Outtake II EPOV

This takes place the same day than the previous EPOV. January 5th around noon.

After talking to Eva, Edward goes back to his hotel, while Bella wakes up decided to talk to Mike and ask him for some time to think. (Chapter  10 of the main story).

I arrived at the Twilight’s knowing that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate to get some work done, so instead of heading to my office upstairs, I decided to make a round, and see how things were going in the hotel.

As soon as I entered the lobby, Lauren started making gestures for me to approach the entrance desk where she worked. I reluctantly started to walk toward her, mentally preparing myself for her rant. How could I ever dated her was something beyond me, but accepting hiring her after that was the most stupid thing I did in my life.

Scratch that. Second thing.

The most stupid thing was letting her convince me to hire her boyfriend the previous month.

I knew Lauren wasn’t the sharpest tool in the toolbox, so hoping her boyfriend would be any better had been a big mistake. She had played the ‘victim’ card, and ultimately, she had played me. She said she had loved me, and I had dumped her without thinking twice about it. She wasn’t entirely wrong, I had started dating her without giving it a second thought, and that was my mistake, dumping her had been a very informed decision.

I had met her in the opening night of one of the Twilight’s new lounges.

Rosalie kept nagging me to dedicate a part of the new renovated wing to offer other kind of entertaining aside from the gambling, she said it was working in Vegas, that it’ll be good to offer all kinds of amenities for the non gamblers to secure us the visit of spouses and significant others too. I wasn’t very excited about the idea, but we settled for a few concessions operating under contract as almost independent businesses, so the investment was minimum, and I didn’t have to pay much attention to them.

That regrettable night, I thought that I could just relax and enjoy the opening, so I let my guard down. 

It was all it took. Next thing I knew I was in one of the suites with a very tipsy and agreeable blonde. Somehow I must have thought that having her warm body next to me in the morning was a good thing, so instead of being a jerk and getting rid of her, I started dating her.

In the beginning she was sweet and solicitous, but soon she began demanding. Of all her demands, the ones that I could fulfil easier were the ones that involved buying her presents, so I shut down my brain, and bought her whatever she wanted. I couldn’t really dedicate her all the time she wanted, and I really couldn’t find it in me to even take her to my penthouse.

The penthouse was my shelter, I had never thought of bringing girls there, it felt too intimate, and it made me feel vulnerable. Deep inside I knew that I wasn’t willing to share the real me with any of the girls, but I always ended up convincing myself that none of them usually stayed around long enough to consider it.

Lauren hadn’t been my first mistake; I’ve learnt the hard way that when you inherit two casinos and a solid bank account, the female population starts to want a piece of you. I had experienced all the variations they gave to the word ‘piece’, and 99% of them weren’t as flattening to my masculinity as one would think. They mostly wanted the money and the status, which brought the situation to a whole different level; they would either try to get me to marry them or to knock them up. Sometimes one thing was closely associated to the other.

Then, there were others who wanted to climb the ladder, because I was a nice step in their way to bigger fishes.

And the last group was the most distressing one, the cougars. Random rich old ladies, some of them married, some of them not even interested in relapsing, but all of them wanting some eye-candy to parade on their arms in events, and to warm their beds at night.

Yeah, disturbing.

So when Lauren started eyeing engagement rings instead of the usual jewellery she went for in the past, and her demands suddenly included a trip to Vegas to meet my family, I knew I had had enough.

Of course that wasn’t the last thing I’ve heard of her. A few months after we broke up, she insisted in talking to me about something important, and that was the talk that got me to hire her. I wasn’t really the asshole everybody thought, when she said she was about to be evicted from her apartment and asked for a job, I couldn’t deny it to her.

Apparently I had some big trouble saying no to weeping girls, because she won again when she asked me to hire her current boyfriend.

I yet had to determine the reasons behind that relationship. Yorkie wasn’t anywhere near the kind of guy she would date, so our theories were crazy. Jazz, always the pervert, insinuated that he must have been hung as horse. I tended to think he was wrong, but then again, it wasn’t something I was willing to find out…

Rosalie’s theory seemed more realistic, though I didn’t want to think Lauren still held any hope of dating me again. In spite of what I wanted to believe or not, Rose thought she had Yorkie to try to make me jealous.

 As if!

Anyway, knowing how Lauren’s delusional mind worked, it made sense.

“Edward! There you are! I thought we’ve lost you,” she said in that sugary tone that always made me nervous. I could handle bitchy, but pouty, honey coated shit made me wary.

“Lost me? How did you even know I wasn’t upstairs?” I replied defensively.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out,” she teased, batting her eyelashes in a way she must have thought it was sexy, but looked as if she had something in her eye.

I wanted to gag. And to get the hell out of there. Not sure in which order.

“I really don’t care, Lauren, stalking is your thing, not mine,” I told her dryly. It was a big fat lie considering to my latest hobbies, but she didn’t need to know that.

“You’re being mean to me again, Edward,” she pouted. “Eric told me you had a woman in your suite last night. You know I’d forgive you if you asked me nicely, you don’t need to go around looking for a hooker…”

And that sealed the deal. No way in hell she was referring to Bella as hooker.

