it again."

"Bullshit. You're doing it with me, too. I still need to practice."

I give him a long look. "Fine. Whatever." With his hands on my shoulders, he turns me around. "Pushy, pushy. Simmer down," I snark.

I wait for him to touch me. When he doesn't, I crane my neck to look behind me.

"What's taking so long?"

He scoffs. "It's the element of surprise."

"Just do it already."

I can feel his presence behind me then, and he slowly presses his front to my back. His body is definitely closer to mine than Peter's was. It feels better, too. Cullen is harder—more manly.

My stupid breath picks up.

His arms tighten around me, and I feel his sneaker bump between mine.

"Widen your stance," he murmurs, mouth next to my ear. "Bend over a little."

I turn to look at him, but I can't see his face. "This is not—"

"Bella, just do it. Bend your knees a little," he coaxes. "I don't want you to get hurt. Position, posture, proximity, remember?"

Fucker.

I adjust my stance.

And then I feel him.

All of him.

I can feel a bulge pressing against my ass.

Thank fuck for joggers.

I inhale sharply.

"Sorry…" he mutters, almost like he's embarrassed.

"It's fine," I say too breathily.

"Yeah?"

"Just get it over with…"

I squirm in an attempt to get out of his hold, but that only makes my ass rub on him even more.

He chuckles darkly.

I think he fucking likes it.

Clearly.

But I fucking like it too, and I feel myself growing warmer. I suddenly wish I had some friction in front of me because fuck.

"This is so fucked up," I mutter but revel in the arousal that builds.

"Sorry." He starts to loosen his grip, but I shake my head.

"No. Just… wait." I glance around. Everyone else is still practicing, too. "You don't have to stop."

His grip around me tightens again, and I can feel him rub himself ever so slightly against my ass.

"What—do you like it, Bella?" he whispers, and I barely nod my head, too scared to say anything out loud. "Me too. Feels so fucking good," he says directly in my ear.

"All right, everyone, we have about a minute left," Peter announces.

We keep up the ruse that I'm attempting to struggle to get away from him, but really, he's sorta, subtly, grinding his dick against my ass. With us both moving, though, it doesn't look like that.

Again, this is so fucked up. He has a girlfriend. We're in public—we're at work for fuck's sake. But at this moment I don't even care, lost in how erotic this is.

He adjusts one of his hands, so he can discreetly cup the underside of my breast, I nearly fucking moan out loud, but I catch myself.

"Great job," Peter says to the group, and Cullen and I reluctantly break apart. My face is flushed. My body is warm. I notice the obvious arousal in Cullen's joggers, and he turns away before anyone else can see. "Why don't we take five, and then we can test everyone on their knowledge?" Peter suggests.

Cullen bolts out of the room first before anyone can see that he has a fucking boner.

I did that to him.

Me.

I don't know whether to laugh or feel horrified. Still slightly stunned, I bring a hand up to my neck and take a long breath before I follow him out of the room.

Rose falls into step next to me while other people shuffle out behind us.

"This is so fucking stupid," she complains. "When are we ever going to use any of this?"

In the bedroom, I think to myself.

"Yeah, I don't know." I'm keeping an eye out for Cullen.

"Okay, not gonna lie—having Emmett's hands on me was kind of hot."

I suppress a laugh, keeping it to myself how much Cullen and I enjoyed it, too.

"Why don't you just give in to him, Rose? He's fucking crazy for you. And you're just… crazy."

"Hey!" She playfully slaps my arm. "I mean, I tried. I wanted to bang him, and he turned me down."

"You're not stupid," I tell her. "He didn't want to fuck you because he wants more probably. He doesn't want it to be one and done."

The realization dawns on her face.

Maybe she is stupid, and I mean that in the most loving way possible.

"Emmett's been pining after you for nearly a year! Put him out of his misery, please," I beg.

She smiles sadly. "I could say the same for you and Cullen."

"Not even." We linger by the bathrooms, and I peer down the hallway.

Rose scoffs. "I thought y'all just had this harmless little work thing going on, but he kissed you. And you liked it."

"It's nowhere near the same." I only say this because he has a girlfriend, and maybe I'm trying to protect my heart.

Cullen walks out of the bathroom right then, but he passes right by us without even looking at me.

I wonder if he heard us.

Great.

"What the hell is up with him?" Rose whispers in my ear, and it takes everything in me not to say "his boner."

"I'm going to—" I start to tell her and point in his direction. I struggle to catch up with him. "Hey, wait." He keeps walking, so I grab his arm. "Edward," I say, using his real name. "Stop."

He looks crazed. "Sorry, okay? I shouldn't have touched you like that. It was completely inappropriate. It won't happen again."

I feel like I've been slapped. "But I liked it."

The frantic look in his eyes dims a little. "Still. It wasn't fucking cool. I should be able to control myself. If you want to report me to HR—"

"Shhhh!" I pull him down another hallway, so we have more privacy and no one else around. "What would I say? 'Hi, I'd like to make a report. Cullen rubbed his dick on my ass, and it turned me on?'" I whisper-yell. "I told you, you dumbass. I liked it. I wanted it. I—"

His lips crash against mine.

Our kiss is frantic and needy. His hands roam, gripping my ass, pulling me against him. I can still feel his hard dick, but it brushes against my stomach, which means he pulled his boner into the waistband of his joggers.

I don't know why, but I find that incredibly fucking hot.

With his hands on my waist, he walks us backward until my back hits the wall.

"Fuck, Bella. Fuck."

I moan into his mouth.

He sucks on my neck.

"Break's over!" We hear Peter call out from around the corner, and Cullen and I jump apart, startled, even though no one is in this hallway.

"Shit," I mutter, smoothing a hand over my hair while he scrubs his palm over his mouth "We have to go back."

Cullen nods, swallowing. "And then I think we should talk."

"Okay." I nod in agreement, my stomach buzzing and my heart racing. "We'll talk."