A Change in Direction: Chapter Eighteen

4/23/2020

A Change in Direction: Chapter Eighteen

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Chapter Eighteen

“You’re full of flattery,” I smirked slightly, leaning in for a kiss. His lips parted for mine, and it started out sweet and gentle, but it didn’t take long for it to become more intense. Edward’s palm slid from my hip to my back, pulling me so my chest was against his. At first, the seat belt kept me in place, but without breaking our connection, I clicked it free. I brought my hand to his shoulder, gripping it tightly as if it was the only thing keeping me up.

Then he did something he had never done before. He pulled me onto his lap without skipping a beat. I was slightly higher than him, my face hovering above his. But he had full access to my throat, and he used that to his advantage. I moaned in pleasure as my head fell back.

My fingers curled into his stiff hair, encouraging his mouth down from my ear to my jaw. But he didn’t stop there. He continued to peck down the open V of my dress, suckling the side of my right breast. My whimper of excitement echoed throughout the car, and I knew the only thing that kept me from falling over was his strong arms wrapped around my waist.

My breasts were so pushed together that there was no space between them. As Edward moved to the left, his tongue drew across the top in a straight line. I hissed as my legs automatically tightened together. When he nipped gently, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I grabbed the back of his head to force his lips back to mine.

My tongue found his, forcing my way into his mouth. He took it greedily, wrapping his around it. I brought my fingers to his face, holding him in place so I could kiss him as fiercely as I wanted to. It felt as if my heart would jump out of my chest.

His beautiful hands slid from my back to my sides, coming up just underneath my breasts. He held me in a way no one had ever done before. It made me wonder what else he would do to me. I needed to find out so badly.

“We could skip this damn thing and go get a hotel room,” he panted as I pulled away for air, echoing my thoughts. Laughing, Edward’s chest heaved as he licked his bottom lip. “Think everyone would know what we were about to do?”

“Would you care?” I asked with a breathless giggle.

“Not in the least,” he chuckled, rubbing his thumb over the corner of my mouth. His lips were nearly solid red, almost clownishly so. Snickering, I repeated the action on him. “What?”

“You have lipstick everywhere.”

“That’s funny. There isn’t any on you.” He smiled as I turned my head slightly to the side and brought his finger into my mouth. Sucking on it, I let my teeth drag against it. Bobbing slowly, my eyes connected with his as my tongue curled around it. When I did, I felt something hard jerk against my thigh. “Fuck,” he muttered, his breath speeding up.

When I pulled it out, I batted my thick eyelashes at him innocently. “But I thought you wanted to share this first with me.”

“Jesus Christ. You’re making me feel like a horny teenager at prom,” he mumbled, but it didn’t seem as if he was displeased.

“Should I behave?” I asked with a slight smile. He just shook his head. I giggled and leaned down for another kiss, but the door opened.

Seth slid in with a to-go box in his hand, along with a drink. When he looked in the backseat, his dark cheeks turned pink. “I am so sorry,” he said, trying to get out of the car.

“Wait, wait!” I called to him. “It’s okay,” I moved off of Edward’s lap, more gracefully than the time I had thrown myself at him when Alice walked in. He was frowning, and I smacked him gently on the chest.

His eyes flashed to mine, and he frowned more before clearing his throat. “It’s fine. My apologies for making you uncomfortable.”

“I, um, just got myself a sandwich from the cafe. I was going to listen to the game on the radio. I can go back inside if you’d prefer.”

“What time is it?” I asked instead of answering his question.

“Six twenty-five. I’m sorry. I figured you would have gone in by now.”

“We should be now,” I declared. I glanced over at Edward and giggled. “But we just need to get cleaned up first. Do you have tissues or anything up there?”

“Um, I do and some wet wipes,” he replied as he searched through a bag that he had up front on the passenger side floor. “I’ve got some hand sanitizer, too.”

“Could I have one of those towels?” Edward asked, his face a bright red and not just from the lipstick. Seth passed the entire package back. He pulled one out and flipped down the mirror. His blush turned a little brighter. “Wow.”

I giggled again but said nothing. Instead, I brought down my own to see if I needed one of them myself. He was right, though. Somehow, I had gotten all of it off on him. So, from my tiny purse, I retrieved my compact and reapplied the powder around my face. When I brought my tube of lipstick out, he stopped me. “What?”

“You don’t need that. Your lips are red enough.”

I felt my cheeks flush slightly. His expression was so intense and sincere that I put it away without a single word. Instead, I picked out my clear gloss. “How about this? It’s even flavored.”

“Strawberry?” He asked with a slight smirk. I just nodded. “I wondered why I tasted them. Here, did I get it all?” He showed me his face. It was strained pink in some places. I pulled out another wipe and came in closer.

“Here. Let me see if I can get it,” I muttered in concentration, holding his chin in one hand as I scrubbed at the bright stains.

After a few minutes of scouring, the lipstick was all gone. I leaned in, brushing my nose against his. I didn’t wish to start all over again with the lip gloss. “There you go.”

“Enjoy your game and sandwich,” Edward said to Seth as he opened the back door.

“Do you want your change?” He called to him.

“Keep it,” he smirked, offering me his hand to help me from the car. When we were out, I put my gloves back on and adjusted my dress.

“Have a good time,” the young man declared just before I heard the radio switch on. I wrapped my arm around Edward’s, and we walked into the casino together.

Normally I would have felt awkward, especially with so many folks in their normal everyday clothes, but I felt like a princess. Several other people in finer attire slipped in with us as they checked our names at the door. Someone led us to a round table that was already practically full.

The place was dim, but it didn’t hide the fact that there must have been over two hundred people there, not including the waitstaff. Almost as soon as we sat down, a waitress whisked over and asked if we would like to start with a cocktail.