“Lauren, let’s get this straight,” I told her in my lowest, most menacing voice, “what I do in my suite is none of your business; and if you ever call Bella anything other than her name again, you’ll find your ass in the street, and I’ll do everything in my power to make your life miserable. Understood?”

She stared at me with her eyes wide open; her expression was almost a grimace as she nodded.

It was going to be the hell of day for the looks of it.

I headed to the security room instead of going to the gambling area as I have planned before. The last thing I needed was strangling a croupier before lunch.

Jazz was all over the computers as usual, listening to that crazy ass music he usually played when he was alone. It was a haunting melody with a plunking piano, and it sounded vintage, though I was sure it wasn’t real 60’s pop.

A raspy voice sang “I can’t breathe underwater like I used to, before I met you…” and the truth of his words wasn’t lost to me.

I was falling for the girl, and she belonged to another man.

The Cast (Part2)

Here are some characters that haven't been introduced yet, and some that would be important in future chapters.

~ Rosalie ~

 ~ Jasper ~

~ Santiago ~

~ Eva ~

~ Angela ~

The T-Shirt

This is Edward's T-shirt that Bella was wearing in Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Previously in Deep Ocean…

“Now try to catch some sleep, love. You must be exhausted,” he said wrapping his arms around me.

I looked at him in confusion, because he was still hard as a rock but he was making no moves to relieve himself.

Chapter 14:

Edward’s cell phone rang on his night-table. He gently removed his arms from around my body and reached to grab it, reclining his back on the headboard while he took the call.

He was serious, and it didn’t seem he liked what they were telling him, but his replies were clipped and vague, not giving me details of what was going on. I wondered if there were problems in the casino again, if he was going to get dressed and leave my side to take care of them.

I didn’t want him to leave me alone, and I felt selfish, but I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure where we were standing, and something inside me wanted to fight for whatever time I had left with him. That part of me obviously wasn’t into sharing.

He ended his call, and let out a deep breath.

“Bella, do you trust me, love?” He asked me, his expression was tired and worried, as if he was looking for a way to tell me something I wasn’t going to like.

“Yes, Edward, of course I trust you. What happens?” I replied, sitting up.

My voice was shaky, as a dozen different scenarios crossed my mind, none of them very appealing.

“I’m gonna tell you what I know, love, but I need you to promise me you’ll stay here ‘till we figure out the rest,” he said staring at me gravely.

“Stay here? Figure what?”

Edward must have seen I was starting to panic again, because he took my hand in his, and started rubbing circles on my skin with his thumb.

“You were right; somebody was in your house when you heard the noises…”

I opened my mouth, and closed it again without saying anything.

“Baby, I need you to trust that I’m gonna keep you safe. You know I’d never gonna let anything happen to you, right?” His voice was strained, a deep crease forming in between his eyebrows. I nodded, because it seemed to be important to him.

“It’s all my fault. Somebody must have followed us. Fuck! How could I’ve been such and idiot? You shouldn’t have left the Twilight after a security breach,” he said banging his fist against his tight. “I’m so sorry, love.”

“Edward, calm down! Why do you say it was your fault? You couldn’t have known…”

“Bella,” he interrupted me, “it’s my job to know! It’s not the first time somebody threatens me, but until know, I was the only one at risk. Now some sick fuck decided to include you and my cousin Rosalie in the game!”

While he was talking, he let go of my hand, and was racking his fingers on his hair and pulling the strands with a force that made me wince. “They took my cousin’s purse to your house, and shredded it to ribbons on your couch…a purse that had been missing since Rose’s arrival. It was message to me, and I got it nice and clear. None of you are leaving my side till…”

“Edward!” I interrupted his movie plot, suddenly remembering about the mysterious purse. “The purse was already there, it was inside one of the shopping bags I carried home the other night. I took it to the couch when I noticed it with the idea of checking inside. The ID in the wallet read ‘Rosalie Cullen’. I was going to call you, but then the power went off and…”

He was looking at me with wide eyes.

“Are you saying that the purse somehow got into a bag and you took it home without knowing?” He said slowly, enunciating every word as if trying to make sense of it. “That changes a lot of things.”

All of a sudden, he jumped out of the bed and grabbed his phone again. He went to the closet, and started getting dressed while talking to somebody.

I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to get dressed too, there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to sleep if Edward was leaving, but my clothes were a wet pile in Edward’s bathroom floor.

“Bella, I need to talk to Rosalie and my security guys, I’ll be back soon, you should catch some sleep,” he said as he ended his call.

“No! I want to go with you, Edward, please,” I begged.

“Don’t worry, love, nothing will happen to you, I’ll leave a bodyguard at the door,” he tried to reassure me.

“Edward, I know I’m asking too much, but perhaps I can help…Maybe we can figure this out together?”

My voice broke in the end of the sentence. I was aware that, in some way, I was asking him to take me to meet his cousin, and I wasn’t sure if he was willing to acknowledge my existence to her.

