This was probably the worst few weeks of my life. I had pushed myself to the limit, every day for the entire month. On the days I was scheduled to work at the diner, Billy allowed me to work doubles, from seven in the morning to closing time at eleven at night. On top of that, Rosalie reluctantly agreed to hire me to clean the apartment building on my days off. This place wasn't huge, it only had four floors, with about ten rooms on each floor. But for doing all the cleaning myself, it was a lot of work.
There were muscles of my body that ached, that I never even knew I had. But I was slowly adapting to the physical strain, it was the stress that was really eating at me. It seemed like no matter how hard I try, Rosalie always finds something to criticize me on. If it wasn't complaints about some dust I had missed on the railing of the stairs, or the smell of the cleaner I was using to wash the walls, she had to rant over how long it would take me to finish cleaning. I've always thought she was a despicable woman, but she was worse than I had thought. I understood why none of her marriages seemed to work out. She was a monster.
But it would be worth it. I signed a new contract with her, when she agreed to hire me. Instead, my rent would be two hundred dollars less a month. For only two days a week of cleaning. This would only make things easier. I just had to keep telling myself that all this mental anguish would pay off in the end, when my sister could afford her surgery.
Today, I had decided to actually take my day off of work to celebrate. I had officially made it to my goal for the month. I had the full amount of money needed for Ana's medication, I had enough for rent and just enough to head to the bar for a few drinks. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do for groceries, but if things got a little too bad, I could always stop at the local soup kitchen. A nice group of people in my area would open their doors to the public, every sunday morning, to give out free food and hot meals to those in poverty and the homeless. Most of the time, the foods they gave out were just canned fruits, or stale bread, but sometimes if you went early enough you could manage to get some meat.
I felt slightly guilty, sitting here at Bubba's bar, surrounded by loud, reckless fools. I had made a promise to myself that my drinking days were over. But here I was, already onto my fourth cocktail. This occasion was different. In the past I was drinking to escape my thoughts and feelings. I wanted to feel like I was living and enjoying myself. But I never found what I was looking for at the bottom of that bottle. Today, I was rewarding myself. I've been killing myself for weeks, so one night of being an idiot wouldn't be so bad. Would it?
The bar wasn't very crowded tonight, not like it usually was. There was a ground huddled around the pool table in the front of the bar. A bunch of foul language men, stumbling around, spilling their beers and being complete jerks, but the small tables were all empty. Usually there would be so many people sitting up at the bar, that people would have to start filling in at the tables. Tonight, there was only me and four others sitting up at the bar.
Jessica was the bartender tonight. I knew her well. She was a peppy, chatty little woman. But don't let her size fool you. She could probably hold her own against any man here. She was tough, but she was relatively easy to talk with. I've spent plenty of nights passed out drunk up here at the bar, she would watch over me and call a cab, every time. She listened to me vent on my bad days and probably knew more about me than anyone else here in the city.
I let my head fall back as I finished my cocktail. The alcohol burned the whole way down my throat and into my stomach, as if I had just swallowed a burning coal. But it was easy to ignore, the usual fruity drink I got was delicious. A creamy coconut flavor with a hint of pineapple. I could never recall the name of it.
It felt like my body was starting to sway, but I couldn't focus enough to tell if I actually was moving. My legs had gone numb.
"It's been quite a while since I've seen you in here, I was starting to get worried." Jessica stated as she set another drink down in front of me. Her smile was warm and inviting. There was never a hint of judgment on her face.
I shook my head a little, to focus on her words. "I know, I've kind of missed coming here. But I need to save my money. You probably won't be seeing me again until next month." I didn't hesitate to start drinking once more.
"Oh I see, well I'm happy for you. Such a young girl like yourself shouldn't be cooped up in a bar every night. I'm proud of you." She nodded with a look of approval.
Guilt prickled at me again. "I could be doing better. I really shouldn't be spending my money irresponsibly." Regardless, I downed the rest of my drink, almost as fast as I had gotten it.
Jessica shrugged her shoulders as she began making me another drink. "You worked hard, it's not a crime to let loose and take a break from being mature for a night. Like I said, you are young, don't forget to enjoy your life too." She said with a wink.
It sounded like good enough advice to me. I had a few more drinks, until the urge to pee forced me off my barstool. I couldn't feel my legs at all. Shakily I walked to the back of the room, tripping and shuffling along. I swung my hand out for the door knob to the restroom, but missed it a few times, before making it inside.
The bathroom wasn't lit very well, and had a strong odor of vomit and urine. Which was odd, usually the bathroom was kept in pretty good shape. But in the state of mind that I was in, it didn't bother me. I stumbled into the first stall and quickly ripped my pants down, almost missing the toilet completely. I didn't bother closing the door to the stall. So when a man came strolling in, I jumped in surprise.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I glared at the man.
The man was frozen in the doorway, his eyes were an intense sapphire blue. An amused expression came to his face as he folded his arms across his chest. "I could ask you the same question."
I hastily closed the stall door and finished my business, before stepping back out. He was still standing there, watching me, silently chuckling.
