Bella
It's like we're two soldiers at war and Edward's phone is the bomb we've got to dismantle. But we both stare at the thing like it's going to blow our heads off any minute now. My brain feels fried. I can't believe Edward's closest friend would do this to him. It's utter betrayal.
"Your little partner in crime?" Charlotte, the private investigator, sounds like the sassiest, cuntiest and baddest of them all. I kinda really like her vibe.
"I should probably emphasize on the 'crime' part, Edward. How come you didn't do a background check on this dude before you hired him back in the day, heh?"
I'm staring at Edward while he's staring at the phone as if the answers to his questions will pop up if he keeps looking at the call screen long enough. It's almost as if I can see him crumble.
"I…," he starts, letting out a deep, loaded sigh. "He's been my buddy for half my life. Now I know he used to get in trouble a lot but I've seen him change over the years."
I frown, wondering what kind of trouble Mike was involved in. I have a feeling it's a tad more serious than Edward's words suggest. And that he probably hasn't changed all that much, either. I knew he was trouble when I first laid eyes on him.
"Well, buddy," Charlotte says. "We both know men don't change. Not his kind, anyway."
"This suspense is fucking killing me," I mutter quietly.
"I'll cut the crap and tell you Mike has been snatching your clientele. He also stole tools from you, Edward…plus, the company fuel card? You might want to check where he's going with the company truck you got him, and how many times he's filling up that tank."
Silence hits the kitchen like a tidal wave. And I have never seen that look on Edward's face. It's a mix between murderous and sadness. If anything, I think that's what someone looks like when they've been betrayed by their confidante. And I can barely contain my anger. After all the things Edward has done for Mike, he bluntly stabs him in the back. "Sweetheart, you've been way too trusting."
It's the ones closest to you that tend to hurt you the most.
"Wh…" He seems at loss for words, his jade eyes glassy and lifeless. All the color has drained from his face, my tan, summer man pale and expressionless.
I step closer, pressing my cheek into Edward's back, hugging him tightly from behind. This is all much worse than I anticipated.
"I know, Edward…and I'm sorry that I have to tell you this. Your friend is a snake, darling. He also likes to plant his seed in multiple fields, so to speak… he certainly keeps busy. It's like he wants to be you."
I know Edward isn't really considering what I think Charlotte will say next. But it's been in the back of my brain ever since my mother called me out on working at Edward's company. And come to think of it, since the start of this phone call my gut feeling only became more and more prominent. I guess I should've known that my mother marrying a blue collar guy was a giant red flag. Renée never does anything unless there's something in it for her. Never.
"Is he…" I start, speaking out of turn. But I can tell by the tenseness of Edward's shoulders and the way his breathing shakes, I have to be strong for him. After all, it's like Charlotte is riding a wrecking ball into Edward's life. And his life? That would be the porcelain shop. She's pulling everything to shreds. And Edward paid her to do just that, I know. Although I think he didn't expect it to be this bad.
"Is he what?" Edward asks through gritted teeth. He's angry, alright. And he's got every right to be. God, poor baby…I don't want to ask Charlotte but I need to know whether my gut feeling was right. We need to know the truth in order to go forward, and grow together.
"Charlotte," I start again, collecting myself, my palms stroking Edward's bare arms. "Is Mike the one who's fucking Edward's wife?" It comes out a little harsher than I'd anticipated. I guess there's no soft or gentle way to ask anyone whether or not someone's best friend is sleeping with their wife.
Edward's fingertips almost dent the tabletop. His eyes are closed, as if he's focused on just breathing and not turning into a pile of misery on the floor.
"I've caught them together, through the window of the guest room in the house." It's all Charlotte has to say to give us our answer. Mike, Edward's best friend since forever, is sleeping with my mother, with his wife. Has been for a while. The same jerk has also been stealing from Edward's company. That man is a different kind of evil.
"Motherfucking rat!" Edward yells. He walks back and out of the kitchen, the back door rattling on its hinges as it slams shut, making me wince. Thank god his mother is out…
I'm left in the kitchen, a deep sigh coming through the speaker of his phone. I pick it up, turn to the bay window where I see Edward sitting down on the back deck, face in his hands.
"I'll make sure he gets the evidence, sweetheart," Charlotte says.
I bite my lip, not quite knowing what to do.
"I feel a little useless, here…" I admit. "You give news like this quite often, don't you?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But it's my calling to rid this earth of the douchenozzles who think they can do anything without repercussions."
"What can I do for Edward, Charlotte?" I sigh. "He's hurting so bad…"
I almost cry looking at my guy out in his mother's backyard. He seems tiny in his sadness, my giant.
"Just be there, I guess. And, Bella?" I'm surprised to hear she knows my name.
"Yes?"
"Please, darling, don't get caught in any sort of heat in any type of moment, okay?"
"I—"
"We have a solid case against your mother, now. So whatever you guys do? Do it behind closed doors and don't tell a soul before the divorce goes through, okay?"
"Okay," I croak out, feeling foolish. As if I didn't already know that I couldn't go out and be all over Edward.
"Tell Edward to give me a call when he can, okay? We'll meet up in person to discuss tactics. Make sure he gets a good divorce lawyer."
I wrap up the conversation and take a minute to think before I do anything. Just be there for him.
