Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author of this story is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 15

"You fucking asshole!" Emmett yells as he takes aim at me again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I ask him as I dodge out of the way.

"You! You are what is wrong. What is it, huh Edward? Your string of fucking whores not enough for you? You feel the need to take an innocent girl from her life?" He tries to corner me, but once again I am able to move out of the way.

"Stay still and calm the fuck down," I yell back at him.

He stops, but his fists stay clenched. "Start explaining," he says through gritted teeth.

"This is none of your damn business, but if you must know, I didn't take her. She was given to me by our father." As much as he may dislike dad, I felt the need to remind him that we share the same father. His blood runs in Emmett just as much as it does mine.

"Why the hell would you accept a gift of a person? Of a fucking teenager? Why Edward? Why would you take part in this sick ritual?" He asks me in total disgust.

"Once again, I will remind you that you should stay out of something that isn't your fucking business. But, I will tell you this, she is much better off with me than she is with anyone else." He is really pissing me off.

"Give me a fucking break!" He exclaims. "You think she's better off with you. How the hell is she better off being with you?"

"Because Aro … you remember Aro, don't you? … Aro was the one that sold her. She would either be with somebody much worse or be stuck as Aro's personal sex toy. That's how the hell she is better off with me, you imbecile," I retort.

I see him visibly shudder at the mention of Aro's name. Everyone knows how horrible Aro is. I still can't believe my father was doing business with him.

"How do I know that you're treating Bella any better than they would?" He asks as he raises his eyebrow in question.

I scoff at his ridiculous question. "I know she's better off with me, and you should know that too."

"How would I know that, Edward? I don't even know you anymore. Ever since you've gotten involved in our father's business, I don't know you at all," he says incredulously.

"That's not true. I'm still the same person."

"No, you can't even see it. You're not the same person you used to be. You use to care about people. You use to want to help them. What the hell happened?" He huffs and takes a seat.

I go and sit down at my desk.

"Just because you and Jasper turned out to be pussies, doesn't mean I did. I'm not scared of the power that comes with the Cullen name. Besides, someone has to take over this business and it sure as hell isn't going to be one of you assholes," I yell.

"If the 'power' means pushing people around, whoring around, intimidating people, killing people, and running guns … then yeah, leave me out of it. That is not a life. That's a fucking Godfather movie," he says in disgust.

"Why the hell do you care, Emmett?" I huff. He makes me totally exasperated.

His face softens. "I care because you're my brother, and brothers are supposed to look out for each other. Our father sure as hell doesn't look out for us. We need to be there for each other."

"When the hell did you start caring about my welfare?" I can't believe he's suddenly getting lovey-dovey on me.

"I've always cared about your welfare, and I care about Bella's welfare as well. As far as our father is concerned, I only put up with him because of mom and you. Otherwise, I would have severed all ties with him long ago," he states full of conviction.

"He's not that bad," I try to say casually.

"Yes, he is. He's leading you down a terrible road. He decides the fates of others. He's not God; he has no right to do that. Do you have any idea how many people our father has killed or had killed? And now you're falling in his footsteps. It's not too late for you to get out."

"I thought this was about Bella, and now it's about wanting me to get out of the family business?" Make up your mind Emmett.

"It's about both of you. Bella shouldn't be treated like an object. You are deciding her fate. Are you going to condemn her to a loveless life, a life spent acting as your personal slave?" He arches his eyebrow again, as if he's made some major point.

Maybe he has, but this is my decision not his.

"I won't let Bella go. I want her with me, and she's safer with me," I tell him.

"Maybe she's safer with you, but is she better off? Isn't it possible for her to have her own life?" He looks down shaking his head in disappointment.

He has no right to butt into my business. How dare he assume what my relationship is with Bella. Maybe I have yet to define it myself, but I'm sure as hell not going to justify anything to Emmett.

"We are done, Emmett. I'm not talking about this with you anymore. I think it's time for you to leave," I say gesturing towards the door.

"Just think about it Edward. Think about giving her a 'real' life. She's a human being not a possession," he says somberly and heads out the door.

Emmett's lucky. No one, except him and Jasper could talk to me that way and live to tell the tale. I love them both, but I wish they'd stay out of my business.

Bella is exactly where she belongs, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, will take her away from me. Not my father, not Aro, not Emmett or Jasper. She's mine and mine alone.

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Bella has just finished eating when I return to the room. At least her appetite has increased even if only by a little. I've lost my appetite thanks to Emmett.

I know it's irrational of me, but what I want to do is have her squirming underneath me and screaming out my name so that everyone knows that she belongs to me. Like I said … irrational, I know.