"It's not very gentlemanly to come barging into the bathroom, while a woman is trying to pee." I muttered sourly as I moved to the sink to wash my hands. I glanced at him once more, noticing that he wasn't too bad looking. He was huge. Full of rippling muscles. He could be a bodybuilder.
"Maybe so, but it's not very lady-like to use the men's bathroom either, is it?" He mocked me lightly.
I turned slightly to glance around the bathroom, feeling my cheeks instantly get hot as I noticed the urinals lining the back wall. I can't believe I went into the wrong restroom. And was caught by this handsome stranger.
The embarrassment had ended up sobering me up a little. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize." I said, quickly ducking my head as I moved past the man. I could feel his eyes burning into me as I passed him, but I didn't have the courage to look at him.
I just wanted out of this situation, fast. I made my way back up to the bar, where Jessica already had two more drinks waiting for me. She gave me a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was about to stop you, but you made it into the bathroom before I had the chance."
My face was still hot as I took a few big swallows of the first drink. "I just wish you would have stopped the dude from coming in after me."
Now she made a face, scanning the bar for a moment, before raising a single brow. "What dude? I didn't see anyone go in after you. I was watching, so I could stop someone if they tried going in."
"Well, a guy was definitely in there." I sighed, rubbing my face to try and calm my nerves. I haven't been this embarrassed in a long time. But that was nothing a few drinks couldn't solve.
Jessica gave me a puzzled look, but shrugged her shoulders as she went back to making more drinks for the others seated at the bar as well. But now I was curious. I kept glancing towards the bathroom, waiting for the man to come back out. It felt like I waited there forever, but finally he reappeared, just as wonderfully handsome as I remembered. Although he looked slightly different.
I had thought his eyes had been blue, no, I was dead certain his eyes had been blue. It was the first thing that I had noticed about him. But as he made his way up to the bar to sit down, now just two empty seats between us, his eyes were as dark as night. There was something familiar about him. I couldn't quite place it. For some reason, he reminded me of Edward.
The thought of Edward struck me. A dull ache pulled at my chest. I knew that I was never going to see him again and that thought was a bit disappointing. I really wanted to thank him for giving me that money. I just had to get over it. Move on. Maybe someday I'll run into him. Hopefully by the time that happens, I'll be able to repay his kindness.
I finished off my two drinks, keeping the man next to me out of the corner of my eye. At first, he just kept his eyes trained on his cell phone. I sneakily took note of his clothing. A business suit, a name brand watch and a strange necklace. He looked like the stereotypical businessman, all except for that necklace. It didn't look like it belonged with the rest of his attire. The band was woven, in some kind of thin brown cotten. A metal pendant hung from it, in an indescribable shape.
It took a few minutes before Jessica made it over to him to take his request.
"I don't suppose you serve Macallan whiskey here?" His tone sounded hopeful.
Jessica snorted, looking the man up and down with disbelief. "A single bottle of that stuff is worth more than this whole bar," She laughed tightly. I noticed her eyebrow twitch. That usually occurs when something annoys her.
"I'll just take whatever whiskey you recommend." He replied with a slight sigh, before turning his eyes back to his phone.
"Alright," Jessica nodded, reaching at random to a bottle of bourbon. She kept her expression light and cheerful as she slid over his glass.
"I'll pay for her drinks, for the rest of the night as well." He nodded over to me.
Jessica and I exchanged looks of surprise.
Quickly I shook my head, which caused me to get a little dizzy. "No, you don't have to do that, I can afford my own drinks."
"I'm sure you can," He looked at me now, his eyes locked with mine; my heart skipped a beat. "Think of it as an apology, for walking in on you, while you were using the bathroom." He smiled now, brilliantly.
My heart dropped under his gaze. Again my face was getting warm. "Well it's not your fault at all, I was the dummy that went into the wrong bathroom." I muttered quietly.
Jessica nodded at the man with a look of approval on her face. "Well, how nice. It looks like you might have made a friend Bell." She said as she began making me more drinks.
I didn't know if it was the alcohol, or just the fact that lately I've been feeling so lonely, but the thought of making a friend brought a small smile to my face. But I turned away to hide my reaction.
"So, your name is Bell?" The man asked as he shoved his phone in his pocket, fully invested in conversing now. My eyes followed his actions. His arms looked so muscular under his fancy clothes. He was also tall, much taller than the average man I've come into contact with. With one touch he could crush me into dust.
"It's short for Isabella," I nodded dizzily as I finished another cocktail. I was hitting the drinks hard. I knew I'd be approaching my limit soon. But the drinks were free. So was there really a reason to stop?
"That's a beautiful name," He commented, matching me, drink for drink. But he didn't seem like the alcohol was affecting him as much as it was me. But I could tell he was getting a bit looser.
I shook my head at his compliment, not letting it embarrass me. "What about you, or should I just call you mister money bags."
He chuckled with a smirk coming to his face. "You can if you want, but everyone else calls me Emmett." He shifted out of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Like me, his face was getting flushed due to the alcohol. There was a faint pink glow to his face.
