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:

Chapter 9: Bond. Giraffe Bond.

Edward was very upset after the short meeting with his security manager. He didn’t go into details, but I had the feeling that something wasn’t right in the hotel. He insisted I stayed for dinner, even when I tried to excuse myself and leave. I didn’t want to disturb him more than he already was, so I suggested it’d be better if I left him to deal with his casino problems in peace. Apparently not one of my best ideas, he got more nervous, and I had never seen Edward like that. He looked frightened. I couldn’t imagine what kind of thing could scare a man like him, but of one thing I was certain, it couldn’t be good.

He ordered room service, and showed me around while we waited for our meal.

All the pent house of the Twilight was assigned to his private quarters, aside from a section on the east wing that housed an independent deluxe suite, but the layout was great, and they functioned as completely separated areas. Each part had their own terraces that faced different streets, and in Edward’s side there was even a swimming pool.

I couldn’t picture him in one of our local crowded beaches, so I guessed it made sense. Still, the thought of him bringing random girls to his private oasis made me feel uncomfortable.

What? You thought he was really a monk like Eva suggested?

I wasn’t really expecting him to live isolated on the top of his tower, like an improved, modern version of Quasimodo, but the more I knew about him, the less my mental image of him seemed to fit in his life.

He’s got a gorgeous dinning room with a small kitchen area on one side, and a good stocked bar on the other. Everything looked modern, and expensive, but so opposed to the Edward I knew that it seemed out of place.

Same thing happened with the rest of the rooms he showed me, from the living room to the study and the game room. Even his bedroom felt wrong. It was big, luxurious…and dead. Everything was generic, as in high-end hotel kind of generic, expensive and soulless.

How dared he try to imply I was the only one with problems?

He lived at a hotel, and even with the excuse of being the owner, there wasn’t a trace of him in his entire place.

All the rooms were beautiful and sterile, there were no framed photos, books, or knick-knacks, nothing that said a person lived permanently in there, and not somebody who was just passing by and would be gone the next day. To my best knowledge, his suitcases could be packed inside his closet.

I felt bad for him.

When the food arrived, the waiter went with the delivery cart directly to the dining room, while Edward took my hand, and led me to the table. The waiter was very formal and polite, and considering the way he moved in the suite, I wondered if Edward usually ate there alone. The man seemed surprised the moment he saw me, and though he quickly schooled his face back into its relatively expressionless state, I could catch a glimpse of it.

Interesting! Not so many romantic dinners for two at the Twilight’s penthouse…

Even my inner voice sounded more relaxed after that discovery.

Edward looked restless throughout our meal, barely smiling and putting too much effort in the conversation. I wondered what he wasn’t telling me. By the time we finished, he started stalling again, as if he didn’t want me to leave. He even sent somebody to pick my shopping bags from his car and bring them to the room. I thought he was crazy, because why would I want the bags up there, to have to carry them down again when I left? I didn’t mention it because he seemed a little more relaxed once they brought the bags. Perhaps he had some OCD tendencies I haven’t noticed before.

Finally we made our way to the elevator, but he stopped once again to make a call. The other person should have been waiting for his instructions, because they only crossed a few words.

The thought of the elevator made me a little excited, but Edward’s demeanour that evening didn’t let my hopes raise too much. Besides, carrying all the bags would have made difficult to try anything, not that I doubted the man was talented, but I was aware he wasn’t a porpoise.

He didn’t even glance at me on the way down, all the time speaking on his cell phone.

When the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened, I discovered that we weren’t in the underground parking lot, but in a corridor that led to the entrance hall.

A huge man dressed in a dark suit with an earpiece in place approached us. It seemed that he was the one Edward had been talking to in the elevator, because he patted his back, and told him he had everything under control.

Another burly man dressed in a similar fashion walked toward us, nodded, and escorted us to the main door.

I was so curious about what was going on, that I haven’t even considered my clothes. I felt a little self-conscious when a few people looked in our way, but the Bond movie Edward and his staff were enacting had me way more engrossed.

The two guys flanked us as we walked into the street, and got in a black Mercedes.

Edward and I sat in the back, while burly-guy-number 1 went back into the hotel, and burly-guy-number 2 got in the driver’s seat.

