All characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.
A/N: Oooof! What a long week it has been for me. I caught a really bad cold last Sunday which involved a lot of fevers for a few days, severe headaches and body weakness. I'm still recovering but thankfully my mind is clear enough to do some editing and post this week's chapter. Hopefully this means I'll get back to my regular scheduled programming after this and I'll see you next week!
Enjoy!
Chapter 13
It's Friday evening and I arrive at the house rental where I will be living with my mother for the next couple of months. She wouldn't be arriving until the following Tuesday so I would thankfully have the house all to myself for the next few days. It was a giant relief. I needed some space to relax and destress from the absolute mayhem of finals week and to come to grips with the fact that I would be living under the same roof as my mother for the next almost three months.
I look around the house before I even unload my bags and other things I've brought to set up the house. My mother had sent me extra money this month to cover the expenses, which I was very thankful for. The house my mother picked was beautiful, it seemed to have been recently renovated and styled to a more modern design. It had an open living room, dining room, and kitchen separated only by arches and columns. A small study to the side of the living room. The left side of the house held one bedroom with its own private bathroom and the other side hosted two bedrooms with one shared bathroom. The setup was a little weird but my mom had rented it online. I'm assuming it had been built with the idea of hosting multiple renters at the same time.
I had to wonder why in god's name the owners would invest in a rental home when Forks rarely received visitors, but who was I to judge? I mean I guess we did host a lot of out-of-town hikers who liked to explore the wilderness of the Olympic National Park nearby. It's why the house was at the edge of the city, closer to the main highway leading toward the park.
Either way, I appreciated my mother wanting to provide me with a sense of privacy even while living under the same roof. I'd definitely have a lot more space and freedom than I had when staying at my dad's house. Which I would most definitely need if I expected late night visits from Paul. It would be so much easier to hide from the pack from here than it would be at my dad's house where most of the pack thought they had 24/7 welcome entry from both the front door and my bedroom window. Of course it never occurred to them to ask me first before showing up. I would of course put in some effort to establish some ground rules while living here, though. It would be necessary to maintain secrecy.
Today, Paul's renovated bar was having its grand opening and I was excited to see it fully completed. He'd been so busy this past week making sure everything would be ready for the opening that I haven't heard much of him nor seen him since last weekend when we had that mind blowing sex against my front door. I can't even deny that I've replayed that night in my head more frequently this past week than I would ever dare to admit out loud. And I was dying to have more.
I'd been exhausted the morning after. I hadn't had a full night's rest with him in my bed. And I couldn't lay the blame solely on Paul. He wasn't the only one who had woken the other up in the middle of the night to have sex again. I'd woken him up too, my body asking to have more of that earth shattering pleasure he'd given me.
I shiver at the memory, so clearly engraved in my mind I was pretty sure it would live there until I was old and gray. He'd left the next morning, right after we'd agreed we would try to hide it from the pack for as long as humanly possible. I just didn't want them meddling in this. I also kind of feared how Jacob would react. If he'd be angry or offended that I've decided to fuck someone else from the pack besides him…
And it sounded awful in my head when I thought about it like that.
I didn't want him, or anyone else in the pack, to think I was just going to fuck all the single guys whenever the mood struck. With Jacob it'd been for years, since I was a teenager, and with Paul it just kind of happened. I still couldn't explain it, and I was fully aware there were still a lot of questions I should have asked him before starting this thing between us. Conditions we should have both put in place before we started whatever it is we did that night. The bigger part of me, the sexual fiend inside of me, didn't give a shit about anything. Just wanting to have Paul fuck me into oblivion like he had that first time, it'd been absolutely magical. A mind-blowing sexual experience I was determined to get more of, hopefully as soon as tonight.
I hurry to finish up the house before I have to get ready. I know I'm already going to be late. My last final ended at five and I'd gone back home to pack most of my things. Then I'd gone shopping for the essentials before finally making the long drive to Forks. I was already exhausted, but there was no way in hell I would miss Paul's big day unless the earth suddenly broke in half and sucked me into the abyss. He'd already texted me a couple of times to make sure I wouldn't miss it… as if I would ever purposely skip this.
Besides the now new aspect of our friendship, Paul was my friend, a friend who had made this incredible thing. I knew how hard he'd worked for this day to come. How even while half broken and going through the hardest time of his life he'd pushed on against all odds. I still marveled at that, at everything that was Paul, of how determined he was, relentless and hell-bent on making what he wanted happen. So there was no way in hell I was missing this.
I hurry to get dressed, daring to wear shorts and heels now that it was officially summer and the rain was less constant than it was most of the year. I do the basic makeup with a black winged liner, keeping it simple so that the main focus remained on my fire engine red lipstick. It elevated my look by a thousand degrees.
My phone rings and I smile when I see Seth's face take up the entire screen of my phone.
"Hey kid!" I answer excitedly.
I hear his unhappy groan over the speaker. "Seriously, Bella? I'm nineteen now, just a couple years younger than you. We're practically the same age."
I chuckle as I always do at his annoyed responses. "That's debatable. And you're still my kid brother so you'll keep letting me call you that for the rest of our lives. Even when we're in our sixties, old, and shriveled up."
He laughs this time too and sighs out in begrudging acceptance. "Whatever. I was calling because Paul ordered me to pick you up and take you to the bar so you wouldn't have to drive. That way you can fully relax and have fun tonight to celebrate the end of finals."
A glowing little warmth fills my chest and I smile. That man thought of everything. "That's great! And I'm almost ready, I just have to pin my hair up and I'm done."