"Well Emmett, you are a great guy, I really appreciate you buying drinks for me. I've been having a hell of a time lately. This is probably the best thing that's happened to me in months." I said with a few hiccups. I wasn't sure if my speech was slurred, but I noticed that I was talking a little louder than usual. I don't know why, but it always signaled to me that I was a few drinks away from being completely drunk.
"Really, is that why you are here tonight? Going through something tough?" He asked, scanning over my face closely.
"No, not tonight. I'm actually here to celebrate. I've made enough money to send home to my sister. So she gets her cancer medication." I smiled brightly as I gulped down the last of my cocktail.
I waited to see pity come to his face, but was shocked that my words had no effect on him. Instead he only smiled. "Well, that is a reason to celebrate. Life is fleeting, always enjoy the moment." He raised his half empty glass.
Jessica watched the two of us in silent amusement as she continued making us drinks. She kept the flow continuous, neither one of us had to ask for more.
We spent the entire evening together, we talked, laughed and even got up and danced a few times. It wasn't long before we were the only ones left in the bar. Jessica had shut the two of us off a little bit ago. I could barely stand, in fact, I wouldn't be standing if his strong arms weren't wrapped around my waist holding me up. Emmett offered to teach me how to play pool, so of course, I agreed.
I stood at the pool table, clutching the long pool stick, but I was so wobbly and unsteady that I could keep it still enough to line it up with the balls on the table. I could feel his body pressed against my back. One arm wrapped around me and the other draped over my arm. He tried to hold my arm still enough for me to take a shot, but he was just as drunk as I was now.
"Now, just give that ball a little tap." He spoke. I could feel his breath on my neck.
My palms were sweaty and the balls all appeared to sway back and forth. I sucked in a breath and did as he said. To my delight the ball went rolling right into the hole in the corner. I turned to face him now and freely wrapped my arms around his neck to embrace him.
"Did you see that?" I smiled in victory.
He laughed, bringing his arms together around me as well. "I told you, you will be a pro at this in no time."
We paused for a moment now, our eyes locked on each other. My heart was pounding in my chest. My eyes flickered down to his slightly parted lips. The urge to kiss him was overwhelming. I began to lean up to the tips of my toes, the same time he leaned down. When our lips met, I felt my legs go limp. But he had anticipated that and caught me, without breaking off the kiss.
I was lightheaded when we pulled apart, and his eyes seemed to be changing colors right before my eyes. I could see a hint of sapphire breaking through. But I couldn't stay focused, not as his lips came back to mine, over and over. The heat was rising between us. His lips were smooth, while the stubble on his cheeks left a prickle against my face.
In a swift, yet graceful motion he lifted me up to place me on the pool table. My legs wrapped around his waist, as I let my hands rest on his hard chest. I could feel the muscles through his shirt, which only added to my desire. I wanted more. I felt him pressing into me as his kisses trailed down my neck.
I reluctantly pulled away from him to catch my breath. "Do you want to head back to my place?"
His eyes, now fully blue, stared down at me with a mixture of emotions. The two that stuck out the most, were yearning and caution. I was expecting for him to give me a fast answer, but his hesitation left me feeling slightly insecure. He was silently deliberating, I could almost see him weighing his options in his mind. He was different from the other men. The other men in the past would have leaped at this opportunity without a thought.
I glanced quickly down to his hands, which still were wrapped around me. Nope. No wedding rings in sight. So why did he stop to think? Was he really not that interested in me?
Before I could let this completely shatter my confidence, he replied. "Nothing would make me happier."
With that decided, Emmett pulled me up into his arms bridal style and we left the bar in a hurry, our lips only pulling away from each other for brief moments to breathe. Time seemed to accelerate abnormally fast. One minute we were outside the bar, the next we were climbing the stairs up to my apartment, and now we were desperately peeling each other's clothes off in my bed.
He was surprisingly gentle, his every touch was deliberate and thoughtful. Chills rolled down my spine as his feather soft kisses sweeped down over my exposed breasts, his tongue flicked over my nipple. The sensation caused a moan to roll out from the bottom of my throat. He met my gaze with a smirk at my reaction.
His skin felt like fire, our bodies were firmly pressed together, wet from perspiration. The bed rattled and creaked as we kept adjusting ourselves to a comfortable position. He ended up hovering over me, with my legs resting on the tops of his shoulders. My body was trembling in anticipation, the overwhelming lust I felt only grew as his member rubbed the outside of my core. His eyes never left mine, I could see he was using restraint, but it was beginning to get hard for him to wait.
"Is this what you want?" His voice was seductive, but controlled. I was confident that if I told him that I changed my mind, he would have stopped. But that wasn't the case. Not tonight.
"Yes," I said eagerly. I couldn't wait either.
With one more pause, I felt Emmett slide himself inside of me. The pleasure was instant and powerful. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. My toes curled as I braced myself for the best sex I've had in my entire life.
I hope you all are enjoying this so far! Leave a comment with some love to let me know how you're feeling. :)