“I think we’re going to need to find you something to wear, love,” he said smirking, “As much as I enjoy seeing you like this, I’d have to kill Emmett and the rest of the guys if they look at you.” He said, his finger sliding from my chin to my chest while his mischievous eyes followed the imaginary trail on my skin hungrily.

I had to laugh at that too. I didn’t know what happened with that man, but he even made me forget about being naked, and I wasn’t exactly confident showing my body.

He went back to his closet, picked a few items, and handed them to me, grinning. Then he rummaged in the drawers for a moment, bringing me a pair of boxers and socks.

I put on his underwear and a T-shirt, feeling silly and giddy at the same time for wearing his clothes.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, “I’ve never thought a woman wearing my boxers could be so hot!”

I tried to hide my smile, blushing furiously, while donning a pair of jeans that were too wide at the waist, and shockingly too long for my giraffe legs.

Edward kneeled in front of me, and taking a pair of black chucks from a box, he put them on my feet, chucking.

“I had bought this for you yesterday, I was going to send them to your house with a bouquet of flowers, but I guess you need them now,” he said tying the laces, and then rolling the pant legs a few times to adjust them to my weight.

He stood, pulled a thin scarf from a hanger, and passed it though the bell loops, tying it on the back. I guessed I wasn’t allowed to pee any time soon.

He seemed satisfied with the outfit, so I didn’t mention that part to him. I took a few minutes to splash some cold water on my face and try to make my hair look decent. I didn’t see a comb or a brush anywhere in his bathroom, so I just used my fingers. When I decided that was the best I could do with my appearance, I stepped back in his room, praying that his cousin wouldn’t think I was the ‘cat lady’.

Edward was looking so pleased when he took my hand, that I even felt beautiful for a moment. He led me to the corridor, but instead of going to the elevator, we walked in the opposite direction.

There was a small foyer at the end of the hallway. He opened one the doors and motioned me to get in.

It looked like a high-tech conference room. A blond guy was working on a laptop, sending images to the bigger monitors attached to the wall. The two big hurly guys from the previous day were discussing something pointing at the screens, while a stunning blonde woman was sitting at the table watching them with an unreadable face.

“Guys, this is Bella,” Edward said catching their attention. “Bella, you already met Emmett and Felix,” he pointed to ‘big burly guy’ 1 and 2, and they nodded their heads. “The one with his fingers glued to the keyboard is Jazz,” he told me, resuming the introductions. The guy waved with one hand, the other still typing numbers on a pad at his side.

He walked a few steps toward the blonde, who stood and stared at me with an amused expression. “And this is my cousin Rosalie.”

“Finally,” she said smiling, “I thought he wasn’t going to share any time soon.” She surprised me by hugging me, but I recovered fast and hugged her back. She seemed nice, and it didn’t feel as if she judging the way I looked.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Rosalie,” I managed once we were standing in front of each other again.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Bella,” she replied, and then added with a smirk, “Nice T-shirt.”

She and Edward started laughing.

Chapter 13: Warning: Lions can rock pink worlds

Previously in Deep Ocean…

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bella? Of course you should call me whenever you need me!"

He was frustrated, pinning me to the bed beneath his body, demanding answers I wasn't about to give him.

What was I going to tell him? That I had misunderstood his friendship for something more? That I had allowed myself to dream for the first time in many years without noticing that the dream was too big for me? That his rejection hurt more than any other in the past?

Chapter 13: Warning: Lions can rock pink worlds

He wasn't going to let go, of that I was sure. Damn sexy man sending mixed signals to silly giraffes!

I huffed, then stopped struggling and looked into his stunning green eyes.

"Fine! Have it your way. You're determined to see me make a fool of myself? Here we go, hope you enjoy the show," I hissed.

I was hurt, and embarrassed, and confessing certain things to him wasn't high on my priority list, but I needed to run away. Fast. I wasn't sure how much the anger fuelled by him trying to stop me would last, and once the anger was over, the only feeling left would be hurt. I wasn't exactly happy with the thought of showing him how much his rejection had hurt me. I could spare that humiliation if I could deliver a few selected words, and convince him to let me go home.

"I understand you may be used to random awkward girls begging you take them, Edward. I really get it…but you can't expect me to stay happy in your bed, and spend the night cuddling with you after you turned me down like that. I still have a little pride left, and I'd like to take it home with me. Now."

A few different emotions crossed his face while I was delivering my speech. Confusion, astonishment, and perhaps anger?

I wondered if he was mad at me because I had been such a lousy friend. A friend who didn't know how to keep her place, one that had dared to dream too high? I felt my rage starting to ebb, being gradually replaced by guilt.

"Bella, I didn't turn you down, love…God! I'm such an idiot!" he said. His tone was soft when he was talking to me; apparently the irritation was directed to himself for some unknown reason.

"Baby, you thought I didn't want you?" He asked me, but I wasn't sure of what could escape my mouth if I opened it to answer, so I chose to keep it shut.

I looked to the other side, at the wall of his fancy sterile suite, anywhere but his piercing eyes that had been the beginning of everything, the first thing that had called me to him.

"Bella, look at me love," he pleaded, and when I didn't comply, he freed my wrists and used his hands to cup my face, very gently, and make me look at him.