"Rad. I'll be there in a little bit, I'm already on my way."
We say goodbye and I hurry to the bathroom to finish with my hair. I do a high ponytail, leaving the hair at the front to frame my face. I put a red bow around the hair band, the ends trailing down with my long strands at the back to add a touch of innocence to my slightly dangerous look.
Minutes later Seth calls again to let me know he's arrived. I unplug my phone from its charger and slip it into my pocket along with my ID, card, cash, and lipstick.
I walk out, locking the door behind me and head towards the car. Seth jumps out and meets me halfway.
"You don't think you should go back in and change?" He practically exclaims at me.
I look down at myself to see exactly what he's taken offense to. "I mean, I can handle the heels fine. Besides, I'll probably be sitting most of the time so I won't really have a chance to fall unless I trip on my way to the restroom."
"I'm not talking about the heels." He clarifies, refusing to look down my body again. "It's the clothes."
Why did he have to make that word clothes sound so dirty like that? As if what I was wearing were highly indecent or something. I look down again and now wonder if it's the mini shorts or the see-through top he has issues with. I wore these kinds of clothing at parties all the time. Of course Seth has never gone out with me like that before so I guess it would be a little shocking for him to see me like this now.
I roll my eyes and grab his arm tugging him to the car. "Oh it's just some skin re-the-fucking-lax. I'm not naked."
He grumbles unhappily. Something about sister's and men ogling the whole night. I giggle the entire way to the car and pat his cheek when he opens the passenger door for me, a true gentleman.
He begrudgingly smiles and kisses the top of my head as I step inside the van. "You are officially my first customer!" He announces once he's settled in.
"Really?"
He nods enthusiastically. "I'm so stoked Paul hired me as his driver. He's officially my favorite packmate."
"Who was your favorite before?"
"Embry."
I nod in understanding. Embry was the calmest person to be around. Just hanging out with him was like spending a day at the spa.
"And now the honor goes to Paul." I say with a smile. In such a short time he was quickly becoming my favorite wolf too.
"He's really great, you know? He's been teaching me about bookkeeping and all that stuff behind the scenes. He said if I wanted to I could come by during the day too and he'd pay me as his assistant. Obviously I can't deal with anything directly with alcohol but I can do other stuff. It's gonna be awesome!"
"That's great! I'm happy for you. And no wonder he's now your new favorite."
"Yeah, he's great. So what's up with you?"
"Nothing exciting. I'm done with this semester and now I'm taking a break."
"But what about your mom?"
"Well…" I start, releasing a drawn out sigh. "I'm trying to keep an open mind. I haven't seen her in three years so I know things will be awkward at first. I'm hoping we'll be able to find a place somewhere in the middle where we can both work to fix our relationship. At least I hope we can."
"It's not like it's hard to get along with you."
I squeeze his arm in silent thanks, he throws a smile my way. "We just have a lot of issues. I have a lot of childhood issues, which I'm trying to get over. It's just hard to erase the past. I'm trying to find another way around that… and I feel guilty for thinking about her that way in the first place. It's not like she was a bad mom. She fed me, clothed me, kept a roof over my head. There's a lot worse parents out there and I should be grateful for what my mom did provide and not focus on everything she lacked."
"But her neglect still hurt you, Bella. You still love her but your relationship could've been better."
"Yeah… It could have…" I agree in the end, but shake my head and change the subject. "Anyway, enough with the heavy. I'm excited final's are finally over! And thank you for being my ride for the night because I'm planning on drinking away my consciousness."
He laughs loudly, his booming laugh echoing in the closed space. I didn't know if it was their deep voices or because of their wolves but all the guys in the pack laughed thunderously. And it was always contagious. I loved making them laugh like that.
We chat during the rest of the ride and I feel like we get there quicker than it would've taken me if I would've driven myself. There's cars filling up the parking lot and cars spilling out onto the sides of the road. The lights are bright outside and I greedily look around me as Seth slides onto the empty spot right in front of the bar that's strictly reserved for him.
He opens the car door for me and I step out, finding a group of guys standing in the small little patio at the side of the bar taking a smoke. They stop talking when I step out and practically gawk at me as I pass by.
"And it's already started..." Seth mumbles from my side.
There's a beefy looking doorman at the front so I pull out my I.D. from my back pocket. He waves it away. "Boss man showed me a picture you and told me to let you in as soon as you arrived. You good." He says, stamping my hand with an inked picture of the logo on the outside and opens the front door for me to enter.
Huh.
"I gotta get back to it." Seth says throwing a thumb behind him towards the SUV he was chauffeuring. "But call me when you're ready to leave."
I smile and nod. He waits for me to safely get in before he goes back into the car.
"Woah." I say as soon as I step in.
The bar is packed almost to the brim. People standing to the sides and around tables since all the seats are being occupied. It's also really loud in here, the sound of people laughing, cheering, and talking over each other filling the wide space. There's music playing in the background but it's low enough to not add to the already overwhelming noise inside.
And like the sea of people know Paul is the owner, they part for him to walk through as he heads straight in my direction. He looks… absolutely edible. He has a fresh haircut, dressed in black jeans and a black fitted collared dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up on his arms giving us a peak of his hard, muscular, corded arms. His eyes are the brightest green I've ever seen them, the green accent lights on the walls intensifying the green patches in his eyes. I feel them devouring my form the entire way.
He reaches for me as soon as he's close enough, slipping his fingers into my hair and cupping the side of my head. "You're finally here." He says in a low rumbling voice against my ear, just for me to hear, and places a kiss on my cheek. "You are… stunning."