I had always been a patient person, and I did’t usually tell others how to manage their business, but this situation had me in the middle of the action, and I wasn’t precisely a Bond Girl to be honest.

I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Edward, what’s going on?”

“Don’t worry, love, everything’s ok.”

“Why don’t you tell yourself that, Edward? I think you missed the memo.”

He sighed, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

I felt bad, because I knew I was being bitchy, but I always got bitchy when I was anxious. Besides I might have been the one making him uneasy, but he was acting as if we were in a spy movie, and didn’t even consider sharing his reasons with me.

“We had a problem earlier, Bella. We’re still investigating it, but it appears that somebody planted a device to run electronic interference; we lost the sections 5 and 8 of the surveillance camera system for at least 20 minutes.”

“Was it a robbery?” I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand. The idea of being in the middle of a casino robbery wasn’t appealing at all.

“No. We have a different camera system in those sections; they’re wired to our own surveillance room, the police department, and the security company. The odd thing’s that the cameras compromised are not placed in any area that moves money, or has anything to do with the casino itself. As a security measure, we closed all the other entrances, leaving only the main one to watch.”

“So you think that…”

“I can’t be sure of anything, not till the investigation is over. But the only reason we could come up to explain this, considering the cameras involved, is that somebody wanted to get in or out of the hotel without being seen.”

“A kidnapper? An assassin?” I was terrorized by that thought.

“Calm down, love,” he tried to sooth me taking my hand in his. “I wouldn’t go so far, there are a lot of crazy things that could happen at a casino hotel, and most of them wouldn’t make sense to you at all. For all I know, it could have been a guest with geeky tendencies pulling a stunt to have something to tell to his friends, it has happened before. Or there’s always the chance of corporate espionage…”

Oh, fudge! And I was about to tell you to put the popcorn down that there was no movie…

Edward helped me with the shopping bags once we arrived to my house, and asked me if I was ok. I wasn’t anywhere near fine, but I lied to avoid adding more problems to him.

He hugged me tight, and left.

I went to my bedroom, changed into my sleeping shirt, and tried to sleep, but I couldn’t help thinking about Edward. Was he all right? Was he even going to sleep that night? Was he safe? What if the assassin theory was the right one? What if somebody was there trying to kill Edward?

I jumped out of my bed, and started pacing frantically through my room.

There was nothing I could do to.

I couldn’t call him to make sure he was ok, because I risked waking him up if he was already sleeping, or interrupting him, if he was gathered with his security staff.

And he’ll realize you’re a pathetic little girl with stalkerish tendencies…

I started unpacking my shopping bags to busy myself doing something other than worrying.

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 that clearly belonged to a woman. The problem was that the woman wasn’t me…

Deep Ocean Outtake - Edward POV

Well, my lovelies, considering that you've been so good to me, here's the first part of the Outtake, posted permanently. Hope you like it. Mwahh!

Edward POV

I entered Eva’s, and went directly to the counter. Jim was arranging cups and stuff in the showcase with his back to me, so he didn’t see me right away.

Eva came from the back of the shop carrying a bar stool. She place it in front of the counter, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, patted the stool twice, and winked at me with a knowing smile before leaving to take the orders from a few morning patrons.

“Oh! Look what the cat dragged in!” Jim said chuckling. “You look like crap, kiddo! What happened?”

I sat down in the stool, and ran my hand through my hair. I didn’t have any idea where to start.

“Long story, man”

He grabbed a mug, filled it with coffee, and put it in front of me.

“Well, I have time…it’s not like I can go anywhere anyway,” he paused for a moment and then added “and I have the feeling you came here looking for an ear.”

He was right. I always went to Eva’s whenever I couldn’t stand being alone, when I couldn’t talk to anybody around me in the casino. I knew many of them considered me a friend, but honestly, I couldn’t talk freely about certain things with them.

Certain things like my uncle getting in trouble again in Vegas and lashing out at Rosalie.

Things like a tall, exotic woman that was driving me crazy.

I decided to start with Uncle Aro. It was the easier one out of the two.

“Uncle Aro got involved in some clandestine wagers and pissed in King’s territory. Apparently now Royce and his gang are out for blood.”

