Chapter 9:
EPOV
The dog is sitting on my chest when I wake up and the familiar sounds of Bella cooking can be heard from the kitchen. It's Saturday. Images from Jason's house the night before flood my mind. God, that was an insane night. Bella must be sore today. And yet she's downstairs preparing breakfast, gearing up for a day of 24/7 play. The woman's voracious, I'll give her that.
"What do you want?" I ask the dog while pushing him to the side and sitting upright in bed. Ugh, I'm sore too. My arms and shoulders are stiff.
Beanie hops around on the bed trying to rouse me. He must want a walk. I take a quick five minute shower and brush my teeth before following the dog downstairs to where his leash is kept.
"Good morning, Master," Isabella greets me in the foyer. She gracefully drops to her knees to show the proper respect. She's wearing the apron I love and nothing else. My cock stirs a little; Isabella submitting to me will never cease to turn me on. But it's still early and the damn dog's about to piss on the tile.
"Good morning, pet," I reply adoringly. "I'm going to walk Beanie and get yesterday's mail. Is breakfast almost ready?"
"About ten minutes, Master."
"Perfect. I'll be back in a few minutes then," I reply and bend down to kiss her forehead.
Outside the rain is light and the temperature is warm. It looks like it might turn out to be a nice day. Beanie drags me down the steps and towards the nearest fire hydrant. Damn, that dog had to go. We continue around the block stopping to sniff a number of seemingly random blades of grass along the way. When we return to the front of the house I open the mailbox and pull out the contents. There's a rectangular cardboard box but I think nothing of it, assuming Bella must have ordered something. Maybe it's a new toy?
I'm eager to get her back on stage. It's been a full week since we've performed at Coming Attractions and another six days before we will again. As much as I enjoy the playroom and even what took place last night, there's something special about being on stage with Bella; exposed and on display for everyone to witness as we make love in our own unique way. Falling in love has changed my preferences in many ways but the theater is still my favorite setting for sex.
Breakfast smells amazing and I toss the mail on the kitchen island before taking a seat at the table. "What did you make?" I ask eagerly. The intense fucking from last night has left me famished.
"Eggs Benedict and French toast with cinnamon."
My mouth begins to water as she places the plates on the table. Damn, I love Saturday mornings.
We eat mostly in comfortable silence; the meal is too good to interrupt with conversation. Afterwards, Bella clears the table and starts washing the dishes in the sink. I sit back to digest the food and admire Isabella's fine ass on display.
"What's in the box that came yesterday?" I ask remembering the mail on the counter and walking over to retrieve it.
Bella glances over her shoulder with a look of confusion on her face. "I'm not expecting any packages, Master."
My heart rate suddenly picks up as I take a closer look at the box. "Fuck," I say under my breath. Not only is there no return address to identify the sender, but I notice there's no postmark either. This was hand delivered. An unsettling feeling washes over me as I turn the package over in my hands. Bella senses my concern and walks to my side while drying her hands on the sheer apron. The wet spots cling to the porcelain skin underneath, but now is not the time to think about such things.
"Who's it from?" she asks softly although we both already know the answer.
I place the box down gently on the counter as if the contents could be an explosive device. "I'm going to open it. Let's take a Dom/sub timeout while I do, agreed?"
"Okay," she replies and reaches behind her neck to remove the leather collar. She places it gently on the countertop next to the package. "Hi," she whispers becoming Bella again.
I smirk briefly. "Hi, baby. Nice to see you again."
Bella rolls her eyes as I turn my attention back to Kinky Catie's latest gift. I open the box carefully and stick my hand inside saying a silent prayer it doesn't blow up. I pull out two items, a USB thumb drive and a pair of fire engine red silk panties.
"Gross," Bella comments. "Those have probably been worn and now they're on a surface we eat on."
"Might have her DNA then," I reply trying to lighten the tense mood in the room.
Bella snorts. "Yeah, that's helpful. I'll just send them on down to Chief Swan so he can analyze them in the crime lab."
I give her a dirty look. "Alright, wise ass. What do you think is on the USB drive?"
"Only one way to find out." Bella grabs the device and heads into our downstairs library where my laptop sits on the sofa. She plugs it in and we wait quietly for the computer to recognize the hardware.
"Looks like there's only one file on here," she says.
"Well, open it," I reply moving closer to watch over her shoulder.
"Edward, it's a video file," she warns. I nod mentally preparing myself for what we're about to see. This could be bad.