I wrap my fingers over his wrist and smile. "Thank you." I say and bite my lip. His eyes go immediately to my mouth. "And you know I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Our eyes connect for the briefest of moments and I feel an instant static electricity between us. My heart skips a beat and I'm suddenly really hot. I look away from the intensity in his eyes to look around me. "You did fucking amazing with this place."
His face breaks out into a pleased smile, showing me a row of perfectly white teeth. I can even catch the barest of dimples that appears on his cheeks.
Have they always been there? I've never noticed them before.
"Thank you." He says honestly. "Now come. I've reserved a table for everyone and they're all waiting for you. You're the last one to arrive." He says as he grabs my hand and pulls me behind him.
We weave through the mass of people but again most people move out of his way as soon as they see him coming. I spot the family just as they start a chorus of whistles. I almost blush at the attention. Jacob, Embry and Quil are there, along with…
"Emily?" I say in surprise, letting go of Paul's hand to reach for her, bending down to give her a hug.
"Wow, Bella. You look hot!"
"Not as hot as you. Damn girl! I would've never guessed you birthed two babies with that body you've got." I compliment. She's wearing a purple sleeveless top with a v-neck that accents her very large round breasts, the only upside to breast feeding a baby in my opinion. The top flares out just below her boob's, hiding the very small baby bump she barely has left after birthing Athy, "Has Sam seen you yet?"
She giggles and shakes her head. "Not yet. He's doing patrol until midnight and then he'll switch out with Jacob."
"Well. We should probably call 911 when he picks you up because he's going to go into cardiac arrest as soon as his eyes land on you."
"Much like you did with more than half the guys at this bar." Quil comments.
I roll my eyes.
"Sit down." Paul says, pulling out the chair next to Emily for me. "I gotta get back out there but what do you want to drink? I'll send Leah to bring it to you."
I give him my drink order but grasp his arm before he leaves. "Or I can help serve. It looks like you guys are swamped." I say in worry, taking another look around and really taking notice of the mass of bodies around us.
He smiles down at me but shakes his head. "No way. It's your night to relax. I've hired a couple of half-time employees for the next couple of weeks to make sure we have enough hands to serve. Don't worry about it."
I let go after the reassurance and he's off.
"This place is great, right?" Emily says, looking up again.
"Definitely, and I can't believe it's this packed already."
"It's been like this for the past hour or so." Quil says.
"What time does he close?"
"Two, I think."
"You two staying all night?" I ask Quil and Embry, knowing Jacob was leaving soon.
"Not if we hook up with someone tonight." Quil says, his eyes surveying the crowd around us.
Embry nods in agreement. "You?"
"Don't know. But I'm planning on drinking myself stupid tonight."
"You shouldn't if you're going to stay here alone." Jacob scolds already.
I roll my eyes, always so overprotective. "Alone? It's Paul's Bar. Paul, Leah, Kim, and Jared are working tonight and Seth is taking me home. I wouldn't exactly call that being alone. I've got multiple sets of eyes on me."
"She's right." Leah says suddenly appearing with my drink. "I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she gets in a car only Seth is driving. Not a single petal from that pretty little flower in between her legs will be plucked by any stranger under my watch."
"For fucks sake, Leah!" Jake grumbles, always disturbed by Leah's twisted use of language.
How she can make simple words sound so icky when put together like she does will remain a mystery to me until the end of time.
"Hey, there's no kids here. I don't need to be censored."
"Even with the kids around you never are." Emily clarifies.
"Didn't Sam kick you out of his house just last Saturday for saying 'Shit Balls' in front of Kaden?" Quil asks too with a quirk of his brow, humor clear in his tone.
"It was a misunderstanding."
"That you yelled 'Shit Balls!' when Holloway K.O.'d Gaethje in the last few seconds of the fight?"
"Gaethje crushed Holloway for the entire five fucking rounds and lost right at the fucking end! How was I not supposed to react like that?!" She exclaims in outrage still.
I burst out laughing along with Jacob and Embry, while Emily shakes her head at her cousin's impassioned expletives.
"He repeated it for a good twenty minutes after you left until I threatened an early bedtime if he continued using the word."
"At least he used it properly." Quil adds. "He dropped his cereal on the ground and yelled 'Shit Balls!'"
"He also used it when he was playing with his legos for no other reason than to just say it."
"I love that kid." Jacob chuckles heartily.
"Did he chant it?" I ask Emily, knowing my nephew had a penchant for chanting random words or phrases.
"What do you think?" She responds, adding a look that screams, 'Duh!'
We keep the conversation flowing and Leah or Kim continue to pass by dropping off rounds of shots or drinks. By eleven thirty Emily is already pretty drunk. She tried to stay sober at first but she'd forgotten this was her first time drinking in almost a year and her alcohol tolerance has gone way down since then. Thankfully Tiffany was keeping the kids until tomorrow evening and Emily would have enough time to recover until then.
I give her a glass of water to chug and pull her into the small dance floor at the corner where a few other people are already dancing to sweat out the alcohol a little bit before Sam shows up. Unfortunately the crowds of guys around us are thirsty tonight and we have to continuously reject guys coming up to us to join. By the fifth guy, Embry and Jacob get sick of it and stand against the wall nearest us to make sure we're not bothered again. If Jess and Mike were here they'd be outright cackling at my self-imposed bodyguards.