Jim whistled under his breath.

“Did he call you?”

“Nah! He knows what I think about his deals. But he was pissy enough to have the wonderful idea to slap Rosalie, and now she’s living at the Twilight. She was the one who told me.”

“How’s your cousin?”

“She’s ok. She was pretty shaken when she arrived, but she’s calmed down now. She refuses to go back to Vegas, though. She said she’s scared of Royce, and considering Rosalie could probably scare half of my security guards; it doesn’t look good, man.”

“But I thought that Royce guy was a family friend!”

“Yeah, the operative word being ‘was’. His father retired about a year ago and left him in charge of their casino. He made some interesting friends in the last year…Rosalie says he’s into some scary shit.”

“I’m sorry, kid…”

Yeah, well, not sorrier than me, my man.

Eva went to the other side of the counter, murmured something to Jim, and then came back and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Come here, cielo. Let’s sit and talk. Is that lady of yours giving you grief?”

I shook my head grinning. There was no way to delude Eva. She always knew what I wasn’t telling. I followed her to the table.

“That’s the whole problem, Eva…she’s not mine…”

“Holy shit! What did you do to the girl, Edward? I could have sworn that you…Hold on! Don’t tell me you…”

I knew where Eva was going, she was about to kick my ass for supposedly hurting Bella, so I had to interrupt her.

“I didn’t do anything to Bella, Eva…she’s not mine, and she never was in the first place, she’s just a friend. She’s in a relationship with another guy…”

I must have sounded pitiful because she was speechless.

And Eva’s never speechless…

“Holy shit,” she said again, this time in disbelief. “And you’re sitting here without doing anything about it, boy?”

“What am I supposed to do? Kidnap her? Beg her to dump the loser, and have me instead?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, and closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to breathe and calm down.

“It’s not so easy, Eva. I met her by accident; I wasn’t even supposed to be there that night. I couldn’t control myself, and even knowing she was there with her boyfriend, I went and flirt with her. All night, Eva. And not satisfied with that, I dragged her to a private place and kissed the hell out of her too.”

I was looking at the table while ranting, too ashamed to even look at her in the eye, but I needed to know what she was thinking, so I risked a quick glance.

She was grinning again, and I knew that face, that was Eva’s expression when she knew something nobody else did. The question was...did I want to know? Could I take the blow when she told me I was an idiot, that I should forget Bella and find some other girl?

“Oh, my, my…So I take it as you brought her here against her will yesterday, then? How could I miss the handcuffs? I'm getting old.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, lady,” I said, snickering. The idea of me handcuffing Bella to take her for breakfast was ludicrous.

Still, if I ever got a chance to handcuff her, I wasn’t about to bring her for coffee. There were lots of places I could picture her handcuffed, and preferably naked, and…

Eva snapped her fingers to get my attention. Apparently I had spaced out.

I hung my head down in shame while she laughed.

“You really got it bad, tesoro!”

“You have no idea, Eva,” I groaned. “You know what’s the funniest part? Usually, I’m the one trying to get rid of some dense girl, and now, that I really like one, she doesn’t want me. God! Can I get anymore pathetic?”

Unfortunately, once I started spilling my guts, I couldn’t stop, so I kept on telling Eva all the shameful things I had done in the last few days.

“I tried to forget about her, I really did. But I spent the day after the party thinking of her, no matter what I was doing, flashes of her showed in my mind. I hardly got any sleep so the following morning I went to the accounting group that hosted the party, and lied my ass off. I pretended to be interested in the staff, and chatted with random people till I found her boyfriend. How low is that Eva? I’ve owned that company for almost a month now, and I’ve never been interested in meeting anybody. I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the company; I’ve just bought it and left the former manager as a figurehead ‘cos it was the wise move to do in that moment…But I went there to measure up the guy! To see what he had that I didn’t!” I slapped my hand on the table.

“He’s an ok guy, the only obvious thing he had that I didn’t was Bella. He made the mistake of talking casually about her, and the little control I had left went out the window. I used the little piece of information he had let slip to stalk her at her job! Yes, Eva, it seems that now I’m not only a pathetic idiot, but also a creep!”

I slapped my forehead at the last affirmation, disgusted with myself, and mortified to be confessing that to her.