The media player starts up and the screen is dark for a second or two. Then the lighting changes and it becomes clear the footage is of an empty bedroom. A woman appears from off camera and walks directly into focus. I recognize my stalker from the photos she previously sent.
"I still have no recollection of this woman. Do you?" Bella complains.
"No, still nothing. But she has to be from the club," I reply equally frustrated.
Catie looks directly at the camera and begins slowly stripping off her clothing. She's obviously intending to perform a provocative strip tease, and though she has an attractive figure, in this context it just isn't appealing. She peels off red panties that I'm sure are the pair that currently sits on our granite countertop.
Bella groans as Catie runs her hands all over her now naked body. "What is this chick's problem?" she whispers mostly to herself.
Catie walks over to the bed and picks up a wooden ruler. She whips it through the air for effect and then bends herself over the bed as if she's about to take a punishment. My mind is reeling, wondering why she's so obsessed with me if she's got a Dom off screen about to punish her, when she reaches her arm behind her back and strikes her own ass with the ruler.
"Fucking crazy bitch," Bella exclaims, her eyes wide in horror.
Catie gives herself at least twenty lashes before dropping the wooden tool. It's hard to be sure from the angle but it appears like she was hitting herself very hard. "That punishment I took for you, Master. You've been bad not replying to my letters. You've been very bad," Catie says still bent over the bed and her glassy eyes staring into the camera lens.
"Letters?" Bella asks picking up on the plural. She turns her body to look at me directly.
Fuck. I knew I should have told her. I pause the video using the finger pad. "Uh, yeah. She kinda sent a second letter. I was going to tell you about it, I swear. I just didn't want to worry you."
"Edward, how could you! What did that one say?" Bella demands.
"It was more of the same," I reply trying to downplay the severity of the situation. "A few more pictures, all of which I gave to Rose."
"You told Rosalie about the second letter and not me?"
I sigh, feeling like a schmuck. "I'm sorry. I know I should have showed it to you," I say sincerely. I move a hand close to her face with the intention of brushing my fingers along her cheek but she bats my hand away.
"Play the damn video," she replies icily, obviously still pissed at me.
Catie stretches out on the bed and begins fondling herself. She starts out slow and with her eyes closed. This too is clearly a show, like a demonstration of her desire. The camera is positioned between her spread legs and I count seven minutes that elapse before she finally climaxes. She screams out my name as she comes. It's the first time that the sound of a woman screaming my name has made me want to hurl. It's historically the tipping point of my own release; there's no stronger sense of power and dominance than watching a woman come undone under your control. If Catie ruins that feeling for me I will be ten shades of pissed off.
"See what you're missing, Master Cullen? See how good I come for you? Think how much better it will be when your big delicious cock is inside me!" Catie gets off the bed and approaches the camera for a close up of her face. It aggravates me that I have no fucking clue who this woman is. "You better respond to me this time, Master," she says in a cold threatening tone. "There's a PO Box address written inside the panties I creamed thinking about your cock. Don't disappoint me, Master. I'll be waiting for your answer."
The video shuts off.
Bella turns to face me. "Should we go to the police now?"
I shake my head adamantly. "No, Bella. That will expose me. She's obviously psychologically damaged. We just need to figure out who she is and try to get her some help."
"How do we do that? Wait, you're thinking of writing back to her?" Bella asks sounding shocked.
I shrug. "Just one letter to explain that I'm flattered but not interested. Maybe offer to meet her somewhere safe and then try to get her to seek professional help."
"Edward, she might be dangerous. If you reject her… you don't know what she's capable of doing."
"What do you think she's going to do? Shoot me in broad daylight?" I ask.
"Haven't you ever seen Fatal Attraction?" Bells huffs and stand up; pacing a few feet away from me. "I can't believe you didn't tell me she contacted you again. This makes three attempts."
I stand too but she backs away. "I'll call Rosalie and give her an update. Let's see what she thinks we should do."
Bella nods curtly and exits the room without another word. Reaching for my phone I quickly dial Rose's cell number. She answers and I explain everything that's just happened.
"So what do you think we should do?" I ask. "Rose?"
"Yeah, I'm here. That's some pretty fucked up shit, Cuz. Do you and Bella want to stay here until this girl is arrested?"
"I don't want to involve the authorities and I'm not going to run."
"Edward, she knows where you live, and she's psycho. Don't be stupid."
I roll my eyes at the phone. "Have you found anything on her at the club?" I ask ignoring her previous comment.
"No. She's not listed as a current member and no one's seen her around. I was thinking I'd go over the old schedules you used for getting subs when Jessica wasn't available. I can cross reference them to our old member lists and see if her name comes up that way."