"Is everything ok?" she asks, obviously noting the change in my demeanor.

"Everything's fine," I reply, trying hard to believe it myself. "Let's take a walk."

I hold my hand out to her. She gets up and nervously puts her hand in mine. She can tell something is off with me.

I can't help the way I feel. I am so damn mad at Emmett and this whole fucked up situation. Why couldn't I have just met Bella the 'normal way'? Or at least have what one would consider as 'normal' a situation as possible as someone in my position.

I try to reign in my temper. It's not fair for Bella to be on the receiving in for something that she has no control over. However, it's hard to stop the feeling of possession I have over her. I don't like feeling threatened over the possibility of losing her.

There is no possibility. I won't let it happen. Emmett may have his own concerns, but he needs to stay out of my life. Everyone needs to stay out of my life.

We're taking a short walk around my property, but it's not enough. I'm feeling restless.

I take her inside and guide her towards the recreational area. We go through an ornate, stained glass door that leads to my indoor pool. It is quite cool outside, so I want to keep us indoors and avoid my girl getting sick.

She looks up at me nervously as I stop by the cabinet and grab two towels.

"Are we swimming?" She asks me.

"Yeah, I need to burn off some energy," I say as I watch her bite her lip.

I let go of her hand and begin unbuttoning my shirt.

"Um, Edward, I don't have a bathing suit." She's looking down at the ground as if she's afraid to look up at me.

"You don't need one. We're swimming in our birthday suits."

She gasps and looks up at me.

"What? We've seen each other naked," I tell her. I am curious as to why she is having such a reaction.

"What if someone sees us?"

"No one will see us, Bella. My men know not to bother us." I'm a little agitated, but I have to remind myself that nothing is her fault, but it's hard because I have such a temper.

I continue getting undressed and as I finish I notice she is still dressed.

"Take your clothes off Bella," I say a little forcefully. I know she's shy, but there's no reason to be that way around me.

She starts slowly undressing as I dive into the pool.

The water is refreshing, and I immediately start doing laps. I'm hoping to swim off some of this pent up anger.

After a few laps, I stop at the deep end and look across to the shallow end. There she is, just past the steps of the pool. She is standing so the water is just past her chest, and her hair is still dry except for the ends.

Bella doesn't seem to realize that the water is so crystal clear that she won't be able to hide her luscious body from me.

I slowly swim down to her, keeping my eyes on her the whole time. I see her gulp nervously the closer I approach.

"Don't you want to swim?" I ask her as I stop in front of her.

"I … I don't know how," she says seeming to be embarrassed by that fact.

"That's ok, I'll teach you, but not today." I grab her arms and bring them around my neck.

Having her tits pressed up against me has me as hard as a rock. I know she can feel my erection poking into her thigh. I want nothing more than to sink inside of her, but the pool is no place for that. Besides, I promised her that it would be awhile before we go that far.

I'm supposed to be allowing her concessions, but it's really hard when her naked body is pressed up against mine.

Before I know it, I have her backed up against the pool steps, and I'm grinding against her. God, I'm in need of a release.

"Um, Edward …." I hear Bella mumble.

"What?" I whisper in her ear as I continue my grinding. I can't seem to stop.

"You … you said that we … we didn't have to go this far now," she stutters out.

I sigh loudly and irritated and pull away.

"I could … I could help you out?" She says like a question.

Immediately I take my place on the top step of the pool. "Yes."

I don't really think about it. I have got to have a release, and if she's willing to do it then it will be that much better.

She sits beside me and gently grabs my cock. I'd much rather see her between my legs, but this will do for now.

She starts at my shaft and works her way up. At least she's learning to get more attentive with her strokes.

She tightens her hold as she continues to hold me, and I just about burst. Fuck! I just have to imagine that it's her mouth that's taking me in. I swear I can feel her warm, wet walls just thinking about it.

Bella continues to pump me now at a much faster rate and occasionally rubs her fingers across my tip.

I can't take it anymore, and I come all over her hand.

I should feel guilty, but I don't. She asked if I wanted her to do it. Did she think I would actually refuse? She may have thought we were going to have sex or that I was going to have her blow me.

I was going to put the brakes on our sexual interaction, and I still may. However, it's hard with my beautiful, sexy girl around.

I'll take it slow … eventually.

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Sorry for the late update, but it couldn't be helped. Edward doesn't like to be told what to do and he still has a long way to go. It's hard for him to let go of his domineering and selfish ways. Your reviews mean a lot. Please let me know what you think.