Five minutes before midnight Jacob pulls me to the side and says goodbye before he takes off to switch patrols with Sam. I usher Emily to the restroom after that to freshen up before her man arrived. I didn't want to get in trouble for getting his wife not only drunk but getting loose on the dance floor with a congregation of men ogling her from afar. Thankfully by the time I'm putting her back together it's only a few minutes after midnight and she's only low-grade buzzed now.
"I feel like Cinderella." She says when we finally head back to our table.
"I mean you don't have to go home. Convince Sam to hang out for a little while before you take off so he can rip those clothes right off of you, and not just a glass slipper."
She giggles behind her hand. "Oh, Bella."
When we reach the table Sam is already there. I swear his eyes triple in size when he gets a good look at his wife. He literally floats up out of his seat and pulls her in for a hungry kiss as soon as she's close.
It was hot. But he's like my brother and so I lightly gag. So do Embry and Quil.
"Shit!" Paul practically exclaims when he suddenly appears next to me. "Is he planning on eating her face whole?"
I smack him on his chest and he chuckles. "It's sweet." I clarify.
He grabs my hand from his chest and holds it in his. "You were gagging when I walked up."
"Because Sam is like my older brother so it's gross. But as a woman, I can acknowledge how hot it is for Emily."
"I can hear you." Sam grumbles interrupting our conversation, apparently no longer trying to devour his wife whole.
"That's not my fault." I remind him, throwing him a cheeky smile.
He laughs and rolls his eyes.
"You hungry?" Paul asks Sam, "Order whatever you want. It's on me."
Sam throws him a thankful smile. "Thanks."
"Kitchen's not closed yet?" Embry curiously asks.
"Nah. I hate when bars close their kitchens early. The more you drink the more you eat. Last call for food is at one."
"Smart."
"Did you eat?" He asks me next.
I scrunch up my face. "Not hungry."
"Dear god, please do. You've had two shots and three drinks already."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Do not keep tabs on me."
"Hey, just watching your back." He says offhandedly.
The words come out innocently but not when combined with that slight glow of green in his eyes that communicates something a lot dirtier than his words relayed.
I play it off coolly for the sake of pretenses. "For Fucks sake, not another bodyguard." I grumble.
"If it weren't for us we would've gotten into at least twenty fights already with guys pawing at you without your consent." Embry unhelpfully adds.
"Whatever." I huff in indignation.
They all chuckle at me. Paul sticks around to force me to eat at least a few mozzarella sticks and fries and then he excuses himself to keep working. Sam and Emily are in the corner of our table making out like teenagers and no matter how grossed out we get they refuse to stop.
"Alright. It's the three amigos now." Quil declares, rubbing the palms of his hands together as if plotting his next heist. "I talked to a few women earlier but they've all left. I'm gonna need your wingwoman powers now, Bella."
I laugh at that. "Alright Amigo#3. Who's the target?" I ask, placing my elbow on his shoulder and scanning the crowd before us.
Embry just chuckles besides us.
"Uh, excuse the fuck out of me. I'm Amigo numero uno!" He corrects, lifting a single finger. "And I've got my eyes on that table of girls right over there." Using the same finger to point in the direction of the girl he's referring to. "In particular, that red head with mermaid hair and thigh high boots."
I nod along, eyeing the green jersey dress she has on with no bra that fits her form like a glove. "Good choice." I agree in approval, patting his cheek before switching my attention to Embry. "You good with that?"
One side of his mouth quirks up and he nods. "That dark haired beauty with the purple tips next to her looks good."
"Perfect point of entry." I concur happily, already planning to slip in between the two girls. "Alright, boys, we're gonna go with the Controlling-Boyfriend play, give me ten minutes. I need to get a drink first."
They both nod. I throw my phone onto Quil's lap and make my way to the bar standing by Jared. "Jare." I say a bit loudly, his head swivels in my direction immediately. "I need a fruity drink."
He arches a brow in confusion, knowing I'm not usually a fan of sweet drinks.
"We're doing a play."
"Ahh." He nods in acknowledgement, adding a smile and a shake of his head as he finishes the drink he was already making to start on mine.
Paul passes by just then and stops in his tracks, "I'm afraid to ask."
I smile widely at him. "Then don't." I say, winking at him.
"I won't have to kick anyone out of my bar on opening night, right?" He asks, not looking worried at all about it, entertained mostly.
"Nope." I reassure as Jared hands me my drink and I immediately chug a third of it. "Ugh." I say in disgust, "And women still wonder why they wake up with massive hangovers the next day."
They both chuckle at me and I wave one last time before I do a 180 to make my way toward our target's table. I feel Paul's captivated stare on my back as I weave through the crowd, I inwardly smile in delight.
Right before I reach the ladies table I see a guy stepping away from his own and turning toward me to engage. Without stopping I throw him a polite smile that doesn't show my teeth, avoiding eye contact, and take a quick step around him as if he'd only been an obstacle in my path.
As if perfectly timed, the women lean away from each other on a laugh and I take the opportunity to slip right in between them.
"Hey ladies! Sorry to intrude on girls night but I was wondering if I could drink with you for a little bit. I left my friends at our table," I say, pointing to where Embry and Quil are still sitting, pretending as if they are not completely engaged in what I'm currently doing, "to guard my phone and stop me from answering my soon to be ex-boyfriend's calls. I'm in desperate need of some girl chat."
"Oh no, girl, what happened?" The redhead immediately asks.
"I stupidly decided to date another meathead thinking this one might be different."
"Yeah, we've all been there." The blonde across from me commiserates.
The redhead scoots further into the booth and pats the now empty space next to her "Sit your beautiful ass down. We'll drink our sorrow away together."
"I take it I'm not the only one?"
