Hi everyone! Thank you for all of your reviews! I enjoyed reading them all. I'm sure you've noticed, but the review reply system on this site is still down. If I missed replying to you, it's because you have your personal message system disabled. I apologize for that. Rest assured that I did read your review and I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond. Spankings from Gianna for everyone!
This story is AU/OOC.
All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
Mature readers 18+ only please.
Jasper's POV
"Are you girls ready yet? Fucking hell! The four of you have been up there for hours! How much fucking time does it take for you to do your hair?" Emmett called upstairs, impatiently. He, Pete, Skippy, and I were sitting in our tuxes downing bottles of whiskey while we waited for our women.
"It's not our fault. Bella and Charlotte have tangles in their hair. They've never heard of a hairbrush! Merda!" Gianna cursed in Italian. Even I understood shit in Italian. It sounded sexy coming from her, though. "Isabella sit still!" Spank!
"Ouch! You spanked me!"
"If that's the only way to stop you from moving than I'll keep spanking you!"
"If she moves again, tell me Gianna, and I'll tie her arms to the chair for you," Rose growled.
"Ouch! That's my tit, Rose!" Char yelped.
"Stop wiggling the fuck around, then!"
"Dude, that shit sounds like lesbian bondage porn. It sounds hot," Emmett commented.
"No kidding," I agreed. We all looked longingly upstairs imagining whatever fucked up fantasy each of us had running through our dirty minds.
"Stop fantasizing about my mate!" Skippy demanded.
"Fucker! You get mine out of your brain!" I argued.
"All of you assholes get my Rosie out of your heads!"
A few minutes later, Gianna exclaimed, "Finalmente!"
The four women came gliding down the stairs. Holy fuck. Bella looked hot. She was wearing a cobalt blue, strapless chiffon gown that flowed sinuously to the floor. Gianna had arranged her hair in a loose updo that showcased her graceful neckline. Other than her wedding band, the only jewelry she was wearing were the diamond drop earrings that I purchased for her in Paris. She had her brown contact lenses in, some of us always wore contacts whenever a big group of us were gathering in public so that we wouldn't stand out so much with so many of us having golden eyes.
"Jasper." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Stop projecting, we're late to the benefit. You can fuck her later."
"Way to ruin a fucking moment, sis!" I said to her.
"You were making googly eyes at her. Emmett, quit eye-fucking me! Now, come on, let's go!"
We all followed Rose out the door. She loved formal affairs and was anxious to get there. She always took charge of these things. Bella absolutely detested them, but she was going for Irina's sake.
"Stand up straight, Charlotte!" Gianna spanked her right on her ass. Damn, I wonder if she can spank Bella while I watch. Charlotte stuck her chest out and straightened out her posture right away. It seems Gianna likes formal parties too.
"Felix, does your woman spank you a lot?"
"Occasionally, why?" He actually winced when I asked my question.
"No reason, just curious." I'm more than positive she spanks him more often than occasionally. I mean her hands were spank happy. We've all been spanked on our asses by an angry Gianna which I had to admit was pretty sexy. I wonder if spanking can be considered a gift.
We finally arrived at the party and were greeted by the family. Irina thanked us for coming, then went back to mingling with the other guests. She was co-director of a non-profit agency that helped homeless people get back on their feet again. Carlisle and Peter were donating a million dollars each. I was donating five million dollars. There were lots of big names at this benefit—every one of them trying to lessen their tax burden come the following tax season. Alice was taking the opportunity to get to know some big wigs from Walmart while Edward and Mike were being grilled by some CEOs from Bass Pro Shops.
We all forced down some human food and listened to some boring speeches. Now, we were dancing and networking. Bella was standing on the other end of the ballroom talking to Gianna. Two CEO types approached them and started talking to them. I saw Bella show them her wedding ring then point to me and Felix. The two men bolted away from the girls faster than lightening.
"You know, I used to have to go to shit like this all of the time," Felix noted. "It was bad enough that when I was human my parents hosted formal balls four times a year, but when I was in the Volturi—the three shit for brains had formal balls once a week."
"You're kidding? For what purpose?"
"Let's see, if there was a visitor they would hold a ball in honor of them, the guard member's dates of inception into the Volturi, the date of our change, if the Romanians happened by they would hold one just to show off, Saint Marcus Day, Caius' birthday, Aro's birthday, you catch my drift, don't you?"
"So what do you do at a Volturi ball?"
"The same shit except for no sit down dinner, obviously. We did get to drink human blood out of wine glasses, though. The guard used to get fucked up drinking hard liquor. You always had to watch out for Jane because whenever she'd get drunk, she'd randomly inflict pain upon everyone. You could be just shooting the shit with someone, then, all of a sudden, you'd be writhing on the floor in complete agony."
"Shit, I never want to go to one of those."
"Neither do I—ever again."
A few minutes went by and I was talking to a British financier discussing the financial climate. He actually had some great insight and he and I quickly exchanged business cards before he went on his way. Tonight, I was known as Jasper Whitlock, President and CEO of the Whitlock Corporation. Bella was dancing with Rex when I detected a scent I never thought I'd smell again. Alice noticed, too. We are so fucked.
"Bella, put your shield down so I can see!" Alice said at vampire speed.
Bella gasped and put her shield down.
"Oh fuck!" Mike whispered.
All of the vampires were now on high alert. "Okay, for tonight, Jasper and I are married, the rest of you are okay. Bella, you're Isabella Newton for this evening. Thank God you wore your blue contacts, Mike. Carlisle, I'm killing you and Esme off. She won't recognize you with your new look anyway. Got it?"
We all nodded that we understood. Edward quickly explained the situation to those who had no knowledge who the new arrival was.
"Oh my God! Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen? I thought I'd never see you two again."
"It's Alice Hale now. How are you Jessica?"
"I always knew you two would get married. This is my husband Pierre Dupuis."
"Nice to meet you." I held my hand out to shake the guy's clammy hand. I noticed he kept checking out all of the women in the room.
"Is your whole family here?"
"Yes, everyone, but Carlisle and Esme, God rest their souls."
"Oh my God! What happened?"
"They were killed in a skiing accident in Austria."