His expression was pained, it reminded me of that night in the party when he told me he couldn't stand the thought of Mike kissing me at midnight.

I'll never know what he saw in my eyes in that moment, but whatever it was; it seemed to give him the encouragement he was searching for.

He stared at me for a long time, as if taking in whatever he was seeing in my face. His expression changed to one of determination, and then, slowly, very slowly, he closed the few inches that separated us, and pressed his lips to mine.

At first, he kissed me soft and sweet, and then it turned more passionate. I didn't have too much time to think, so I kissed him back, sinking my fingers in his hair, enjoying what his mouth was doing to me.

I guessed he was kissing me goodbye, so again I decided to take what I could get for the last time.

I was so wrong.

The kiss never slowed down to sweet again, signalling the moment I'd have to leave this gorgeous dream of a man, and go back to my pink boring life. It grew more ardent and desperate, his hands started wandering through my body, rubbing and caressing.

I was very aware that I was still naked, pinned under his hard body, and the thin layer of fabric between us did nothing to conceal his erection.

On instinct, I spread my legs further, nestling him between them, and he grounded his pelvis against mine, groaning.

I didn't know what he liked, but somehow I was sure he wouldn't freak out like Mike if we got a little rough.

I dug my nails into his scalp, and tugged as he moved down my throat, eliciting another groan, and more grinding of his hard-on against my groin.

He dipped in, capturing one of my nipples in his mouth, while he rolled the other one in his long fingers.

I must have been doing the most embarrassing noises, I faintly recall hearing them and hoping he didn't think I sounded like a porn star in decline, but honestly I couldn't help myself.

I hitched my leg over his hip, trying to get more friction where I was craving it the most. Edward must have interpreted my need better than I did, because he switched breasts, his mouth started sucking my left nipple while he shifted his weight to his elbow, opening a small gap between our bodies.

His hand roamed lower, leaving a trail of fire on my skin, until I could feel his skilled fingers pressing against my tender flesh. He made small circles over my pussy, the back his fingers grazing my slit on each pass, his thumb rubbing my clit, bringing me closer and closer with each movement.

I was squirming and pushing against his fingers when he let go of my nipple, and settled for watching me instead. I was way past shame by that moment, so I writhed and moaned while he touched me, all the time staring into his green depths.

His breathing was laboured, and it was clear in his face that he was very aroused, but what surprised me the most was the intensity of his gaze, he was looking at me with adoration.

"Let go, love," he whispered, and his rasping voice, pure desire dripping in it, was all it took to finally send me over the edge.

I closed my eyes as I came, quivering on his hand.

Edward's body lowered to mine, and he held me, whispering sweet nothings on my ear, his fingers still on my flesh, but only delivering feathery touches over my sensitive skin.

I opened my eyes again when he shifted his body. He gave me a tender kiss, and moved to the side, disentangling my leg from his hip, and bringing me to his chest.

"Now try to catch some sleep, love. You must be exhausted," he said wrapping his arms around me.

I looked at him in confusion, because he was still hard as a rock, but he was making no moves to get some relief.

Chapter 12: Pink Giraffe's Blues

Previously in Deep Ocean...

"Edward, what are you doing half dressed inside the hot tub?"

Shouldn't you be asking what the heck you are doing naked on his lap, baby?

Oh, crap! Sure enough, I was sitting stark naked on Edward's lap; he, at least, was wearing his jeans…inside the hot tub.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any weirder…

He must have seen the shock in my face, because his gaze was focused at eye level, as if trying to convince me it was ok being naked, that he wasn’t even paying attention. I was thankful, and a little hurt at the same time.

What were you expecting? You think you’re the first woman he saw like that?

I didn’t have time to discuss with my inner bitch, not that she had been of great use while I was scared running in the dark either, I had more pressing matters at that moment.

“I was already wet when we got here, love, so I kicked my boots and took off my shirt while I prepared the tub. I was going to change later, it was more important to get you warm first. Then you started crying, and I wanted to hold you, so I jumped into the tub.”

I had the feeling he had lots of questions of his own, but he was answering my silly one first because he was afraid I’d bolt out of the tub screaming ‘rape’.

“Now, Bella, can you tell me why you were barefoot, wearing no coat, and far away from your house, at night, in the middle of a storm?”

I explained about the power going off, and the noises, and the fact that I didn’t even think in putting on my shoes, let alone grabbing my car keys when I started running.

“Shhh…It’s ok, love, you’re safe now,” he told me, kissing my forehead, and it was impossible not to believe in him. Earlier, when I started getting tired of running, and I didn’t even know where I was, the only person I thought of calling was Edward. Not the police or Mike. I needed Edward.

“Oh! I think I left my door open…I can’t remember!”

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll send the guys to check your house. They’ll take care of everything.”

“I’m sorry, Edward. I didn’t know what to do; I just panicked and ran, when I noticed I was in an unfamiliar street, drenched and cold, I called you…Do you think I can have my clothes dried? I could take a room and…I’ll pay for it, just don’t make me go there now…”

He tried to gently interrupt my rant a few times, but I was too caught up to let him, the thought of going back to the empty house in the storm terrorized me again.