"Definitely not." Mutters the fourth and last woman of the group. "My boyfriend of two years dumped me this morning."
I gasp in surprise. "You?! There's no way, you're gorgeous!"
Her cheeks slightly pink at the compliment. "Thanks but he really did. Said we were moving too fast."
"Were you?"
"No!" She exclaims as if offended by the question, "I asked him what hotel he was staying at for 'boys weekend' and he flipped out."
"What an ass." I comment, heavily offended on her behalf. Especially because I can already suspect what he'd been planning for that weekend and how he'd resorted to gaslighting her over a valid question to sidetrack her from the real issue. Men could be such pigs sometimes.
"You're being too nice. He was obviously cheating on her." The blonde one says.
"Laura!" Embry's soon-to-be-conquest gasps. "That's a mean thing to say!"
"But it's the truth. We were all thinking it."
Most likely. I sure did…
"Doesn't mean you have to say it out loud." The redhead chastises.
Oh, oh. Better do some damage control before they start a catfight and leave.
"Well, whatever it is. He's an asshole who doesn't deserve you. We don't need that kind of toxicity in our lives when there's a whole crowd of men around us." I say helpfully. "And with a face like yours, you'll have a majority of these guys lining up after you."
She instantly brightens up at the compliment and turns around hollering at Kim who was currently passing by, asking her for a round of tequila shots for the table.
We all laugh at her sudden perk up but go along with it continuing to commiserate over the many faults of men.
After the shots Embry and Quil conveniently step into the empty space on my left.
Quil drops my phone on the table in front of me and huffs. "Bella! That idiot boyfriend of yours hasn't stopped calling and you've got the damned thing on ringer and vibrate. You didn't even bother to silence it before you dropped it on my lap and walked off."
"I told you he wasn't good enough for you. But you never listen." Embry adds with deep annoyance in his voice, playing the good caring friend. Which he really was in real life, and why it comes out so easily out of him.
I grab my phone off the table and go to my list of calls, pretending to be irritated that my fake boyfriend is blowing up my phone. I turn it off and throw it back on the table. "Twenty-two missed calls and thirty seven text messages?! Can he not take a hint?!"
Quil throws his arm over my shoulder and rubs it in comfort. "I mean, I get it. If you weren't like my little sister, I'd be panicked too at the thought of losing a woman like you. You're pretty badass."
Laying it on a bit thickly there, Quilly.
"Aww." The redhead practically swoons. "That's so sweet."
Aaaand I guess it worked.
They immediately take in the guys into our group and once the guys have secluded their chosen ladies, I divert the attention of the other two. We go up to the bar and take another round of shots just the three of us.
Paul smirks at me and shakes his head, looking absolutely amused and awed at the same time.
I throw him another wink before Laura drags Marybeth and I into the dance floor. I don't even resist. By now I'm right at the cusp of buzzed and drunk. A lovely place to be if you ask me. Guys come up to us but I remain in the background, allowing for Laura and especially Marybeth, to take the stage and hopefully boost her confidence while we're at it. Not like I was interested in any of them anyway. I've already picked who I was taking home with me tonight long before I'd stepped foot in the bar.
Sometime later Embry and Quil say their goodbyes, redhead and purple tips in tow saying goodbye to their own friends. Soon it's last-call for drinks and I find myself alone when Laura and Marybeth inevitably find themselves coupled up too.
I move away and head over to the bar, sitting in the now empty seat right in front of Paul.
"Hey."
"Hey." I repeat back with a bright happy smile on my face.
"You're drunk." He says with a chuckle.
"I'm happy." I correct perkily. Sober me would totally hate drunk me.
"Just don't fall off the stool."
"Ha. Ha." I mock, sticking my tongue out at him.
Without asking he sets a water bottle right in front of me.
I pout.
"Drink." He orders.
"So bossy."
"Hey bitch!" Leah exclaims, taking the seat next to me. "Looks like you had fun."
I nod enthusiastically, "I did!" Hooking my arm into hers and pulling it to hug. "Fun girls."
"Fuck. I forgot how cuddly you get when you drink." Leah complains.
I pout up at her too. "Don't be mean. I'm happy and you're gonna ruin my buzz with your grumpy attitude."
"Buzz?" She asks incredulously.
"Yeah, she's totally drunk." Kim clarifies for anyone who was doubting it before.
Rude, and when the hell did she show up?
"I'll go check if Seth is here."
"No! I don't wanna go yet!" I whine to her but she's already walking away from me.
Everyone laughs and I realize the bar is almost empty now and so all of my friends' attention is on me.
Leah shoves the water bottle into my hand and spills cold water onto my clothes.
I yelp and shiver. "What the fuck, Leah?!"
She only laughs taking back the now half empty bottle.
"Seth's not here." Kim announces, when she returns.
"It's okay." Paul pacifies, "I'll take her home." He walks around the bar top and hands me some keys, holding up a singular key from the bunch. "Here. I have extra shirts in my office you can wear until I'm done here."
"Fine. But you guys are no fun." I complain, standing up and taking the keys out of his hand.
As I start to walk away Jared stops me before I get too far. "Don't forget your water." He sing-songs.
I yank the new bottle out of his outstretched hand and walk away from the wake of laughter trailing behind me. I get into Paul's office easily and open the closet door next to his desk. I find a few extra shirts there, from casual to formal, and a suit jacket too.
Fuck, what I wouldn't give to see Paul dressed in a fitted suit? I could make do without my left arm, right?