"Why the fuck would I die in a skiing accident, couldn't she be a bit more dramatic?" Carlisle whispered to Bella.
Jessica scanned the room and caught sight of Rose, Emmett, Edward, and Amanda. They approached the newly arrived couple and greeted them. I noticed Mike and Bella slinking away to the other side of the ballroom. Pierre's wandering eye landed on Rose and Amanda and he kept smiling and winking at them. Fucking creep.
"Hey, Mike, is that the chick with the bouncy tits that you told us about?"
"Yeah, she is, Pete."
"God damn, she has nice knockers."
"I second that," Garrett said.
"I third that," Rex agreed.
"I fourth that," Skippy joined in.
"Nah, Bella's tits are nicer than Jessica's," Mike stated. "Look at how perfectly symmetrical each boob is."
"Um, I'm going to abstain from that one considering she's my grandbaby."
Rex, Garrett, and Mike were all standing there openly ogling my mate's tits. So was Skippy. Those motherfucking dicks—they were all taking advantage of the fact that I couldn't do jack shit about anything.
"Quit eye-fucking me!" Bella seethed.
Some human guy walked by her and grabbed her ass. She swatted his hand away and called him a few choice words. He saw the angry expressions on Rex, Garrett, Mike, Felix, and Peter's faces and pissed his pants.
The ball continued and Jessica wouldn't leave our side. It turns out that her husband is a French investment banker and he was here on business. They were here with another couple who invited them to come along.
She continued rambling about her life. She and Pierre had one son—ironically named Edward; she was a homemaker; she graduated from the University of Washington; yada, yada.
She, then, went on to update us about everyone in Forks. Ben Cheney married Angela Weber—they had three kids and were living in Forks; Eric Yorkie was a software engineer in Silicon Valley; Tyler Crowley was a garbage truck driver in Forks and was married to some chick named Leah and lived in La Push; and Lauren Mallory was a porn star living in Las Vegas—her stage name was Ashlay Bendover, in case we were interested in seeing any of her films.
Hell, yeah, we were. I sensed a stag night coming.
"I fucked a porn star, guys!" We heard Mike announce. The fuckers with him all high-fived Mike, congratulating him. Yeah, you may have fucked a porn star, but you're married to my ex-wife now, fucker, I thought.
Edward started chuckling and high-fived me.
Jessica suddenly gasped, "Oh, God! Pierre, my ex-boyfriend from college, Mike Newton is here. What a nightmare!"
"Ma cherie, you do not have to say hello if you don't want to. You said he is only a shopkeeper, no?"
"Jerk," Alice muttered. I agreed, what a little pretentious fuck!
"Did you guys know that Mike Newton was here?" Jessica asked us.
Edward was very quick, "Mike who?"
"He's my ex-boyfriend from high school and college. He was friends with that girl you dated, Bella Swan. Ugh, I don't know what you ever saw in her. She was so emo. After you left, she was completely depressed and she sat in her truck and cried all day. Mike actually felt sorry for her so he'd go and check on her, just in case she tried to kill herself or something. I thought she was crazy, you were just a high school boyfriend. I mean, you two didn't even date for that long and she acted as if her world was taken away from her. She's probably still pining away for you to this day. Someone like that can never get married. Anyway, I can understand why you broke up with her. Talk about emotional baggage, she wasn't even that pretty."
"Bitch." I heard Bella whisper.
None of us said anything. That was just mean of Jessica. Edward looked like he was just hit with a mack truck. I looked across the ballroom and the vampires all looked pissed off. Irina and Victoria were both being restrained by their mates. I don't think Jessica understood just how close she was to getting her neck snapped or I suppose she could be a midnight snack for Felix who was still having a fuckton of trouble feeding off of animals.
"That's it! Come on, Bella. This is fucking war!" An angry Mike grabbed Bella and the two of them started dancing cheek to cheek on the dance floor.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Mike Newton is with Bella Swan. Edward, this is a nightmare for both of us."
"Play the fucking part, bozo. Act like she's the last person you want to see," Alice whispered to Edward.
"Holy shit! You're right, that is Bella Swan. She looks fucking hot! I should have never broken up with her, I didn't know she was going to turn out like that. Check out those tits!" Edward stated.
Amanda, who looked like she wanted to murder Jessica, joined in. "That's Bella Swan? She's gorgeous! You're right, you should have never left her. Too bad for you that the guy she's with can give you a run for his money. Talk about eye-candy."
"That is Bella Swan? I've never seen a more beautiful female creature in my life. She is not as you described, Jessica," Pierre stated with his thick French accent. "You said she was skinny with no body and looked depressed."
"Edward, you were supposed to act like you don't want to see her, not worship her. Amanda, what was that?" Alice said so only we could hear. She rubbed her temples and said, "Oh fuck, Jasper, just don't lose it—remember that you're married to me for tonight."
"Listen to her, fucker," Peter confirmed from across the ballroom. He walked over and stood by my side.
The song ended and Mike and Bella stopped dancing. He pretended to notice Jessica right then and approached us. "Oh, hey, Jess. Fancy meeting you here. Wow, you got old. Ever heard of Botox?Holy shit! Is that Alice and Edward Cullen? Wow, the whole lot of you are here. This is like a mini Forks High School reunion."
We all greeted Mike as if we hadn't seen him since high school. "Bella, you'll never guess who I just ran into. Come here, sweetheart." Bella walked over and stood next to Mike.
"Who, babe? Omigod! It's the Cullens," Bella greeted all of us, but ignored Jessica.
"Hello, Bella," Jessica said.
Bella looked perplexedly at her. She put her finger under her chin, then asked, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"I'm Jessica Dupuis, my maiden name was Stanley."
"Huh? I'm sorry, I don't remember you at all. I was only there for a short time anyway. I vaguely remember some chick named Lauren and her annoying little friend, though. Ugh, that whiney voice grated on my brain, it still gives me the shakes thinking about it to this day."
"Mike, didn't you tell Bella about how we once dated."
"Nah, I don't live in the past—neither does Bella."
"You dated her?" Bella pointed at Mike completely aghast. "She's not really your type is she? She seems clingy."
"Bella, come on, isn't that why we break up with people? Because they're not really our type."