“Bella, what makes you think I’ll let you leave this room tonight, love?”

And there it was again, that hint of wilderness in his eyes, the same thing that gave me the vibe of an untamed animal the first time I saw him.

I swallowed hard, and he smirked, and I couldn’t take me eyes away from his green hypnotizing ones.

He looked at my lips, the desire to kiss me clear in his face, and for the first time ever, I didn’t second guess myself, or even considered if I deserved him; I just closed the distance between us and pressed my mouth against his.

He cupped my chin, and tilted my head back, surrendering to the kiss. His tongue was soft, and wet, gently sucking my own. His hand was caressing my neck, and then trailing down to my collarbones on the way to my chest.

I moaned softly when he rubbed the side of my breast with the tips of his fingers. He made a few passes, and then his hand was covering my peak.

The kiss grew more urgent, passionate; his hands alternative massaging my breast and rubbing my nipple.

I was so turned on that I knew I was willing to give him anything he wanted.

Because I wanted it too. I wanted him.

“We should stop now, love,” he whispered against my mouth.

I shook my head no, grazing his upper lip with my teeth. I couldn’t stop then, or I’d never have that chance again.

“Please, Edward,” I begged, my breathing was ragged and my tone so needy I couldn’t even recognize myself.

“I can’t take advantage of you, Bella. We can’t do it. Not like this, not now. You’ll regret it tomorrow, and don’t want you to hate me, love.”

He sounded in pain, and I wondered if he was trying to convince me or himself.

“Please…I won’t regret it…I need to feel you.”

He sighed.

“Not in here, Bella. Let me take care of you, love. I’ll get you dry, and then we can go to bed.”

I guessed the logistics to do the deed in a hot tub must have been too complicated, not that I’d have known by experience, but I decided to follow his lead.

He pulled me up gently, and then he got out of the tub, taking my hand to help me.

I felt a little awkward standing in the middle of his huge bathroom naked while he wasn’t, but the look in his eyes was hungry, and it made me feel desired.

He grabbed a big, fluffy towel and started drying me off. His touch was tender, and purposeful at the same time.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured when he was done, and I melted at the intensity of his voice and his gaze.

“Go and get in bed, love. I’ll get rid of my wet clothes and be there in a minute.”

I reluctantly walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. For some silly reason, I wanted to watch him getting out of his wet jeans.

I pulled down the covers and got comfy to wait for him, basking in the sensation of being in his bed, under the sheets that smell like him.

He strolled into the bedroom wearing a towel wrapped low around his hips, and went the chest of drawers, opened one and took a pair of boxers. His back was turned to me when he let the towel hit the floor and started putting them on.

Oh. My. God! I’ve died and gone to an Abercrombie & Fitch Ad!

His back was broad and defined, his muscles tensing when he leaned forward. And his butt! I’ve never thought that a man’s butt could be beautiful before, but Edward’s was perfect. So toned and…

“Bella, were you checking out my ass?”

Busted! I was so absorbed in my fantasies that didn’t even notice he was standing at the foot of the bed. I blushed, sliding a little lower under the covers.

He shook his head, amused, and crawled over the bed smirking.

The wild cat was back…

How a man could move with such predatory grace was beyond me.

I want to pet that cat! Purrr!

Great! You know you’re in trouble when the voice of your conscience starts purring…

“I'll send the guys to check your house, love,” Edward said, grabbing his cell phone from his nightstand.

He remained over the covers; his back reclined against the headboard while he talked to his men. I didn’t pay attention to the directives he gave them because I was too busy ogling his naked chest. I didn’t really have a chance when we were in the bathroom, he moved too much and I was feeling self conscious. But I was covered, and he was still and in display while he was on the phone, so I couldn’t miss my opportunity.

He put his phone on the nightstand again once he finished talking, and leaned down to kiss my nose. When he got under the covers, he scooted closer to me, and pulled me to his body.

His arms wrapped around me felt divine, but when he kissed the top of my head, and started rubbing my back in a comforting manner, I knew something was very wrong. I wasn’t precisely experienced, but a man who planned on having sex with a woman shouldn’t have been treating her as if she was his sister.

A sob escaped my mouth before I could stop it. I felt cheated. Of course he wasn’t interested, even naked and in his bed, he wouldn’t make a move on me, I was still a stupid pink giraffe.

“What happens, love?”

“Nothing. Let go of me, Edward. I want to go home.”

“What? Bella, what’s wrong, baby? I can’t read your mind; you have to tell me so I can help you…”

“You can’t help me, Edward. Don’t worry, I get it. I just can’t keep doing…this,” I said gesturing between the two of us. “You were clear from the beginning; you said you wanted to be my friend…”

“Bella, love…”

I hushed him while I fought to disentangle his arms from my body. He wasn’t cooperating.

“You won’t go anywhere, Bella. I need you to explain me what I did wrong…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was me; I shouldn’t have called you…”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Bella? Of course you should call me whenever you need me!”

He was frustrated, pinning me to the bed beneath his body, demanding answers I wasn’t about to give him.