With that in mind my hand instinctively goes to his button down dress shirt. I take off all of my clothes, including my bra and panties. What I don't take off are my heels, instead I slip on his dress shirt and only fasten the three middle buttons. I open the collar to show some cleavage and make sure he won't be able to see more than just the top of my thighs unless I spread my legs.
I sit in his chair and wait, but I find myself quickly bored and move the mouse on his desktop. It's password protected but I know it already and enter it into the box. His home screen appears and simultaneously multiple squares of video feed both from inside and outside the bar pop up on screen. The parking lot is nearly empty now. Only Paul's truck is there along with Jared's and one of his other bartenders' cars are still parked in the rear. Leah's car is already gone and Seth is nowhere to be seen.
Inside Jared is cleaning the bar top while Paul takes inventory. Kim and Luke are cleaning the tables of the dining room and walking back and forth to and from the kitchen. Their mouths are moving but I hear nothing from here. Paul must've added some sound-proofing into the walls of his office to add some privacy. If I wanted to hear them on-screen I could easily turn on the sound but I wasn't interested in hearing exactly what they were discussing. I feel slightly guilty for not helping but it's too late to regret it now. I planned to drink less next time to be able to help clean up afterwards.
My eyes stay focused on Paul's form, entranced by the focused look in his eyes, his attention to every detail. But every few minutes his eyes shift away from what he's doing, his eyes looking toward the back of the bar as if expecting to see someone there.
I giggle every time, assuming he's wondering if I'll show up under the doorway to join them. But I have bigger and better plans already in mind, a way to congratulate him for a successful grand opening. I think he'll love it a lot more than having to share my attention with three other people. Especially while I'm wearing much less clothes than I started with earlier.
Finally after what seems like forever everyone takes off. Paul stands just outside of the back entrance just on the other side of the wall I'm sitting on to watch them leave safely.
I get up from my seat and slide onto his desk facing the door and cross my legs. I lean back slightly so I can continue to watch him through the monitor.
Once they're completely gone he walks back inside and it appears like he's on a mission. His footsteps quickened with a set destination in mind. Every step he takes has my heart thumping in anticipation. I already feel moisture in between my legs. I've waited too long to have him again.
He stops just at the door and takes a single key out of his pocket. I watch him stick the key into the doorknob through the monitor. On this side of the door I hear it unlock. I shift my eyes away from the screen and focus it on the door.
It opens and Paul immediately pauses in shock just under the doorway to take me in.
"For fuck's sake." He curses, his green eyes the brightest green I've seen all night. Even more than when he'd first seen me enter his bar tonight.
"Hey." I say in greeting. "Took you long enough."
He gulps before he speaks. "Had I known what awaited me in my office I would've kicked them out long ago."
I giggle, reaching up to play with a strand of my hair. "But you're here now."
He still doesn't move away from the doorway, his eyes still taking me in.
I pout at him. "And yet you're still so far away."
He shakes his head at my words and a smile forms on his lips. "Kind of took my breath away for a minute there, Princess." But he does fully come inside, closing the door behind him. He stalks me as he approaches, his strides becoming longer but slower. "You're temptation incarnate."
I hum in my throat, wanting him closer. "I wanted to be the first one to properly congratulate you on a successful grand opening. Seemed like the right thing to do, you know, as your best friend."
His hands land on my thighs and I place my hands over his, gliding them up his forearms until I get to just above his elbows.
"God, you're more beautiful than I remembered. How is it possible? I just saw you last Sunday."
"And you haven't even seen my good side yet."
"What side is that?"
My eyes fall down to his hands on my thighs. "Why don't you find out?" I taunt, looking back up to him and arching a brow in challenge.
A smirk appears on his face and he hooks his hands under my knees, then in one swift move he spreads them open.
He groans and falls to his knees, grasping under my thighs to pull me to the edge of the desk and hooking my knees over his shoulders. "Fuck, Bella. You can't do this shit to me. Next time I might have a fucking heart attack." He talks with his eyes riveted to my already glistening heat.
"I was going for effect."
"You fucking got it." He groans as if tortured and turns his head to the left pressing a wet kiss on the inside of my knee. He slowly forms a wet trail up my inner thigh. "You smell better than I remember too." He moans. "And I feel like I've tasted you more times than I can count with the fingers of my hands already."
"Mmmm..."
"So is this my prize? 'Cause I have to tell you… it's a really good one."
I slip my hand into the side of his head and grasp onto his ear, forcing him to look up. I smirk down at him. "It's just part one, Baby."
He groans and I swear his eyes roll to the back of his head behind his now closed lids, and then his mouth is on me before my eyes can process it. I feel it first and immediately throw my head back on a moan. "Paul!"
His tongue moves at the rhythm he knows I love. His fingers gripping my thighs hard enough to at least leave the imprint of his fingers. It adds to the pleasure he's already giving me and I love it even more.
I fall back onto his desk and my hands go to my breast. But the fastened buttons only allow for one of my hands to slip into his shirt and I have to massage my other breast over the material of his shirt.
Paul grumbles and pulls away, his hands gripping each side of the dress shirt I'm wearing. "Show me." He says ripping it wide open.
I gasp at the action, seeing the broken buttons flying in the air and hearing them hitting the walls of his office, bouncing down to land somewhere on the floor.
"Show me, Bella." He reminds me again, my hands move back to my now exposed breasts. His eyes are on me, watching me tugging on my nipples. He moans every time he enjoys something in particular and it's like he's coaxing my orgasm to come out with each resulting vibration.
"I'm close!" I warm him, arching my back off his desk, my head tipping back to face the back wall of his office. "Paul!" I yell, pinching my nipples and holding the pressure on them. It starts to hurt and just when I feel like I won't be able to take the pain, I come screaming his name again and I finally let them go.