"You see, that's why I love you so much, you're so smart."
"I love you, too, baby." Mike planted a deep kiss on Bella's lips. I saw red.
"You're dead!" I growled in a low tone to Mike. I was ready to kill him, kissing my wife was going entirely too far. Peter and Alice had death grips on me so I couldn't move.
"Jasper, keep your shit together! It's an act!" Riley admonished from the other side of the room so only the vampires could hear.
"I'm sorry, how did you two wind up together?" Jessica asked.
"We met a few months after college graduation. I walked into Mike's store looking for..."
"...skis. Bella's an expert skier—she used to be a ski instructor in college. I saw who it was and I helped her out personally. We've been together ever since. I even went skiing with her that weekend," Mike finished for her. "She's a professional skier now."
"Bella on skis?" Edward whispered, perplexedly. "That's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard."
Pierre decided to introduce himself to my wife then. "Allo, my name is Pierre Dupuis. Your name is Isabella?"
"Uh, yes, Isabella Whi...Newton," Bella corrected herself quickly.
Now, the sleaze bag's focus was on my wife...uh, Mike's wife for the night...damn it, she's my wife!
"You are a professional skier? I would like to invite you to come skiing with my wife and me. We own a vacation cottage in the Swiss Alps. Perhaps, I can show you around." He was talking to Mike, but his focus was on my Bella. I'm going to kill him. He, then, turned to us. "You must all join us, He scanned all of the women up and down."
"Yes...yes...I'd love to see all of you." Jess batted her eyelashes, flirtatiously, at me and ran her hand over my arm.
"Jessica, do you have something caught in your eye there? I can help you wash it out in the ladies' room," Bella offered.
"What? Me, uh, n...n...no."
"Oh, I was just wondering cause you're like blinking furiously there."
Just then, Pierre, 'accidentally,' bumped into Bella and brushed, no fondled, her breast. I was outraged. I was about to rip his hand off, but Alice kissed me square on the lips to stop me. Blech. I never thought I'd have to taste that again. "Focus, Jasper!" she whispered.
"My apologies, madame, I can be so clumsy sometimes," Pierre said, this time he tried to bump into Rose and go for her ass, but Emmett stepped in front of her and he ended up grabbing Em's dick instead.
"Dude, I don't roll that way," Emmett stated. This shit was getting funny.
"As I said, I am very clumsy," a mortified Pierre said, red in the face. He was undaunted, though, because the next thing I knew he was handing his business card to us men and asking us to visit him and Jessica in Paris or come skiing in Switzerland.
Jessica, meanwhile, now turned her attention from Edward to Mike. "I can show you around Paris, personally. It is the city of romance, after all," she said, sticking her tits out in front of his face. "The scenery there is plentiful." Mike didn't pay any attention to Jessica, he just focused his attention on my wife's cleavage. Fucker.
Alice looked ready to kill Jessica. "Whore," she whispered, under her breath.
"I second that," Bella agreed.
Pierre was focused on Bella again. "So, where do you and your husband ski?"
Well, shit, Bella doesn't know squat about skiing. "Where do I s...s...ski? Erm..."
"Say Telluride, Colorado," Riley whispered from across the room.
Mostly in Telluride, Colorado. We go to Utah sometimes too." That was a good save.
"Ah...Utah has some nice skiing, but doesn't compare to Interlochen. I insist that you come and visit us. If your husband is too busy, I will make sure that you are well taken care of. You are, after all, an old school friend of Jessica's." The fucker had the nerve to put his arm around Bella.
"Fucker, I don't like anyone touching Stripper Wifey except for you in bed or me on the dance floor. Do something!" Rex whispered from across the ballroom.
"You? How the fuck do you think I'm feeling? She's my mate!" I replied, too low for any humans to hear. That's it, I'm ripping him apart.
Bella extracted herself from Pierre's greasy paws. Mike grabbed her and wrapped his arms securely around her. I noticed that Alice had a secure hold on my arm and Edward closed in on my side. Peter suddenly moved behind me.
"Uh, Pierre, I don't like it when other men touch my wife. You need to keep your hands to yourself."
"My apologies. I keep forgetting that Americans don't express their affection as much as we Europeans do. Would you honor me with a dance, Isabella?" Pierre asked.
Yeah, right. You ain't dancing with my wife. "Felix, if you drained them both—you'd be doing the world a favor."
"Hey, even I have standards." We all chuckled at that bit.
Bella looked up at Pierre and said, "I'd love to dance."
What?
"What?" Rex shouted from the other side of the ballroom, drawing attention to himself. Jessica immediately noticed him, licked her lips, and stalked over to him.
"What the hell is going on with my wife? Why is she dancing with him? Alice, do you see something? What's with Jessica and Pierre? Do they have constant affairs because they seem to flirt a lot with other people?"
"Yeah, they do," Edward confirmed. "He cheats on her, she cheats on him, they know and don't give a shit."
"You know this is really sad. Both of them are going to continue having affairs for the rest of their lives, it's unfortunate, really. Financially, they're set for life, it's their relationship that'll never be...wait..." Alice slipped into another vision. "Oh my God, Bella is going to change the course of things. They're going to realize how much they care for each other after..."
"Why? What's she going to do? Get in a cat fight with Jessica?" Mike asked, hopefully.
"Oh, yeah," Garrett said, enthusiastically rubbing his hands together. "Maybe they'll rip each other's gowns off and expose their breasts while they fight." Kate gave her mate a jolt causing him to jump up and yelp.
"Just watch, honey. Oh, this changes things a lot. Bella and Rex are going to..."
"Rex?" we all asked. What the hell does he have to do with this?
Bella started dancing with Pierre. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer."
"Ma cherie, do not worry, I shall teach you everything I know. I am very skilled."
"Goody! I always wanted to learn how to dance!" My wife had a sneaky smile on her face.
Rex planted himself on the dance floor next to Bella with an overly eager Jessica as his partner. He started talking to Bella in a low tone of voice. "Why the fuck are you dancing with this joker?"
"Who the hell are you to tell me who I can and can't dance with? I have business to settle with this loser," Bella replied.
"What the fuck do you mean business? I don't like it when Stripper Wifey dances with anyone, but me."