What was I going to tell him? That I had misunderstood his friendship for something more? That I had allowed myself to dream for the first time in many years without noticing that the dream was too big for me? That his rejection hurt more than any other in the past? 

Chapter 11: Giraffes & Stormy Weather

I noticed a big storm was coming while I was driving back home. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t acknowledge the weather until a lightning illuminated the top of the buildings. I was glad I was almost at home; we had fairly good weather for the most part of the year, but that kind of storms were usually nasty. Being so close to the sea, the wind could be quite violent, and I was expecting the rain to pour heavily too.

I opened my door when the first raindrops started tapping on the awning over my door.

I wasn’t used to be at home so early, and not having Alice around added to the oddness I felt. I haven’t brought food with me from Mela’s like usual, so I decided to check in the kitchen to see if there was something to grab. I would have ordered take out, like Ali and I did on most of my days off, but with the storm I didn’t think it was an option.

I finally opted for some ice-cream, because everybody knows that ice-cream is the mandatory diet for girls having crappy days. I wasn’t really hungry, more like anxious, so I guessed a sugar overdose would help.

I haven’t heard from Edward in all day aside from a short text around noon. He wanted to check on me and make sure I was fine after the previous night’s incident, so I texted back assuring him I was ok and didn’t contact him again for the rest of the day. I figured he must have been busy and worried with all the situation at the hotel.

Once I settled on the couch with the carton of Breyer’s triple chocolate ice-cream determined to pig out and die happy, I couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger’s purse. At first, I ignored it just in case it carried secrets I didn’t want to know, but no matter what Granma Higginbotham said, things just don’t go away if you ignore them.

Soldier up, Swan!

I placed the ice cream carton on the coffee table, and went upstairs to bring the purse.

I glared at the black purse for about twenty minutes, while eating the chocolaty goodness, but in the end, I knew I would have no choice but opening it.

The storm was hitting us full force by then, rain and thunders. It wasn’t a common thing having that kind of storms in winter, they were usually a summer treat, but considering the previous days had been warm, and that evening the temperature had gone down abruptly, I guessed it wasn’t something that unexpectable. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it we had a blizzard next.

I turned on the television, even when it wasn’t recommended during one of those storms, just to have some background noise to keep me company.

Enough stalling, Swan! You look more like ‘Chicken’! Bwack…bock..bock!

I huffed at my inner bitch, and opened the purse, putting it upside down, and empting its contents on the couch.

Lipstick, powder compact, diary, tampons, papers, wet wipes, Kleenex, nail file, flashlight…screwdriver?

Wallet. That was the one I was looking for.

I took a deep breath, and opened it, looking at the licence.

Rosalie Lilian Cullen.

Cullen?

Could she be Edward’s wife?

Cosmo’s list of most eligible bachelors, brain box...Does it ring any bells?

I slapped my forehead. Of course, no wife.

Las Vegas, Nevada.

She had to be a relative, but what was the purse belonging to a resident of Vegas doing in Atlantic City?

Going on a casino rendezvous?

Hardy har har. I was about to mental slap my inner bitch when the sound of a thunder made the windows tremble. Then all went dark…

Great. The last thing I needed at that moment was being alone in a dark house. I silently prayed for the power to come back on, but after several minutes sitting in the dark, watching as the storm glowed intermittently on the walls creating strange shadows behind the furniture, I was starting to lose my hope. And my calm…

I blindly reached with my hand, and started looking for the small flashlight I remembered seeing when I emptied the purse on the coach.

That’s when I heard the noises.

A few lighter thumps and a thud. Several minutes of silence, and then more noises. Creaking sounds, and what seemed like footsteps upstairs.

I went into full panic mode. I couldn’t think clearly, I felt the urgency to run as fast as I could.

“E…Edward…I need help…I…”

“Are you ok, Bella? Where are you, love? What happens?”

Edward was frantic. I had trouble speaking because my teeth were chattering from the cold and the nerves, but I finally managed to give him directions. He made me promise I’d stay there, and wait for him to pick me up.

I didn’t know how long it took for him to arrive, but it must have been fast considering the state he was in when he got out of his car. He seemed to relax marginally when he saw I was unharmed, but he was still very anxious as he wrapped me in his coat, and escorted me to his car. I noticed there was another car with him, I guessed it must have been his security guys, but I was so cold and scared that I didn’t ask about them.

Once at the Twilight, he left his car in the underground parking lot like the first time, and carried me bridal style to the elevator and all the way to his suite. He placed me gently on his couch disappearing for a few minutes.

I must have fainted or dozed off; because I felt some tugging and pulling, and next thing I was inside his hot tube.

The hot water hurt, I wanted to scream as my muscles started losing their numbness. He tried to calm me, talking gently and rubbing my limbs, till the painful sensations went away and I started feeling the warmth.

That’s when discomfort was followed by another feeling…

I wanted to cry.

But not just a child’s act to get attention, not from pain or any other feeling I could identify, I just needed to cry. It was something oppressive, an agony that was choking me. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty…

Have you ever seen a movie heroine crying? She would sob, cover her glossy eyes with her hand, and have her moment of misery. When she’s done crying, her breathing would slow down, she’d smile, and the sun would smile back at her.