"Yes, please do that."
"I'll have to find them; assuming Jenks hasn't thrown them away. What are you going to do in the meantime?"
"I was thinking of playing into her little game… of responding to her by mail," I reply.
"What does Bella think of that idea?" she asks a hint of amusement in her voice.
"The same as you apparently, that I'm crazy, too trusting that she isn't dangerous."
"I still think you should call the cops. Emmett agrees with me," she counters.
I groan. "Look, Bella is waiting for me. Let me know if you come up with anything," I plead.
"Will do."
I disconnect the call and tread back into the kitchen where Bella is finishing the dishes. I notice she's changed into shorts and a tank top, still her playtime wardrobe but much more modest than the apron.
She doesn't turn around even after I clear my throat. "I don't want this to ruin our day, but maybe we should skip playtime for now?" I suggest sorrowfully. I don't even know if I could slip back into Dom mode at this point.
"My dick's as limp as a wet noodle right now," I add when she continues ignoring me.
She looks over her shoulder at my groin and smiles carefully. "Yeah, I think you're right. We should really talk more about this anyway."
"Okay," I agree though I'd rather do anything but think any more about Kinky Catie ever again.
"Mrs. Beagle's always offering me her late husband's yacht. Do you want to take it out around to Dungeness Bay? Get out of here for a while and get some fresh air?"
I smile, relieved that I seem to be at least partially forgiven for hiding the second letter from her. "Sure, that's a great idea."
Two hours later Bella and I are leaving the Ediz Hook marina on a sixty foot long catamaran. A marine employee name Calvin is at the wheel. He's unusually tan for the Olympic Peninsula with shoulder length brown hair and aqua eyes. Calvin seems to remember Bella from previous yacht trips with Mrs. Beagle. I didn't miss his eyes roaming over her on the dock or the wayward glances he throws her way as we set sail. Every time he happens to look at me I purposely scowl. He needs to be made aware of whom Bella belongs to.
Overfriendly sailors aside, it was a good idea Bella had for us to get out of the house for the afternoon. All our issues seem less oppressive out on the open water. And Bella looks breathtaking in a yellow sundress that emphasizes her cleavage; the long skirt blowing in the wind.
"Now, which husband left Mrs. Beagle this boat?" I ask biting into a tuna sandwich. We're lounging on the yacht's main deck, talking and eating the picnic lunch we packed from home.
"That would be number two. Sudden heart attack." Bella lies on the blanket we brought popping red grapes into her mouth. She's wearing an oversized straw hat and big black sunglasses looking like a glamorous fifties movie star.
"She isn't one of those black widow wives, is she?" I ask teasing.
Bella laughs at my joke but then her expression turns melancholy. "No, she didn't off her husbands. She's actually terribly lonesome. Her third husband's been dead now fifteen years and she's all by herself in that huge house."
I roll onto my back and open the buttons of my shirt. The rare sunshine warms my skin while I digest lunch. "That's depressing," I say thoughtfully.
"I don't want to end up like her," Bella says softly. I look over to check her expression. It's serious and forlorn. What a quick change from a moment ago. She's biting her lip and I know what she's saying is something that's difficult for her to admit.
"What do you mean?"
"Desperate, unloved by anyone, easily forgotten. Once she's gone what will it mean to anyone that she lived at all?"
"Sweetheart," I say reaching out for her hand. Bella puts down the food in her hand and moves to lie next to me. We both turn to our sides to face one another. How could she think I'd ever let any of those things happen to her?
"I want my life to mean something, Edward. I want to do or create something that will live on after I'm gone."
"Like what?" I ask softly, brushing a stray hair back from her face.
"I don't know, a book maybe. I have no idea what I'd write about, but I've wanted to do it since I chose to major in English."
I can't help the chuckle that escapes my lips. Bella's brows crease. She's miffed by my response during such a vulnerable moment. She's telling me something very personal and I know I shouldn't laugh. "I'm sorry. I was thinking about how adamantly you hate writing in your journal just as you were saying that you'd like to write."
"That's different!" she exclaims swatting me playfully. "You force me to do that writing, and you want me to write about the sex we've had and how it makes me feel. Maybe I want to write about wine vineyards in southern France or what the Northern Lights look like up close."
I stare at her face for a moment, something clicking in my mind that I should have realized long ago. "You think having kids means you wouldn't be able to do those things, don't you?" I accuse gently.