"Fuck you, Rex, you're not my keeper!"
"I am on the fucking dance floor!" Rex shouted. "Take your hands off of my girl!"
"Pardon, do you know this man?" Pierre asked Bella.
"Yeah, he's my MAJOR PAIN IN THE ASS!"
"But, I thought you were married to Mike?"
"Only part time!" Rex replied, dancing with a thoroughly horrified and confused looking Jessica.
"Do you realize that those two sound like an old, bickering, married couple?" Garrett asked, approaching us together with Kate.
"Oh, don't worry about them. They're always like that. They have a strange love-hate relationship," I stated. Well, it was true, they did. They were just really comfortable with each other. Neither Tanya nor I had a problem with it. We actually got a kick out of their constant bickering.
"Stop dancing with him!"
"No! You stop dancing with her!"
"I'm only dancing with her because you're dancing with him! The fucking things I have to go through because you decide to cheat on me on the dance floor! Sheesh!"
Pierre twirled Bella into him, she stepped on his foot with her heel and not by accident either. He yelped. I definitely heard something break there.
"Oh goodness! I'm such a bad dancer. " Bella put her hand over her mouth.
"No, no...you are doing fine, ma cherie."
Rex broke into a grin. I think he got the picture. He twirled Jessica straight into Bella. "Aaack!" She started rubbing her elbow which I had no doubt would bruise by morning.
Meanwhile, that fucker Pierre ran his hand over Bella's ass then pulled her close up against his body. This time Bella stomped on his foot with the ball of her foot. "Oops!" she giggled. "I'm so clumsy!"
"Ohhh!" Pierre groaned as a couple of toes shattered.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am fine," He squawked out. The guy was definitely not giving up. He was now dancing with a limp and a grimace on his face.
Rex twirled Jessica a little too fast and she landed with a thud on the dance floor; at the same time, he elbowed Pierre 'accidentally' in the ribs. Crack! "Ay, mon dieu!" Pierre clutched his ribs and doubled over.
"Darling, darling. Are you okay?" Jessica came hobbling over. It looked like she twisted an ankle.
Bella and Rex both apologized for their less than stellar dancing skills. "It is okay, maybe it would be best if I sat down to rest." Pierre moaned, finally giving up.
"I'll help!" Bella offered cheerfully.
"No, no! My wife will help me. Really, please, there's no need," Pierre blurted out quickly. He looked terrified. "Maybe you can dance with my wife's partner."
"Okay, he's kinda hot."
"Sure, I can dance with her," Rex said, slapping his hand on Pierre's back. "Thanks, she's kind of cute."
"You're welcome," Pierre grimaced. Yep, that slap was definitely gonna leave a bruise.
Rex grabbed Bella and started twirling her around the dance floor like a pro as a bewildered Jessica helped her battered husband off of the dance floor and out of the ballroom. I doubted we would ever hear from them again. The vampires in the ballroom were all laughing. Tanya was shaking her head and chuckling.
"Jessica and Pierre are going to nurse each other back to health and confess their affairs to each other. Bella broke two toes on his left foot and fractured his right foot. Rex, on the other hand, broke six of Pierre's ribs when he elbowed him. Jessica sprained her ankle from that last fall. She also fractured her elbow when she bumped into Bella. Oh, and Jasper, keep his card. He'll be handling some of your cash when he's hired by Credit Suisse in about eight years. He's very good and he'll be terrified of you so he'll do a great job." Alice concluded.
"Cool. Thanks Ali." I, then, turned to Mike and planted a fist into his face.
"What the fuck was that for?"
"For kissing Bella, asshole!"
"Thank you, Jasper." My ex-wife smiled brightly at me.
"Anytime, Alice."
Three months later...
We were nearing the end of summer and it was almost time for school to begin again. We had roughly three weeks of vacation left. There was a heatwave in New York and the sun had been shining bright and sunny for two weeks straight, everyone was pretty much stranded at home during the daylight hours. Those that owned businesses made sure they arrived at work before dawn so they didn't sparkle walking in. Bella and I weren't stranded at all. We dressed like we did in Dubai, Bella in her abaya and burqa and me in my kandura and ghutrah—I just made sure that I wrapped the scarf completely around my face. The humans didn't suspect a thing, they just thought we were tourists from a conservative middle eastern country.
It was around ten pm on a Saturday night, Bella and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. She had her head in my lap and I was mindlessly running my fingers through her hair. Suddenly, Bella crossed her arms tightly across her chest and rolled to the floor.
"Jasperrrr!" she cried.
"Bella! Bella! What is it?"
"R...R...Rose. Need to go now!" She was already out of the door and I was right on her heels. We ran through the night. The humans who caught sight of us only witnessed a blur. Bella's pull to Rose was acting like a beacon, beckoning her to go and save her sister. We arrived in a deserted alley in the Wrigley Park area of Patterson, New Jersey. Rose was sitting—sobbing in the fetal position, in the far corner wedged between a dumpster and a rundown building. In front of her lay the lifeless body of a young man in his twenties, she looked up at us—her eyes were crimson.
"Oh, God...Rosie. Rosie, it's me, it's Bella." My wife wedged herself in between the dumpster and the building and placed her sister on her lap. "What happened?"
Rose broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. She didn't say a word, only cried tearlessly into my mate's arms. I heard the thundering of footsteps and a moment later, Emmett, Pete, and Charlotte arrived.
"Rosie! Rosie!" Emmett approached his mate, but she wasn't letting go of her sister.
"Emmett, let her be. She needs Bella now," I told my brother. The look of concern on his face was palpable.
"Rose." Charlotte approached softly. "Everything's going to be okay. We're all here for you."
"People are coming," Peter warned. "We have to run to my house. It's too populated between here and your house Emmett. Bella, can you run with Rose?"
She nodded that she could.
"You five go on ahead without me. I'll be five minutes behind you. I have to take care of the body."
We started running, it didn't take us long to get to Pete's house. Charlotte started running a bath. Peter arrived while she and Bella were bathing Rose.
"I took care of it. I have his wallet and cell phone right here."