Eva’s guffaw echoed in the room.

“Oh, honey, I don’t know why I bother with soap operas, you’re way more entertaining!”

I stared at her blankly.

“Glad I’m amusing you, but I can’t really find the humour in it, Eva.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not really trying to make fun of you, but…Have you ever not got a girl, Edward?”

“Not really, I guess…I just don’t want to keep then once I start knowing them.” I paused, and thought about Bella, and couldn’t help a smile.

“She’s different, Eva. Bella doesn’t expect anything, she didn’t even know who I was the first time we met…she almost cussed at me! She was like an angry kitten, with her hair standing on end, cute, and mad as hell…”

I must have had the silliest grin in my face, because Eva took some pity of me.

“Are you really that clueless, my boy? That girl was looking at you as if she had been floating adrift for days and you were safe land. Are you going to let her slip away?”

“But she has a boyf…”

“Is she married?”

“No, but…”

“Is she engaged?”

“No…”

“Not yet, right? So she’s free as a bird, you dumbass! Sometimes I don’t even know what’s inside men’s heads! If anything at all! For being the supposed ‘strong sex’, sometimes you’re all dense as bricks! What would you do if that boy feels threatened and proposes to her? Would you just go to the wedding and wish her a happy life? Knowing that you didn’t fight for the first thing in your life that you actually wanted? Do you do business like that Edward? You told me ten minutes ago that you secretly bought an accounting firm cos it was good for your business, and now you’re trying to tell me that you’re not willingly to fight a little dirty? A wise man once said ‘The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.’ Think about it, tesoro. I’ll get you some breakfast”

Eva certainly had a point. Nobody said that I had to play fair. That Newton guy could be a nice person, but I’d bet my ass that he wasn’t making Bella happy. She has already confessed that. How did she put it? He was a safe guy who didn’t expect much, and was comfortable because he didn’t have to worry about anybody trying to snatch her girlfriend from him…

Something like that.

Well, watch your back, Mikey-boy! You won’t know what hit you!



The Playlist for this chappie is:

Tom Waits ~ I hope I don't fall in love with you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCScGlX-ajg

Eva Cassidy ~ True Colors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh4gUjdYl9M

Frank Sinatra ~ Soon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6TaEpOKuNg

  

Additional Stuff from Chapter 8

Well, if you're the curious kind and would like to see what kind of things my Bella purchased...

Chapter 8: Ratty-chic Giraffes

How I ended up leaving Wilsons Outlet, wearing a flashy black and white leather jacket, and carrying another dark green one in a bag along with my tweed blazer, was something my brain had a hard time processing.

At first I thought we were going to Hamilton right away, but to my dismay Edward insisted we visited a few other stores before hitting the mall.

The first place he dragged me in was a nightmare in the disguise of a biker’s shop. He seemed so happy in there that I tried to endure and let him be, but in the end he must have seen my discomfort so he agreed to go to the outlet instead.

Edward moved in the city like a fish in the water and I felt like a fool each time he mentioned a shop and I had to confess that I haven’t been in there in my life.

One would think that having lived in Atlantic City for almost 4 years I should have known the city like the back of my hand, but sadly I only went from home to work and then back home most of the time; and the times I’ve been somewhere else it was during one of the rare dates I had with Mike or the times that Ali was bored and decided to share her misery with me. I loved Alice to death, but let’s say her interests and mine didn’t get along well.

When we finally arrived to Hamilton Mall I felt a little more comfortable, at least it was a place I knew well, ‘though I still didn’t feel so at ease with my worn out jeans and general appearance.

Edward guided me through the halls till we got to the store that apparently sold the Doc Martens.

To my surprise, he encouraged me to look at the shoes and discuss what I liked. After my discovery earlier that I wasn’t even sure what I liked anymore, I tried to look at everything with untrained eyes.

We bought three different pairs of boots, only one of them being some vintage green Doc Martens to match my new jacket. I actually picked the other two cause I liked them.

It was so new and exhilarant that I even allowed myself to check the high-heeled shoes. Not to buy them, of course, but at least to admire them from afar.

“Why don’t you try those on, love?”