He moans as he watches me and I hear him lapping eagerly at the results of my orgasm.
I can't stop moaning and my hands wildly attempt to grip onto anything on his desk. I accidentally knock the monitor to the floor and even in my orgasmic bliss I curse, forcing myself to lean up to see my destruction.
He meets me halfway. His hands engulfing my breast, his face inches from mine. "Fuck the screen. I'll buy a new one tomorrow. Right now I can't wait to make a mess of that lipstick on those luscious pouty lips of yours. I've been obsessed with them since I first laid eyes on you tonight."
I bite my lip and he groans, his other hand sliding into my hair grabbing the roots at the back of my skull and pulls down to force my face to tilt up to his. My teeth release my bottom lip with a gasp.
"Next time." He warns, his eyes solely focused on my lips. "I want that same color smeared all over my cock."
Before I can say, 'Yes, let's do that now'. He captures my lips with his.
I'm immediately lost in the kiss. Tasting myself on his tongue and wondering if anything could ever taste better than this. Even as I think it, I know I'm wrong. Because the best taste I've ever had is when Paul kisses me after he performs his post-sex aftercare. Licking my pussy clean of our spilled juices and then kissing my lips as if knowing how much I'd love the taste too.
Just the thought of it has my insides clenching and my hands going to his
belt buckle willing my hands work quickly. I release his lips and bite the collar of his shirt tugging it away from his skin with my teeth.
He takes the hint and rips his shirt open too. More buttons go flying. And then he helps me unbutton and unzip his pants. I slip my hand under his boxer briefs and he groans as I pull him out, guiding him to my center.
"Take a breath."
I grab onto his biceps and hold tight, bracing myself.
In one swift move he enters me. I instantly feel full, almost as if there won't be enough room for him to move in. It's more than I can remember, it makes me feel like it was so long ago when in actuality it was only a mere week ago… barely that.
His shaky breath hits me in the face.
"Fuck. I need you to move." I command, urging him forward.
He moans and starts slow as he usually does until it becomes progressively easier for him to move. When my inner walls finally adjust to his size he pushes in harder, faster.
He captures my lips and moans. I moan too, grabbing the back of his head with my left hand to press his face closer to mine. My right hand glides down his back and my nails dig into his muscular back to push his hard, perfectly sculpted chest against my bare breasts. My nipples scraping against his heated skin.
"Dig those heels in deeper." He growls against my mouth. "All night I've been imagining the sharp sting against my skin while I fucked this sweet pussy of yours."
I moan and tighten my legs around his waist, pointing my toes down and pushing the tips of my heels into his cheeks, just as he asked. I know I'm successful when his grip on my hip and hair gets tighter, the veins on his arms and neck popping up to show me the way to his heart like a map.
"Tell me you're close." He groans into my mouth.
I nod enthusiastically and pull away from his lips. "God yes!" I moan, feeling the surge within me already, the already simmering heat I've had for him all night coming to the surface now… or more like all week. Why lie at this point?
I've already admitted to how much I've thought about him, how much I've thought about our last sexual encounter. How fucking amazing he'd felt. Painful but in the most delightful way possible. Much like it feels now. The fullness I feel within, how I can feel the veins and ridges of his cock rubbing my insides in the most perfect way. How his tip goes so deep it hits a supremely sensitive spot I've never even known existed until he'd first fucked me last week.
"Paul, I'm– Ah!" I scream. My orgasms rushes over me plowing right through me.
Paul yanks on my hair, fully exposing my neck to him. He drops his mouth to my neck. He growls something against my skin but I don't hear it when he suddenly jerks and I feel him exploding inside of me.
We grab onto each other like we're anchoring each other to earth. Too afraid to let go and chance the universe would somehow separate us by force.
We pant until we catch our breaths. Embracing our still shaking bodies and the synergy we feel as we both are still coming down from that high. He comes to, quicker than I, and releases the tension on my hair his hand more gently guiding my face to look me in the eyes. His other hand reaches my face and his thumb swipes around my lips, a wide grin clear on his face.
"I think I underestimated just how messy this would get."
I laugh and nod, my droopy eyes watching the horror scene that is his face smeared in red. So I can only imagine what I must look like.
"Still the most stunning thing I have ever seen."
"You make a woman swoon." But I don't make a move to clean his face like he's trying to do to me. A fierce possessive thrill burns in my chest as I see my lipstick marks on him as if I've stamped my signature of property onto him. The feeling is overwhelming… and unexpected. I have never in my life felt that for anyone before.
"As long as I'm the one making you swoon, I don't care about anyone else." He says, placing his thumb underneath my chin to lift my mouth to his.
I feel his hot breath on my lips. My tongue instinctively slips out to capture it, my heart skipping a beat in anticipation of tasting his mouth again. And then the door to his office suddenly swings open…
"Hey man, you left the lights–"
We both freeze at the voice, but as always Paul's instincts are quicker than mine and he moves to cover me with his body while I just sit there, eyes wide in shock.
"What. The. actual. Fuck?!" Seth curses covering his eyes. "You have got to be shitting me!"
Hearing little Seth cursing, knocks the shock out of me and I push Paul away from me.
"You didn't lock the door?!" I screech at him.
"I wasn't thinking clearly when I walked through the door and saw you–"
I clamp a hand over his mouth. "Do not finish that sentence!"
He takes the warning to heart and doesn't talk again. I jump off his desk and move to his closet. Taking my heels off and picking up my shorts and slipping them on without underwear and ripping another one of Paul's shirts off its hanger.