"Oh God!" Rosalie suddenly screamed from upstairs. "I couldn't stop myself. I just couldn't! I followed him. I even took the bus with him. I couldn't resist his scent. It was beautiful, it was the most delectable scent ever. He was like a gourmet meal! I'm a murderer, plain and simple. A murderer! I can never show my face in public again, you guys must be so ashamed of me now! Emmett, oh my God, he's going to think I'm pathetic, he's...God...help me!"
Just as I suspected, Rose had met her singer. Sushmita had warned us that something huge was coming for Rose. She'd get through it fine because we've all been there. Well, Bella hasn't met her singer yet, but she has suffered through the guilt and the shame that accompanies a slip. She suffered for two whole years alone.
I heard some shuffling in the tub. Bella or Char must have hopped in with Rose to hold her.
"I can never think of you that way, Rose. You met your singer. We all have one and it was inevitable that you were going to meet yours."
"Is that who he was? It felt...Jasperrrr! Jasperrrr, I need you!" Rosie cried from upstairs. I looked to Emmett for permission because I knew that his mate would be undressed. He nodded at me to go ahead. I felt nothing, but concern for Rose from him at the moment.
I knocked on the bathroom door. "Just a minute!" Bella called. It sounded like Rose was getting dressed. Phew. Charlotte opened the door, she and Bella stepped out and ran down stairs. Rose tumbled into my arms clad in a thick terry cloth robe that belonged to Peter. I picked her up and carried her to the soundproofed room that Peter had set up for me and Bella. I knew she needed to talk in private.
I sat, holding my sister, on the bed until she was ready to talk. It was already daylight out when she finally decided to speak. "It was horrible, Jasper—the bloodlust, the need to feed, the want; it took over my entire being. I hunted him. I followed him until I knew I could take him, it was the only thing on my mind—nothing else entered it. I was consumed by his blood. I had to have it. I couldn't stop myself—the thought didn't even cross my mind."
Rose didn't leave my arms. She kept on sobbing tearlessly. For some reason, she needed me. Maybe it was because I've had the most slip ups in the family. Whenever I thought of slip ups, I thought of Felix. His attitude was refreshingly different from what I was used to when I was with the Cullens. While he tried hard to feed solely off of animals, he was having a lot of difficulty sticking to it so when he knew he wasn't satisfied enough and was in danger of slipping up; he would just tell everyone that either he finds a rapist or a murderer to feed off of or he's going to kill an innocent. We all encouraged him to go then, we didn't consider his feeding off of humans a slip up. Now, to deal with Rose.
"Rosie, you need to understand that the bloodlust you felt for that man was ten times more powerful than the standard bloodlust. He was your singer. I don't know why we vampires have singers, but we do. You reacted normally, most people can't resist their singers. Do you remember what happened when Emmett met his?"
"Yes, he said he abducted her in broad daylight without caring who was watching. He threw her in his car, drove to a secluded spot, then went for her jugular."
"Did you judge him?"
"No, how could I? She was his singer. He couldn't control himself."
"Okay, so why are you judging yourself?"
"He didn't do a thing to me. He was just catching the bus home and I happened to catch sight of him coming out of the store. What the hell did he do to deserve to be murdered?"
"Rose, if you judge yourself then you judge all of us. When I met my singer, I not only drained her, I seduced her and had my way with her, too. Of course, that was still when I was with Maria, but she didn't deserve what happened to her either. To this day, the guilt of what I did still rests on my conscience; but I don't let it consume me. I did what I did because I acted on vampire instinct. The sexual desire that comes with the bloodlust you feel for a singer is overpowering. More often than not, the singer is violated before he or she is drained. Just ask Felix, Peter, Garrett, or Laurent. Even the women will tell you that's what happens, ask any of the Denali girls, Esme, Charlotte, or Vicky."
"Oh God! God! Jasper!" Rose howled in pain. "That's what hurts so much. I wanted him. I wanted to have my way with him! I couldn't bring myself to do it so I just snapped his neck and drank from him until he was drained dry! I felt so dirty, so low, so...aaaagggghhhh...make it stop Jasper! Make it stop! Please!"
It was the one thing I couldn't do. She had to deal with this without me giving her a false sense of security with my gift. "I can't Rose, like it or not, you drained your singer and the feelings that accompanied it were what you actually felt at the time. You're going to hate me for saying this, but it was purely instinctual. That doesn't mean you shouldn't feel remorse for what you did, but you need to forgive yourself. Don't let the guilt eat away at you. You had no control over what you did. Accept it, Rose."
My sister started sobbing and screaming and pounding on my chest. "Why Jasper? Why? Don't you love me?"
"I do love you, that's why you have to work through this on my own. The guilt, the shame, everything it hurts! I know it does, I've been there, Rosie—time and time again. I can't send you any calm and sugarcoat it for you, it'll be worse if I do. I won't let you go through this alone, though. I'm here for you. Don't let it consume you!"
Rose went back to crying and screaming. She screamed, she cried, she hollered, she cried, she hit, she cried, and she cried some more until she finally collapsed onto her knees, begging whatever god was up there for mercy. I got down on the floor with her and prayed right next to her, the utter despair emanating from her hit me square in the chest. She fell into my arms and cried again. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and promised her that I wouldn't let go, then rocked her as she whimpered in agony.
For three days, my sister went through cycles of crying, screaming, and praying until she had a revelation, "Oh, Jasper! I just thought of something horrific."
"What is it?"
"Bella went through this all by herself when she drained the guy who tried to rape her. She didn't have anyone to hold her or listen to her rant and rave. She kept the pain, the agony, the guilt, the shame, all of it bottled up inside of her. How did she do it, Jasper? How? I couldn't have gotten through these days without you."
"I don't know, Rose, what Bella felt was simple bloodlust, though. There wasn't an overwhelming feeling of sexual desire accompanying what she felt. Hers was thirst coupled with anger and fear. It doesn't lessen her feelings of guilt and shame, though. Those were still the same."
"She was alone, though. How did she deal with it alone?"