When I cried, it was a mess of tears, snot, and hiccups, with shrieks and babbling in the middle, and lots of awkwardness. By the time the full force hurricane was over, my nose would be red, my face, blotchy and swollen with bloodshot eyes, and I’d still breathe funny, sniffing and hiccupping from time to time.

If there was a secret to cry with dignity like the movie heroine, it wasn’t a one that the Pink Ladies were privy to. I wondered if that was the reason that having crying outbursts was something severely advised to be done behind closed doors and alone.

So I cried the only way I knew. Noisily and messily…and in Edward’s presence.

He held me while I cried my eyes out, wiping my face with a towel from time to time, murmuring soothing words, and caressing my hair.

At some point I felt him slide beside me and pull me into his lap, I wasn’t really paying attention to anything, I just wanted to weird feeling to go away.

When the choking sensation receded, he started rocking me gently, still whispering words of comfort, and kissing my hair until I finally could breathe evenly, and I raised my head from his shoulder.

“Edward, what are you doing half dressed inside the hot tub?”

Shouldn’t you be asking what the heck you are doing naked on his lap, baby?

Oh, crap! Sure enough, I was sitting stark naked on Edward’s lap; he, at least, was wearing his jeans…inside the hot tub.

Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any weirder…

Chapter 10: Out of character Giraffe

Previously in Deep Ocean:

I had already hung the jackets in my closet, when I stumbled upon a small backpack purse I didn't recognize inside one of the bags.

A black leather backpack which clearly belonged to a woman. The problem was that the woman wasn't me…

I placed the purse on the bed end bench, while a million of things went through my mind. Should I open it? I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to look inside…Could it belong to Edward’s girlfriend? What if I opened it to look for an identification card, and ended up finding more than I wanted to know?

It was a possibility.

If I analyzed the situation, that could even explain the surprise in the waiter’s eyes earlier. Maybe he wasn’t amazed because a woman dining there wasn’t a regular occurrence, as I first foolishly thought. Perhaps he was taken aback because I wasn’t the woman he was expecting to see there.

How stupid could I’ve been? After all, he never claimed he was single, and I have never asked. I’ve just assumed.

Jealous? Nice touch, buttercup! It’s not like you don’t have a boyfriend too.

Of course, there was that small detail too. I still had to talk to Mike, and even if he agreed to give me some time to figure things up, I wasn’t supposed to use it to jump Edward. I had no right to get jealous if he had a girlfriend…or twenty. I was the one with the unfinished business, and very out of his league in general, independently of whether I was in a relationship or not.

The thought of him being with another girl, however, bothered me more than I would confess.

I decided that I had to clean up my act with Mike first. It just had to be done, although the feeling that I’d never come back to him was growing considerably. Maybe I didn’t have the guts to try and steal Edward away from his woman, but being with Mike for the wrong reasons was something unacceptable. The few days I spent with Edward had changed my mind drastically. I was not that girl anymore, and even if there was still a lot of pink in me, I was more hopeful to find what I really wanted, and the little white house with the picket fence was climbing fast in my list of things-not-fun.

I set my alarm clock, and went to bed, determined to catch Mike as soon as he left his office to have the ‘talk’.

“You don’t understand, Mike. I’m not saying that you’re doing anything wrong, I just have a lot of things in my head now, and I think I’d be good for us to have some time alone to think…”

“Bella, is this because you were expecting me to propose sooner, and you feel I’m not taking you seriously?”

“No, Mike, I’d never think…”

“Because it’s not true, Bella. I know I’ve been very caught up with work lately, there’s been some changes at the office, I’m not really sure where I’m standing anymore. Part of the shares had been sold, and there’s a new stockholder around. I know this shouldn't had affected us, and I know it’s not a good excuse, but I was waiting till things calmed down to make a decision. I didn’t know you were going to feel disappointed and want out.”

He paused, and gulped some water. I was so anxious, and frustrated that didn’t open my mouth. 

“Couples need time with they have serious issues, Bella. We’re perfect. You’ll see when things settle down. We don’t need time. We can buy a house, and you won’t even need to work at the restaurant anymore. You can be at home, and wait for me to have dinner together…”

“But I need time!!”

I didn’t know what made me yell at him, I didn’t usually raise my voice in public places, but his description of the life he was expecting set off all my alarms.

 Mike was shocked. He was staring at me with a mix of confusion and hurt I couldn’t take.

“Mike, you’re a great guy, any girl would be happy to be with you…And I swear you didn’t do anything wrong, you’re perfect the way you are…”

Perfect for another girl, one that’s not sitting in front on you right now, to be specific.

“You mean we’re good now, right?”

He looked pleased, I wanted to growl. I didn’t seem to find the right words to tell him that I wanted to run the hell off in the other way. Run away from him and his future plans as if they were the Ebola virus.

I tried again.

“Mike, we’re fine, but…What I mean is that I love you, you’ll always been great to me…I don’t want to hurt you, but I really need time. We’ve been together for three years; you never get fun…Why don’t you go out? I don’t know, meet people, have fun…?”

