As always I own nothing. Everything belongs to S.M. I just play with the characters. Thanks again to the ever wonderful SarcasticBimbo for bring my beta. Let's see how Bella is doing.

BPOV

When I left Edward's on Sunday evening I knew that my session with Alice the next day was vital. Although I had played with Jake we were also in a relationship. He was the only other I have ever had a sexual relationship with. I knew I wanted to do this; I needed to do this, but I wasn't so sure I could do this and not become attached to this man. He was completely the opposite of anything I have ever encountered. Where Jake was rough around the edges and sometimes rough with me, I could see a gentleness in the mystery that was Edward Cullen.

After getting home to my little loft apartment, I sorted my laundry and made sure everything was set for my early start the next morning. Being a double major was tough, but I was determined to make my way on my own. With the sale of the house and the money I got when my parents died, I didn't have to work for a while and could concentrate solely on school. I got into bed and my phone pinged. I smiled at the way Edward had checked on me the last time we had parted ways, as well. We said good night, with his promise to speak the next day.

Mondays sucked. They were the days that usually started before dawn and ended around four or five. They sucked the life right out of me.

Getting degrees in Financial Analysis and Technical Analysis are what I've always wanted. What can I say? I'm a numbers nerd. When my first class was over, I checked my phone and noticed I had a missed call from Edward. I sent a text with an apology and good morning. To say I was surprised with an invitation to lunch was an understatement. I accepted and had to rush to my appointment with Alice.

I reached her office with a few moments to spare. Gina greeted me and I had a seat. Soon the door opened and Alice hugged me hello then ushered me into her office. She brought over some tea and took her seat. She looked up and smiled. "So Bella, how have you been since last week?"

Smiling, and I am sure blushing from head to toe, I thought about the last week. "I have been well. As you know I met the Daddy you suggested." She nodded and gestured for me to continue. "We got along well. I'm not sure how much I can tell you because of the club's NDA. She shook her head and smiled.

"Sweetie, anything said here is completely between us and unless you are hurting yourself, or anyone, else I can't repeat it. Not even to Jasper. All Edward knew about you was your name and that you were new to the club. Nothing more."

That made me feel a little better. I relaxed and told her how we had a test weekend and he invited me to lunch after our appointment. She looked shocked but covered it quickly.

"How do you think the weekend went, Bella? From your point of view."

Thinking back over the weekend, I thought it went very well, but I began to worry maybe he had time to think and wanted to cancel the whole agreement. I started to fidget.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Alice. "What if lunch is to tell me that after thinking about everything, I'm not really his style? I mean I didn't really like those other men. It made me uncomfortable the way they looked at me. I thought things went well. We made plans for a mid-week meeting, but maybe he changed his mind. I don't have a lot of experience. I've only been with one other guy."

Alice made some sort of note on her paper. She looked a little irritated and was writing a mile a minute. She looked back at me with another smile.

"Bella, I'm going to tell you something very few people in the community know aside from Jasper and the owners of the club. Edward is my cousin." Elf say what? "We don't make it common knowledge, but his mother and father raised me from a very young age after my parents died. If he has asked you to his office for lunch, he has not changed his mind. In fact, I can assure you that, as far I know, he has never invited anyone outside of family to his office except clients, much less his 'littles'."

Okay, but I still didn't feel much better about the whole thing. I'm a little surprised they're related but I guess they wouldn't tell a lot people.

"Okay, I get that, but why invite me if he doesn't do that sort of thing? He told me he doesn't do romance and relationships, so I'm afraid, because I have never been in the position where I had to detach my emotions from the person I am with. You know Jake is the only other person I have been with. How do I separate the two? How do I know if I have gone too far?" Alice sat her book down and smiled.

"These are good questions. Questions only you can answer. Listen to your gut, your instincts. If you feel things are getting too intense, you need to talk to Edward. Tell him; trust in yourself. If you have to take a break, tell him that, too. You create your path and follow it. Something tells me everything will work out just fine." With that, my time was up and I was on my way to see Edward.

Arriving at the office, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I knew he was successful but his office—hell, the whole building—screamed "we make money." To make matters worse, the secretary was top notch, straight from a plastic bimbo magazine, with the attitude to boot. To say I was glad Edward came into the lobby when he did was an understatement.

As he led me inside, leaving the bimbo behind, I wanted to tell him how she treated me but it really wasn't my place to meddle in his business. Lucky for me, he asked about my stand-off with Little Miss Bimbo and he did not seem happy at all. I really didn't want to cause any trouble, but he said it would be taken care of.

Lunch was laid back and easy, which helped with my nerves until we were ready to part ways. I didn't understand what he wanted when he asked me to play along as he walked me out to the front lobby. The kiss he gave me was sweet and tender and if I didn't know better the look on his face made his words seem so sincere and believable.

I was back at school for my last class of the day when it hit me. Edward said I needed my lists on Wednesday. I didn't have one, Jake and I just decided as we went along. Well, Jake decided, actually. Of course, I knew what my limits were, I had just never bothered to write them down. What if we weren't compatible? I knew this was a physical relationship, but something kept telling me that if I had to walk away, I would be crushed. Now I wondered, just what have I gotten myself into?

Well it seems Little Bella has a lot to think about. Till next time.