"I don't know how she did it, but what I can tell you is that when I finally got to her she was a walking shell of herself. She let all of the guilt and shame affect her and the feelings of unworthiness emanating from her were significant. It took up until last year's soul reading with Sush for her to fully release the pain. You don't ever want to let it fester or eat away at your psyche like that. Someone once told me, 'Don't let guilt consume you; accept that what you did was wrong, then move on. Otherwise, it'll entrap you and limit your ability to function normally. Remember that bloodlust is natural to vampires.' I think that if you keep that advice in mind, it'll help you. Yes, taking a life when unprovoked was wrong, but the bloodlust and the desire you felt was not something you created yourself, it was instantaneous, instinctual, and natural."
"Those are wise words. Was it Carlisle that told you that?"
"No, believe it or not, it was Maria."
Rose's eyes widened at my revelation. "Maria? I didn't think she had a brain."
"You have to have a brain to become a powerful dictator, Rose. That's why she's survived this long, but regardless of how nasty Maria is, those words of advice, at least, are worth taking into consideration. You really had no control over the situation. You did control yourself, though, you didn't violate him. You, yourself, said that you couldn't bring yourself to do it. That's something to be proud of."
"Thank you, Jasper, for being you—for understanding, for helping me to understand. I love you."
"I love you, too, Rose." I held her for a few more hours until she finally built up the courage to go downstairs.
Peter wasn't home, he must be running the shop by himself. Emmett had his arms around both Bella and Char. They were both snuggled into his massive chest. Rose sat on the loveseat across from them and started confessing what she did and how she felt.
They all had tears in their eyes, Charlotte assured her that the feelings of desire that she felt was perfectly normal. She admitted that she couldn't stop herself from dazzling her victim into submission when she met her singer.
Emmett, then, owned up to the truth, "Rosie, I lied to you when I told you that all I did was drain my singer. I didn't, I dazzled her and violated her before I drained her. I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't..."
"Oh, Em!" Rose ran over to her husband and held him as he sobbed into her arms. "It wasn't your fault, I understand now, you couldn't stop yourself. I almost couldn't stop myself. Why Emmett? Why do you keep everything bottled up inside of you? You met your singer in 1952."
"You wouldn't have understood, then."
Rose nodded her head. "You're right, I wouldn't have understood. It's not something you can understand until you go through it yourself. You can't resist it, it consumes you until you give in to it. I don't know how Amrita or Edward did it."
Neither did I. Amrita was restrained by three vampires, but Edward resisting Bella day in and day out when she was human—the sheer amount of control that took must have been massive. Thank God, he had that control because I would have been without my mate for eternity.
Rose and Emmett thanked us and decided to go home and talk. Charlotte gave Rose about twenty boxes of contact lenses that she had on hand for work until her eyes returned to their golden color again. "You'll need to get more, it takes about five weeks for your eyes to return to their normal shade."
After they left, Char spoke again, "Pete said he won't be home until nine. I need to go on a hunt desperately. Can you guys come with me?"
"Of course, Char, I can use one too."
The three of us left in Charlotte's truck to go hunting. Neither Bella nor Char pried into my three day session of talking to Rose. They respected her privacy. They understood the need for personal space, something many of our family members failed to understand.
None of us really talked, what happened with Rose was still fresh in our minds. Charlotte dropped us off at the train station after our hunt and Bella and I headed home. We had a silent ride home. We sat next to each other, but apart; both of us needing to contemplate the events that transpired alone. Upon arrival at our house. Bella went upstairs to bathe. I did the same in a different bathroom. I sat downstairs and watched TV for the rest of the night, Bella spent her time reading upstairs. We both needed time to think alone and remained that way until morning.
Rosalie's experience brought back a lot of bad memories of my slips and transgressions against human society. I know now, due to Sushmita, that we all definitely have a soul. I thought back to my own soul reading from Sush, during which she pointed out that it's what we do with our souls from this point on is what matters. Our past actions, good or bad, has led us to the point we're at. Dwelling on the past doesn't help us, it's our choices now—in the present, that will determine the course of our souls in the future.
I was roused out of my musings by my wife who was quietly standing in front of me with a packed bag. I don't even know when she got there. "I want to go to Forks."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Yes."
"When do you want to leave?"
"Now."
I threw my shoes on and grabbed the keys to the house in Forks. Carlisle gave us a set because he knew that Bella went to visit Charlie at least once a year, usually more. The two of us left immediately for the airport and, by early evening, we had arrived at the no longer familiar house in Forks. The house had been torn down and completely rebuilt from the bottom up. Carlisle, in a fit of rage, had gone to Forks after the divorce and torn Esme's masterpiece down with his bare hands. Afterwards, he met with an architect and made plans to have the house designed and built to his specifications. Edward and Alice no longer had rooms in the new house. Carlisle designated a floor of his house each for himself, for Bella and me, and for Rose and Emmett. There were only two guest rooms in the house. Carlisle's message was clear, the house in Forks was meant to be a sanctuary for his immediate family and invited guests only.
I still didn't know what Bella wanted to achieve here. She'd tell me in time. I had faith in her. We spent the evening reading. I noticed that Bella was stuck on the same page of her book for the entire night. It was around ten pm when she suddenly got up off of our bed.
"Bella?"
"I need to visit Daddy, come with me." She held her hand out to me. I took it. We ran to Charlie Swan's grave. Bella sat down in front of his headstone and gave him an update on everything that's been going on in her life including what was revealed about her during the soul reading.
"Oh, Daddy, the thing is, I know in my heart what I have to do, but it doesn't make my task any easier. I need strength and reassurance."
I sat beside Bella and put my arm around her. She put her head on my shoulder. "It's time."
Bella took her cell phone out and placed a call. A few minutes later, Jacob Black showed up with two men—fellow shapeshifters from what I could smell. They all nodded to Bella and me.
"Hello Jacob, Quil, Embry. How are you?"
"Good. You stink, but you're still cute, Bells," the one named Quil said.
"Thanks, how come you're the only one still phasing? You still look young. Jacob and Embry look, well...older."
"Ah, it's because I still have Claire to think about. I had to keep her safe throughout the years. I didn't want her to have to be imprinted to an old geezer."
"That's pretty sensitive of you, Quil. Claire must be um..." Bella started adding and subtracting on her fingers. I rolled my eyes, so did Jacob. I'm beginning to agree with Vicky that Bella can use one more round of high school math.