By the time I reached Mela’s, I had replayed our conversation in my mind about a dozen times. No matter how I looked at it, I still wasn’t sure if Mike had understood what I meant. I didn’t want to be blunt with him because I knew I’d hurt him, and he didn’t deserve it, but speaking kindly apparently didn’t convey what I wanted.

You should have tried the ‘It’s not you, it’s me’

I almost laughed out loud at that thought. Yeah, I sucked at relationships, but even I wasn’t that crass.

I was glad I was early, because I had time to finish placing the orders before the girls arrived. For some reason, they always used the storage room to have their girly talks, and that day in particular I wasn’t sure if I could handle them. Besides, they were still waiting for some kind of explanation about Edward that I wasn’t very willing to give.

I went to the kitchen to see if Santiago had already arrived. I wanted to talk to him and see if he knew how to prepare that flan-thing Eva served us the previous day. I wasn’t very acquainted with Spanish cuisine because, according to Renata, the Mediterranean Sea ended at the Cote d'Azur, nothing west from there was on our menu. I thought it’d be a nice touch adding some new recipes, and considering our shipment from Greece was still delayed, we’d have to make changes anyway.

Santiago was delighted at the possibility to add some Spanish dishes. He confirmed me that it was his area of expertise because his family was originally from Spain, and he had spent a few summers working with a Spanish chef.

We agreed to have some samples for the following day, and I left the kitchen to make my first round of the evening.

About 8:30 Renata called me to her office; I haven’t even noticed her arrival. At first I didn’t think anything of it, because she usually called me when she was bored and wanted to know how the day was going without having to step a foot out of the room.

I started to worry when I saw her face, but I closed the door as requested, and sat, bracing myself for whatever thing had got her Victoria’s Secret undies in a twist.

“Bella, do you think I’m an idiot?”

Hell to the yes, barbie!!

“No, Renata, why would I think that? Could you please explain me what is bothering you? I’m sure it’s only a misunderstanding.”

“Don’t you dare use that patronizing tone with me! I know what you were planning! First you come here, to my restaurant, and act as if you owned the place; then you trick, God knows how, Edward Cullen go shopping with you, and buy you stuff? Do you really think that you can catch a man like him? I can’t even start to imagine what kind of lies you could have told him, cos believe me I’ve seen lots women hanging on his arm, and they were bombshells. Do you even own a mirror?”

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even open my mouth. I was listening to her words, and still it felt like my brain was having a hard time processing them. How did she know I had been with Edward? And most importantly, why did she think I was tricking him into anything?

She must have taken my silence as a confession, because she went on.

“I know what you’re planning! I’ve seen a lot of little shits like you before, so drop your scaredy-cat act! You told him you owned Mela’s, right? You thought you’d use my prestige to make him think you were his equal! You had it all set up from the beginning; you took advantage of my kindness to take over the restaurant, and then waited for a suitable victim to show up! You, little backstabber! If you think you’re going to catch him to marry you so you can make it back to society, you have another thing coming!”

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, bitch!

“Renata, you don’t have any idea of what you’re talking about. I didn’t tell Edward anything but the truth, I’m not trying to trick him into marriage, I’m not trying to have a place in society…”

I really tried to reason with her. I wasn’t even sure why, but I felt the need to explain myself to her, but she had to interrupt me again. I was livid.

“You think I’m not aware of your story? Your family disowned you ‘cos you didn’t have what was needed to marry the right guy, so you just came here with your tail between your legs, and thought you had a second shot at it…”

“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Renata!”

Say what? Since when are we on the same side? You go, Swan!

Apparently when my mental filters weren’t working, my inner voice was unleashed. Who knew? I’ve never been so angry in my life.

Renata was staring at me with her mouth open in shock; it seemed that she wasn’t expecting the uncensored version of my thoughts either.

“You’re f…”

“Don’t bother, Renata,” I interrupted “I quit.”

I went to my office to grab my purse, and told her on my way out “And since according to you, I was trying to take over your restaurant, I won’t give you the month warning. I’m sure you’d want to manage Mela’s yourself to avoid anybody else trying to backstab you. Consider it a parting gift and reimbursement for the way you treated me, I won’t even cash my last pay check, so we’re even.”

When I walked out of the door for the last time, I was still angry, but there was also another feeling. Could it be relief?

I felt like I was taking the reins of my life for the first time ever. And it felt good…

Random silly facts about the story

This goes for the ones who were asking me certain things about the story:

Locations:

The Accounting Group were Mike works - the one who hosted the infamous New Year's Party - is called L.Pascall & Associates and that was a goofy thing from my part. Lou Pascal was Burt Lancaster's character in the Movie Atlantic City. *winks*

Mela's is the a 4 stars Mediterranean restaurant in The Quarter at Tropicana where Bella works. The owner is Renata Strigoli. Mela in Italian, means apple, and it's another silly reference to Twilight, in this case the cover.
In my head, Mela's look like this:

The Twilight Hotel&Casino Atlantic City, owned by Edward is the twin of the one in Las Vegas (Property of Aristotle Cullen aka Uncle Aro)

In my head, it looks more or less like this: