My stomach dances to a tune I don't recognize. I am nervous yet excited. Tonight's date was carefully planned out, so I can't imagine anyone getting their feelings hurt. Bella left about 20 minutes before, mainly so she could mentally prepare for her role in tonight's date.
Driving to the bar we used for our first date, I run through the planned evening in my head. She should be sitting in the area where the band plays.
Entering the bar, she is exactly where I expect her to be, albeit alone. She doesn't see me, which is how I want it. Choosing one of the bar stools, I have a direct view of my wife.
The bartender immediately approaches and asks for my drink order.
"You were in here a couple of weeks ago, right?" He starts off.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
He taps the top of his head as if indicating he has a great mind. "If my memory serves me right, you had a Yuengling?"
"Yeah."
"Should I get you that tonight?"
"Yeah, sounds great."
He walked away to get my beer. I observe Bella enjoying the sounds of music flowing from the keyboard as she sips on her drink.
I feel a presence behind me followed by a gentle hand pressing on my back as a beautiful blonde comes into view. "You're Edward, right?"
I nod. "Tanya?"
"That's me." She's even prettier than I thought.
But, now I am confused. The plan is not for her to approach me. "Is everything OK?"
"It certainly is. I just knew by the way Emmett described things that I wanted to double check to make sure this is what you want."
"Thanks. Yes, just as discussed. Approach her, talk to her. I'll intervene if and when it goes too far."
"Alright. It's your show."
She motions for the bartender. "Can I get Grey Goose and cranberry?" Glancing over her shoulder in the direction of Bella, she turns back and says, "Make that two."
"Thirsty?" I say to her.
"One's for me. The other is for my date. Her glass seems rather empty, don't you think?" She winks at me. As soon as the drinks are made, she picks them up. "See you on the other side." And with that, she walks away towards my beautiful Bella.
The bartender returns and places the beer in front of me. "The name's Aro, if you need me."
"Thanks, and I'm Edward."
"Weren't you with the brunette last time?" He motioned towards Bella. Who is this guy?
"You're awfully observant, aren't you?" I try to sound casual rather than accusatory.
He taps his head again. "It pays to know the customer."
"I can see that." Taking a sip of my beer, I watch Tanya stand in front of Bella. "The brunette is my wife."
"And the blonde?"
"A prop," I immediately answer but then I realize I've probably said too much to him.
Watching the girls, I noticed Tanya pass a drink to Bella. Knowing the bartender might be waiting for me to continue, and assuming he's probably heard all kinds of stories, I decide it would benefit me to tell someone what's going on. I had to give Emmett a vague description of this date in order to get Tanya. And Jasper knows of the fantasy date idea, but not the extent of our rendezvous.
"See, here's the thing. My wife and I had a great marriage. Then she couldn't get pregnant. We don't know why, but it nearly ended our marriage. The drama that goes with not getting pregnant, not the fact she wasn't getting pregnant, tore at our very foundation. Anyway, a friend threw out this idea, probably as a joke, but we decided to take the bait. Best. Thing. Ever. So once a week, we go on a fantasy date. Tonight she is going to chat with the blonde to help give an illusion of us leading to a threesome."
I've definitely said too much. "I'm sorry, you probably didn't need to know all that."
"Hey man, no judging over here. You'd be surprised by the things I see. What you're doing could be tame considering what other men your age do. At least your wife is here, if you get what I'm saying."
I just shook my head.
"Yeah, well, I will let you get back to your show. If you need anything, let me know." Aro walked away to tend to other customers.
I turn my attention to the women to see Bella chatting with Tanya as if they are friends from high school. They seem so attentive towards one another. Tanya leans over towards Bella who laughs at whatever was just said.
Our eyes meet. She smiles at me. Shrugging my shoulders and raising my brows, I hope she understand that I'm trying to question if she is OK with the progression of our date. She glances at Tanya then looks at me while giving a slight nod, then sips on her drink.
I can see Tanya notice a shift in her discussion with Bella because she places a hand on Bella's knee. My eyes hone in on this foreign hand caressing my wife's leg. My body senses the paradigm shift, but I maintain control and continue to observe their interaction.
Grabbing the mug, I gulp my beer.
My eyes lock with Tanya's. She seems to question her next move. I nod encouragingly.
Tanya leans forward, her lips a whispers breath from Bella's ear. Holy fuck, she just licked her ear. Tanya's hand reaches towards Bella's chest. For a moment I thought she was going to grab a boob. Instead, she clutches the diamond pendant I gave Bella for our first anniversary. They're discussing something, but being far away from them at the bar, I have no idea what they are saying. I can see their actions, though. Both of them glance towards me causing me to think they are up to something.
I drink more of my beer.
Tanya stands up her arms reaching out for Bella's hand, then pulls her to stand aside her. With a final glance my way, they proceed to walk out the door of the bar.
A/N: Would love to hear your thoughts.
Sentence teaser for next chapter: Well shit! That certainly wasn't part of the plan.