"Seventeen, Bells. Sheesh!" Jacob stated.
"That's right. We finally started dating last year." Quil showed Bella a picture of his imprint.
"So, Bella, why did you call me?" Jacob Black asked.
"I wanted to talk to you alone, or at least the semblance of being alone is fine. I know, you're going to have Quil and Embry trail you at a distance, I'm not stupid. My mate will be doing the same."
"Give us a little space," Jacob told his friends.
"Um, since you're going to be following us together anyway, let me introduce you guys to each other. Quil and Embry, this is my mate and husband, Jasper Whitlock. Jasper this is Quil Ateara and Embry Call."
The three of us shook hands and gave Jacob and Bella a bit of a head start. We didn't really say anything to each other as we walked about a hundred yards behind them.
"Here's the thing, Jake," Bella said. "I forgive you for accidentally causing my father's death. You were a young shapeshifter and you lacked control. You acted purely on instinct. You saw vampires, phased, then attacked. It's what you were born to do."
Jacob stopped walking. So did we. "Why Bella? Why now?"
"It was just time to clear the air—to let things go. I'm through blaming you for something that you had no control over. I owe you at least that much."
"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry. I took your father away from you, he was all you had left."
"No, I had my brother Riley and his wife Vicky. They were there for me every step of the way. They got my shit together and even made sure that I graduated from college. Everything turned out okay. I'm happy and I'm in a really good place right now."
"Can I ask you a question, Bella?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"When did you become a vampire?"
"About five and a half years after I left Forks. I was almost died from a gunshot wound."
"Are you happy? I mean, what's it like being dead?"
"I don't know Jake, I haven't been dead yet. I'm still alive and living life. I'm probably more alive than when you last saw me in Forks."
"Yeah, I think you might be. Thank you, Bella."
"You're welcome, Jake."
The two of them chatted for a bit about their lives and gave each other hugs before heading back to their respective homes. "Take care of her," Jacob whispered to me before turning towards La Push. I felt nothing, but love from his heart for Bella.
Bella and I left Forks by 3am. We drove at human speed to Seattle and arrived there by morning. We returned the rental car and took the shuttle to the airport. My mate had a decidedly lighter step.
"Bella, what do you want to do now?"
"You pick, Jasper, we still have almost three weeks of summer vacation left."
Well, hell, we're on the West Coast. I'm thinking Vegas. Two hours later, I was arguing with the manager of the Palms Hotel.
"I'm sorry Mr. Whitlock, but that room is currently occupied and the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa is undergoing renovations."
"Well, where the heck are my wife and I supposed to stay then?" I know I was being short tempered and unreasonable considering that we walked in unannounced without reservations, but damn it; I really wanted to stay in the Erotic Suite and play with my mate."
"I can offer you any of our available fantasy suites—free of charge. We have the Hardwood Suite with the basketball court."
"No," Bella said.
"How about the G-Suite?"
"It's too guy. I wouldn't be able to relax there."
"Ah, I know, what about the Barbie Suite? You stayed there once with your sister."
"No way! What if those Barbie dolls come alive and attack me? Have you thought about that?"
The manager and I looked at Bella quizzically. She was really creeped out by that room. I, personally, liked the idea of the stripper pole.
"Then, it'll have to be the Kingpin Suite. The other rooms are occupied."
"That'll be fine, thank you." Since when did my wife take over negotiations? Okay, I guess we don't have much of a choice. The Kingpin Suite it is.
We were personally shown to our room and given a tour by the hotel manager. Oh, hell, yeah! Two bowling lanes, a pool table, and the piece de resistance-two stripper poles on the bar and one in the show shower. Of course, I only had one available stripper, but hell she can strip three times for me. In fact, she can stay naked the entire time we're in this room. I wonder where we can pick up stripper heels for her here. I'll have to give Claude a call.
The manager gave us a pass for VIP access to all of the clubs within the Palms Hotel plus two spa packages worth a thousand dollars each including daily use of their Hammam—whatever the fuck that is.
I tipped him a thousand bucks in cash and told him I'd be gambling at the Playboy Club tonight. I was feeling pretty lucky. I planned on taking the house for all it was worth. I saw the manager out, then locked the door to our suite. We'd have to go shopping for clothes since Bella only packed for one night, but that shit could wait.
I looked for Bella, but she was nowhere to be found. I heard some Lady Gaga start playing and the shower turn on. I walked into the bathroom to see a naked Bella twirling around the stripper pole. There was a chair set up for me directly in front so I could watch. I pulled my iPhone out and started filming her. My cock was straining uncomfortably in my jeans ready to take on a life of it's own. Holy fuck! I need her now. I just realized that it's been five days since we...ahh...that's my girl...grab that pole and arch that back...that's it...oh fuck...spread those legs a bit wider, show me that beautiful pussy of yours. Fuck me. I couldn't take it anymore, I ripped my clothes off and plunged into my mate. She held onto the pole with her back arched as I ran my hands over her beautiful tits. She let out a small moan as my fingers lightly grazed her sensitive nipples, then moved down her stomach to her clit. I started rubbing small circles on her nub and tongued that sensual spot where I mark my mate time and time again while Bella backed her pussy up on me and fucked me, still holding on to the pole. Oh fuck, there's no way I'm gonna be able to hold it in for much longer.
"Keep doing what you're doing, babe. Sit on my cock, just like that. Don't stop...faster."
Bella sped up her movements and before I knew it we were screaming each other's names in a fit of passion.
"Mark me, Jasper! Now!" she ordered. I sunk my teeth straight into her spot and kept myself attached for just a while longer than usual. She needed to feel that I was a part of her and so did I. It had been days since we'd been together sensually and we needed to reconnect. We washed off in the shower and got ready to go. We were down to our last pair of underwear so, unfortunately, shopping was a must. On top of that, we needed dressy clothes for hitting the casinos and the clubs in the evenings.
Geez! We boarded the elevator, but for some reason, it went up from the twenty-fifth floor to the twenty-eighth. That's when we heard familiar voices coming from one of the rooms. We walked off of the elevator and decided to follow the voices, they led straight to the fucking Erotic Suite—the one that I wanted. That bastard! I wanted to test out this room with my mate. I knocked on the door and told them to open up.