As soon as I'm decent enough I pad over on bare feet to Seth, trying to tug his hand away from his face, but he resists. "I'm sooo sorry you had to see that."
"Please tell me you're dressed!" He practically screeches out.
"I am!"
But he obviously doesn't believe me when he only creates a sliver of space in between his fingers, verifying I'm telling him the truth first before completely opening his eyes.
As if I'd ever want him to see me naked… this just kind of happened!
"Ok." He says more calmly, lowering his hand to look at us. "Oh, for the love of God! What the hell is that?!" He exclaims, his voice getting higher again as he points at Paul.
I turn and take in what he sees.
Paul is still standing by his desk next to the shattered monitor on the floor and an explosion of paper spread all over the ground. The dress shirt he'd been wearing tonight is still ripped open but thankfully his pants are zipped and buttoned, though his belt is wide open still hanging to his sides. But the funniest part is his face, because he still has my lipstick smeared all over his mouth and he hasn't even realized it.
I bite my lip so I won't laugh. I mean earlier I'd taken pride in the artwork I'd created but with Seth pointing it out and being absolutely appalled by it, it's comical now.
I lift my hand pointing around my mouth to let him know he was still a mess.
"Shit." He curses lifting the bottom of his torn dress shirt to clean his face.
Seth releases an exhausted sigh and more calmly inquires. "Okay. Now what is this?" He asks, pointing at Paul and then me.
"Nothing. We're just having fun."
"Since when?" He asks in suspicion, but then his eyes suddenly go wide before we have a chance to respond. "Is that how you got over your imprint?!" He thunders, his eyes narrowing on Paul, sudden anger emanating out of him. "You used Bella to help you get over it?!" He growls, making a threatening move towards him.
I grab Seth's arm to stop him.
"No!" We both exclaim at the same time.
But Paul throws me a look warning me to let him talk now. "It's not like that. Bella helped me get better with her friendship. It had nothing to do with sex. We started out as friends and then like I told you guys. Last Saturday after the barbeque I shifted for the first time and my wolf and I came to an agreement. It's why my eyes are this color. But I didn't accomplish that by using Bella, I swear."
"Okay." Seth says, releasing a heavy breath. "Okay. Good."
I'm relieved too that he seemed to so easily believe Paul. I mean it was the truth but still, it wasn't a guarantee Seth would believe us. And even if he did, I also had other worries besides the obvious.
"Seth, you can't tell anyone. Please."
He turns to me and suddenly looks confused. "Why?"
"Because we're not ready for that."
"But you said it's just for fun."
"I did. But I don't want to hear the judgment and the lectures that'll inevitably come when they find out. It's unnecessary."
"So you'd rather hide it?"
"Yes."
He frowns then. "But what if they hear it in my head?"
"Then they hear it. But I know you've gotten really good at blocking them out so I'd be really grateful if you could at least try to keep it hidden for as long as possible."
He doesn't say anything as he stops to analyze me, and then he turns back to do the same to Paul. Finally, as if coming to a decision he turns back to me and nods. "Fine, I'll try."
I squeal in excitement and go to hug him but he stops me with a hand to my shoulder, keeping me at arms length. "No way, not after I just caught you doing that. I'm already going to try to pour bleach into my ears when I get home to hopefully erase the memory from my brain. And that's for me, not just so the pack won't find out."
I laugh and step back to respect his space. "Understandable, and Sorry again. All Paul's fault by the way, so blame him. All he had to do was lock the fucking door behind him and this could have been avoided."
Paul scoffs indignantly and crosses his arms over his chest. I don't miss the muscles of his arms bulging at the gesture. God, he's so ridiculously edible.
Seth makes another noise of disgust, throwing us what passes as a wave of his hand in good-bye before he turns to leave, locking the door and making an audible click to resound inside the room. He throws us another pointed look, communicating that that's what we should have done to avoid this mess in the first place, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
I laugh and shake my head. "Well, that was awkward…. And slightly horrifying."
"Did not expect our night to end like that."
I turn to look back at Paul and still see the smudges of red lipstick on his bottom lip and chin. Reminding me of exactly why I couldn't let Seth spill the beans yet to the rest of the pack and potentially ruin what was happening between Paul and I.
I flirtatiously walk back to Paul pushing my body against his, completely forgetting about Seth's unexpected presence already. All I can think about is having his mouth on me again, or better yet, my mouth on him. "It doesn't have to be the end. I can put my lipstick back on and do that thing you were dying for me to do earlier."
I feel his laugh rumble in his chest transferring to me. He closes his eyes and rubs his face in exasperation. "You'll be the death of me."
"Is that a no?" I question, running my hands up his naked torso.
He curses and pulls my hands away from his skin. "Enough, you troublemaker, put those soul-sucking heels back on so I can take you home."
I pout unhappily. "Boo!"
He chuckles and then suddenly lifts me up, throwing me over his shoulder before I can even grab my heels let alone put them on. "Didn't say we couldn't continue once we got there. And forget the shoes. I gotta take you home as quickly as possible so I can fuck you on your temporary bed before I manage a few hours of sleep before I come back here to clean up this fucking mess."
"Yay!" I cheer instead.
He slaps my ass and I yelp.
"Shut it or I swear to god I'll change my mind and force you to wait for me to fuck you tomorrow."
"You can't resist me." I answer cockily.
"Try me, little girl. I dare you." He growls threateningly.
I wisely don't respond, unwilling to see if he would dare to uphold that threat.