Just when I'm about to grab two bottles of beer from the fridge and head outside, Edward's phone vibrates with a message.
Renée: Where the hell are you?
It's been two fucking days and she's just texting Edward now? I guess her devoted little wife-act didn't come to mind until just now. I don't even open the text and abandon Edward's phone on the kitchen table before I'll do anything I'll regret. We have to be smart about this situation for sure. So we don't need any impulsive, angry shit to make this even stickier than it already is. Right now, I need to focus on Edward. And I want to be that person for him, the one who makes terror like this a tad better. I want to be the one who makes him forget a little, if only for a while. And right now? Daddy needs his doll.
There's time for revenge later.
I fluff up my hair and unzip my cleavage a little more, putting the girls on display. Sex might not be the answer to everything in life, that much I know. But if it's a distraction he needs, I'll do anything in my power to provide that.
Once I'm outside I feel silly about my idea. Because Edward looks like he's spiraling through all seven circles of hell, all at the same time. It's breaking my heart to see him like this.
"Hey…" I put my hands on his shoulders, massaging a bit before I walk down the little steps, sitting down on the one his feet are on, in between his legs. Resting my cheek against his jean-clad knee, I feel his presence relaxes me a bit.
"Baby, I'm no fun company right now. You should go get some sleep."
His eyes are red-rimmed and tired-looking. But most of all, it's the vacant expression that makes me crumble. One hot, wet tear makes its way down my cheek. I don't even bother to brush it away.
"I don't care," I tell him. "I love you."
He looks up, a tiny flicker in his beautiful, jewel eyes.
"I love you," he breathes, a somber smile flickering onto his face.
"You know," I start. "When you love a person, it's not always about happy times, sunshine and rainbows. I want you, I want to be with you, and I'm fully in this with you. I'm here for you, Edward Cullen."
"In good times, and bad, heh?" He lets out a humorless chuckle, running his fingers through the mane of my hair. Probably thinking about his messed-up marriage.
"I'm serious, Edward."
"Baby, I am too," he says. "You're the best in the worst of times. So once this shit is dealt with?" He arches a brow. "Oh, Bella, we're gonna have the best fucking life. I can't even imagine," he goes on. "'Cuz, if life is this bad and everything with you feels so incredible, so fucking good?" Edward shakes his head. "Then I can't even begin to imagine what it'll be like once we're real and out in the open."
Edward's words touch the deepest part of me. "We are real, though," I breathe. I can't stop the smile on my face, not after Edward just unveiled how epically romantic he can be. "But yeah," I agree. "The only way is up, Daddy."
I lean up, my palms sliding over the smooth cedar below them until we're just inches away from each other.
"Please," he whispers. "Please, be my up when all I feel is down." It's barely louder than a whisper, but the meaning is louder than ever.
My heart skips a beat hearing him beg like this. I've never once seen Edward so vulnerable. It makes me love him a little more, seeing him open up to me like this.
"I'll do anything for you," I reply. "Anything."
When we kiss, it's like magic. It's a kiss that turns into therapy, that melts two people into one. Our tongues mingle, speaking softly to one another without words. I sit up on my knees, unbothered by the hardwood digging into my skin, losing myself in this beautiful, bothered man. He sighs into our kiss, making me tremble with need as his hands glide down to my thighs, inching my dress up and up until the breeze hits my wet, lacy underwear. It makes me shudder, the warmth of Edward's fingertips giving me sparks all the way through my body. It's as if I'm putting him back together when we're like this. Together.
"Baby," Edward breathes, voice laced with emotion. My lashes flutter as I open my eyes, staring into bottomless pools of deep green.
Once I pull myself out of Edward's magical gaze, my fingers work his belt, the buttons of his fly, until I'm rewarded by the sight of his glorious cock. He's so hard, red at the tip. And I really don't want to make this about me right now. He needs to be pampered, worshipped. Edward needs to be pleased like nothing else matters in the world. And nothing does matter besides him.
"You've been so good to me, Daddy." I watch as he licks his lips, his arms stretching out behind his back as he leans back a little. "Let me be good to you, right now."
"You're gonna suck it all better, aren't you?"
"Mhm," I smile.
I rest my hands on top of his thighs, the denim soft and worn beneath my palms. Looking into his eyes, I part my lips, letting my saliva drop onto his length, making him groan as I spit.
"Dirty girl," he mutters.
"That's what you like, isn't it Daddy?" I grin, licking his balls, making my way up to his tip slowly.
"That's what Daddy loves, filthy baby."
His words urge me on, so I swirl my tongue around impatiently until I have a mouth full of Edward's cock. God, I could do this all day, making him feel good, making him lose himself, ravishing him with my mouth the way he does to me. Making him feel like a god.
"Fuck, you look so pretty right now," he grunts. His fingers find their way to my hair, tugging until my scalp burns as he wraps the length of my hair around his wrist in that way that I love. Possessive, rough, impatient. Hungry for me.
I put more effort into it, my nails running a path under Edward's T-shirt. He hisses when I scratch my way down his abs, his muscles tensing. When he forces me down on his cock even harder, I moan, my eyes rolling back as they water and he hits the back of my throat.
"Yes," he growls. "Swallow me down, baby. Like only you can."
It's the hint of romance that comes with his filth that makes my pussy quiver.
God, I love this man. What a beautiful life we'll be rewarded with, together.