"Jasper! My latex clad Indian sister barreled into my arms. I gave her a big hug and so did Bella. Amrita flicked her flogger and nailed me on the ass. Fuck, that hurt.
"What are you two doing here? Where's Amar?"
"Mm...ri...heremph," he managed to get out. He was strapped naked to a St. Andrew's Cross with a ball gag in his mouth. "Mm..per, Mm..ella—hmmelp me!"
"What did I tell you about speaking without permission?" Amrita smacked him with a leather flogger.
"Mmmaaaarrrgh!"
Bella's mouth was hanging completely open as she took in the sight before her. I think Amrita has taken her lessons with Char a little too far. Holy fuck!
"Um, we're going shopping, would you care to join us?" Bella asked quickly. I think she felt bad for poor Amar.
Amar was nodding his head in agreement up and down, desperately.
"Ooh, shopping. That's a great idea," Amrita said as she mindlessly flicked her flogger on Amar's chest continuously ignoring his flinches. "I think I'll go get ready now. Jasper, can you unbuckle my mate from his bindings? Oh, and no release for you, Amar, because you talked out of turn."
I unlatched Amar immediately. "Jasper, she's insane. Ever since she attended school in America, she's become more and more dominant in the bedroom. I can understand why you send Bella to Columbia University instead of to Mistress Charlotte's School of Sensual Arts."
Uh, no shit, you dumb fuck. Columbia's actually a real institute of higher learning, you'd have to be high to think Char's classes actually constituted a real education.
Bella was still standing there wide-eyed and in complete shock. "Ah, Bella, it's so good to see you." Amar hugged my mate tight and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh!" Bella gasped and looked down. I caught the source of her distress, then. His dick and nutsacks were tied off in some sort of elaborate weave and standing at attention
"I apologize. Amrita tied me off so I wouldn't lose my erection. I've been like this for the last eighteen hours." He untied himself and walked to his room to get dressed. Okay, no Erotic Suite for Bella and me. It's just a little too kinky for us.
"Bella? Bella? Are you okay?"
"Uh...uh..."
I pulled my mate in for a hug. "Never. We're never staying in this room. I promise. It's a bit too hardcore for us."
"Uh..huh...uh..."
"I love you, Bella."
"Uh-huh."
"You can close your mouth now."
"Huh?"
The four of us went shopping at the Forum Shops. I checked in with Claude and tipped him five grand so he would be on call for us just in case. Amrita went crazy buying lingerie at Agent Provacateur. She liked the kinky stuff that Pete preferred. Bella, on the other hand, stuck with Victoria's Secret. Amar and I separated from the women at one point so we could go shopping for clothes.
"Jasper, something has to be done. My Maharani has become just a little too overzealous in her homework. She's actually been emailing filmed reports of our sessions to Mistress Charlotte. This is becoming ridiculous."
"I'll talk to Char and have her speak with Amrita. What brought you two to Las Vegas anyway?"
"Oh, well, I'm actually here to meet with a tea purveyor in Philadelphia in five days time. This deal has the potential to be worth millions of dollars. Sahil and Eleazar are looking after the business in Darjeeling. I've wanted to come to Las Vegas ever since I heard about it from Bella and Riley so I decided to bring Amrita with me on a little vacation before the meeting. We were actually going to surprise you with a visit in three days, but it seems you're on holiday too."
"This was an unplanned trip. You're welcome to come for a visit in three days. We'll fly home with you. When did you arrive?"
"Two nights ago. If you don't mind Jasper, I'd appreciate it if you would come with me to the meeting. I'd also like to go to a casino while I'm here."
"Of course I'll go with you to the meeting. You know I've got your back. When we get back home, we'll research the company you're dealing with to make sure they're legit. We're planning on going to the Playboy Club tonight. Do you wanna come with us? The girls in the bunny suits are cute and they're not as hardcore as your mate." I winked.
"We will. We'll join you for everything. My cock could use a rest. I've booked time at the Hammam at six pm. Why don't you join us?"
"Uh, sure, okay."
We met up at the concierge desk where the girls were chatting with Claude, "Mr. Whitlock, shall I have your bags delivered to your rooms?"
"Please, also would you..."
"Pick up a suitcase for you and Mrs. Whitlock and have it delivered along with your purchases?"
"Exactly. You're a perceptive man, Claude."
We headed back to the hotel and unwound in our rooms for a bit before meeting our friends at the Hammam. It turned out to be a traditional Turkish Steam Bath. We had the room to ourselves for an hour. Amar explained that he declined the traditional massage and washing services because the humans would become suspicious of our marble skin. He and Amrita then stripped to nothing and showed us what to do. They washed each other from head to toe, similar to how Sahil does to us in India.
Okay, when in Rome...yeah, but we're in Las Vegas...all this shit stays here. I helped Bella out of her clothes and she threw a towel over her body to cover herself.
"I will wash Bella," Amrita offered. She removed Bella's towel from her with a snap and got to work.
Amar grinned and wagged his eyebrows at me. Fuck, yeah! Amrita started soaping Bella up from head to toe and scrubbing her body using some sort of a hand mitt that was provided for each of us. Holy shit! This had to be one of the most erotic things I've ever seen. Amrita's just washing Bella, but hell she was doing it naked and there was just something really sexy about it. Of course, there was nothing sexual going on, but when you have two of the hottest bodies on earth stark naked, wet, and soapy; all kinds of fantasies start running through your brain.
I looked over at Amar and gave him two thumbs up. He pointed to the camcorder that he had hidden on a ledge that was filming our wives. He was sure to give me a copy—this would be for just me and him. I chuckled as I sat and relaxed, taking in the glorious sight beholding my eyes. Yep, he sure is a great brother.
So, you received a bit of an update on some of Bella's classmates from Forks High. How do you like the way Bella handle Jessica and her slimy husband? What did you think of what happened to Rose? Do you think that Bella did the right thing by forgiving Jacob? Jasper and Bella also got to run into Amar and Amrita in Las Vegas. Really, they're all a bunch of pervs, aren't they? I'd love to know your thoughts and I will always respond to your wonderful reviews. XOXO