I looked at him as if he had spurted another head. The shoes I was drooling over were a pair of black peep-toes with about 5 inches heels.

“Edward, have you seen the height of these heels?”

“Yes, and I’ve also seen your face when you were looking at them. Try them on, Bella. I can guarantee you like them”

He asked one of the assistants to bring them in my size and I reluctantly sat down to try them on. After all, the most embarrassing part of going shopping for shoes was telling my shoe size and Edward had already charmed that information out of me earlier.

Hell, he’d probably have charmed your panties the hell off  too but you had to open your big mouth…

“They’re lovely” I said gloomily “but I can’t buy them. I’d look like a palm-tree and nobody would want to stand beside me”

Images of people asking me to bend my knees for the photo flashed fast through my mind, I didn’t think I could take that humiliation again.

“I’m here, standing right next to you, love”

He put his hand on the small of my back and kissed my shoulder tenderly.

“Let’s make a deal, Bella. We get the shoes and I promise to take you anywhere you want so you can show them off”

“Where’s the catch?”

“I get bragging rights. I’d be the lucky bastard on the arm of the beauty in the fuck-me-pumps” he whispered.

And he scores! Bedhair 5: Ponytail 0! And she goes to the bench!

Bitch! She always decided to get sassy when I couldn’t fight back.

Hell, I couldn’t even remember my name! Why had he to be so darn sexy?

When I felt his warm breathe close to my ear I couldn’t erase from my mind his kisses and licks at the party.

I couldn’t help wondering how making love to him would feel like.

I wanted to shove him into his ‘back to the future’ car and…

And what, rookie? Do you have any idea what to do with a man like this? Do you think your vast experience in faking orgasms and going at it in silence with the lights off would suffice?

As much as I hated what my inner voice was saying, she was right…My sex life sucked and I didn’t know how to pleasure a man like him.

Edward took advantage of my broodiness and we left the shoe shop with a few more pairs of heels I’d never get to wear.

All in all, leaving my sucky sex life aside, it had been a great day. The time we spent at Eva’s and then the shopping trip had been fun and I was starting to discover what things I liked. The hard part was going to be to explain Alice why she couldn’t rid of my new acquisitions.

The image of her trying to toss my new leather jacket in the Salvation Army’s box made me angry.

Over my dead body! No way in hell I’d let her throw away the gifts from Edward!

Even when I still had to deal with the ‘Mike situation’ and knowing that I didn’t have anything to offer to a man like Edward, I wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying whatever part of him I could get.

That realization improved me mood again.

Edward’s phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. It must have been work-related cause his tone was firm and serious. He didn’t look too pleased when he ended the call and came back walking towards me.

“Do you mind if we make a quick stop at the Twilight before I drive you home, love? There’s something I need to take care of.”

~ * ~

When we reached the casino I was glad he took the lateral entrance and pulled into a private area in the underground parking lot. The Twilight was one of the most elegant hotels in the city and the thought of using the front door dressed in my new ratty-chic style wasn’t all too appealing.

He used a key-card to open the elevator and we both got in. He typed some code in the electronic panel and then he stood next to me as we started moving up.

The small size of the elevator made me very aware of how close we were and that there was no place to hide. Suddenly my mind began going through multiple situations of what could happen into that tiny box. Most of the situations involved bodies grinding against each other, heavy panting and legs wrapped around waists.

My heart started beating faster, my face flushed…Damn! I was reading too many steamy novels! 

Of course, Edward chose that moment to stare at me.

One second he was standing beside me, and the next he was pinning me against the elevator wall; my palms, resting motionless over his chest, his hands, on either side of my head.

His face was so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. That hint of danger, present in his eyes again.

He bent his head slowly, deliberately and rubbed his lips along my jaw to my ear. He flicked his tongue around it making me shiver and bit my earlobe gently.

The elevator made a tinkling noise and the doors opened. 

He motioned for me to step out, following just behind me, his hand never leaving my back.

We walked across the hall and into a sitting room.

“Make yourself comfortable, Bella. I need to discuss something with my security manager; I’d be in the office next door. It won’t take long, promise”

He leaned over and whispered in my ear “I’m trying to be good here, love…but you’re trying to kill me”

And then he walked away, closing the double doors behind him.