Bella ducks her head, embarrassed to admit what I've already figured out. "Yes. And I want that, to have the freedom to travel and see the world. But I also want to be surrounded by family as I grow older. I don't even have any siblings…"
"And so you worry about ending up alone like Mrs. Beagle," I guess.
"Yeah. Edward, she's been to some amazing places. Mongolia, Fiji, but she still looks back and wishes she could have had children."
"So what are you saying, Bella?"
"I don't know. I feel like the paths you and I want to take are the same, only the road I'm looking down is much longer. You seem so sure of what you want; your path is straight and clear. Mine twists and turns and I like not knowing what to expect around the next curve."
I stare at Bella's face and wait for her chocolate brown eyes to stare back. When she does I smile reassuringly because I can see the worry in her eyes over what my reaction might be. I don't care what path she wants to follow as long as we do it together.
"Bella, I'm sorry I've been pressuring you about getting married and what our future together will look like. You know that I want to be with you the rest of my life. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy. If time is all you need, a long meandering path as you put it, then I'll walk it with you."
"Edward…"
"No, wait a minute. I also need you to understand where I'm coming from. When I met you I thought I had things figured out. I wanted to find a woman to share my life with but also knew I couldn't turn my back on my alternative lifestyle. I assumed I had to choose one or the other and I'd made my peace with that. And then you came along and changed everything for me. For the first time I thought maybe I could have both."
"I want to give you both," Bella says reaching to intertwine my fingers with hers.
"My family got kind of fucked up after John and Katherine died, as you already know. My sense of security and home was lost in one night and I never really got it back. Eventually the five of us figured out how to be a family again but the home I once knew was never the same. Since falling in love with you I've begun to allow myself to imagine my own wife and children. Whenever it is we start a family, a year from now or in ten years, it'll be my chance to recreate what I've been missing; to have that feeling of home again."
"I didn't know you felt like something was missing when you're around your family," she says stroking my face with her fingers.
"It's why I had no problem letting Rose have my parents' house when they moved to Seattle. It hasn't felt like the home I once knew since the accident. But I don't resent my cousins at all for coming to live with us; it's just that there are so many painful memories in that house now."
Bella kisses me sweetly and sits up. "Well, I demand you stop thinking about your family that way. I am your home now, wherever we live and however many little Edwards we eventually make," she says lightheartedly.
I know she's trying to make me laugh and it works. Anytime she references our hypothetical future together it eases my worries. I push the picnic basket aside and pull Bella into my arms, her back to my chest so we can watch the open sea together. The waves are licking the side of the boat and occasionally a spray of seawater mists our faces. I know Calvin is watching us from the steering wheel so I make a point to hold Bella close and kiss her face and neck often. This amazing woman is all mine.
"We only have to name one of them Edward," I tease. "And we can lug them all around the world if you want. I promise to take you anywhere you want to go, Bella. I'm going to give you everything you want."
Bella withdraws from my arms and turns around to face me. "I believe you," she whispers. "And I'll do the same for you."
I lean forward and kiss Bella's lips. Then she reaches behind her back and unzips her sundress. My eyes quickly dart behind us to Calvin, who's wisely got his eyes focused out on the horizon. Bella tosses her dress aside and lies down beside me wearing just her white bikini.
"What do you think of the yacht?" she asks changing the subject again.
"It's spectacular. How often does your client ask you to take her out here?" I wonder.
"Not in a long time, maybe last summer. Mrs. Beagle says sailing was really her husband's passion, not hers. She thinks of the boat as more of a bother now, keeping up with marina fees and paying Calvin to maintain it."
"Why haven't you ever introduced me to Mrs. Beagle? Do you think she'd not approve of me?"
Bella laughs. I love seeing her so at ease. The salty air suits her. "Are you kidding? She loves you. She was the brains behind those crotchless panties with the matching bra."
I look back to where Calvin is standing on deck. "He can't hear you," Bella says rolling her eyes. "Lighten up, you caveman."
"Watch yourself, Isabella," I growl. It is still Saturday and I can very easily pick you up and take you below deck."
Bella's face brightens and she replies, "I have not forgotten either, that today is indeed still Saturday… Master."
"Well then, Isabella. May I escort you below deck?" Without waiting for a response I scoop Bella into my arms and carry her across the bow, past Calvin, and down the stairs to the seating area below deck. Bella giggles as I drop her gently on the large sofa and then walk back to lock the door behind us.
A/N: This wasn't my favorite chapter... but some plot had to take place and Edward had to get confess about the second Catie letter sooner or later. More shit hits the fan next week!
Please leave a comment! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving to all my USA readers!