“I’d like a lemon drop,” I replied, feeling like having a drink. I couldn’t have done that at prom.

“Drink or the shot?”

“Drink.”

“Good, and you, sir?” She questioned Edward. Her eyes grew wide when he lifted the mask off of his face and rested it on the top of his head. I couldn’t blame her. He was gorgeous.

“I suppose I’ll start with a beer.”

The girl stuttered out the menu, having a hard time concentrating. He picked one from her list, and she stumbled away, making me smirk.

Scooting my chair closer to Edward’s, I placed my hand on top of his. I didn’t know any of the individuals at our table, and I was sure he didn’t either. Soft music played in the background, full of slow drums and saxophones. He leaned in and lightly kissed the side of my head. Sighing heavily, I rested my body against his.

“It’s so sweet to see such happy young people,” an elderly woman declared from across the tabletop. Her dress was puffy and gaudy, dozens of Mardi Gras pins clipped to her chest like military badges of honor. “You make a lovely couple.”

“Thank you,” Edward replied as he squeezed my hand.

Blushing and glancing away, I was unable to meet the woman’s eyes. I was certain that’s what it must have looked like to her. I wasn’t sure if it was a good way to describe us, though. We had never set up such boundaries and names. I wasn’t positive we could if we wanted to. Everything was so confusing.

I drank my liquor a bit too quickly, but when the waitress brought our appetizers to the table, she also served everyone a glass of white wine to go with it. The food looked amazing, marinated crab claws. The heavy scent of olive oil, good vinegar, and fresh herbs wafted from the plate making my stomach growled.

Following everyone’s lead, I picked it up from the platter with my fingers after I removed my gloves. I knew I would end up losing one of them before the evening was over.

“Wow,” I moaned in pleasure. “I thought you said the food was awful at these sorts of things?” I questioned in amazement. “This is so good.”

“This is good,” he agreed, just as surprised. “They’re usually terrible.”

“You must be new to the krewe,” an elderly man remarked. I could only assume he was married to the woman with the pins because he had a matching set.

“I am,” he answered politely.

“Well, we don’t do bad food. We get one of the local seafood restaurants to cater. Besides, for five hundred a plate, it better be damn good,” the gentleman replied with a laugh.

I nearly choked on my crab. “Five hundred?” I muttered to Edward.

“I also donated another ten thousand.” He shrugged like it was nothing. I supposed to him it was. It was almost as much as I had made the previous year. He took a long sip from his white wine. “This is good, too. They usually serve some of the cheapest stuff.”

After our appetizers, our meal arrived. It was steak and a twice-baked sweet potato heavy with marshmallows, candied pecans, and caramel, along with a glass of red. And following that, a cheese course with a pink dessert wine that was super sweet. Then dessert, a creamy thick rum bread pudding with a couple of glasses of champagne.

By the end of the meal, even though it was drawn out over an hour and a half, I was tipsy. I could tell Edward was feeling it as well because his nose was rosy. When the plates were whisked away, they brought cocktails out as a live band played. The dance floor filled quickly with nearly drunk people in brightly colored outfits and masks. I could hear laughter echoing throughout the entire hall, almost drowning out the music itself. Random squeals of feminine drunken amusement broke through every once in a while, along with the clinking of glasses.

“Would you care to dance?” He asked as he finished his drink. He was sipping champagne still, the liquid looking sweet on his soft lips.

“I’d be delighted,” I answered, much to my own surprise. I wasn’t one for dancing since I wasn’t very good at it. But I wanted to with him. Maybe I was more than tipsy.

I felt so warm against him as he pulled me closer on the dance floor. He was so elegant with the way his palm rested on my spine, his other hand holding mine close to his chest. As we swayed together, our eyes locked, and the universe disappeared. Giggling as his mask slid down from the top of his head over his nose, I lifted it back up for him. He brought mine up too, the air shockingly cool against my skin.

“Perfect,” he breathed as the song morphed into another. It had a nineteen fifties crooner sort of feel to it. Like Sinatra.

We danced to several songs before getting a couple more drinks. And then some more. But people were disappearing, either going to the hotel or into the casino itself. Only a few couples were left on the floor.

The buzzing in the back of my head was making everything hazy. I could see it in Edward’s eyes too. The champagne got to us both, but I don’t think either of us cared. I was so glad we didn’t have to drive.

“Would you like to play?” Edward asked in a sultry voice against my ear.

“Cards? No,” I smirked, and his already pink cheeks turned nearly purple.

“Would you like to go back to my place for a while?” He questioned, and the only answer I could think of was yes. I nodded my head, and he seized my hand as we walked off the dance floor together and over to our table. I grabbed my purse, and Edward took my gloves and shoved them into his pocket.

I should have felt embarrassed by the way we made out in the car as Seth drove us home. I was just so drunk. I hadn’t had that much in a very long time. He was too, his eyes half-lidded, and his kisses deliciously sloppy and urgent.

When we got back to his place, he practically dragged me upstairs. I hadn’t been in any of the rooms on the second floor. I hadn’t even seen his bedroom. When we got to a certain door, he shoved me against it. My feet lifted off the ground slightly as his mouth nipped and kissed at my jaw. My purse tumbled from my hand, but I couldn’t have cared less. His jacket met the same fate before we finally pushed it open.

We struggled to make it to the middle of the room, my heels being kicked off haphazardly as our mouths never disconnected. Edward’s hands awkwardly worked the zipper of my dress down as I tried to unbutton his vest. He shrugged it off, balling it up and throwing it into a corner.

When my gown finally fell to the floor, I felt so exposed. The cool air of the room was a welcome relief from the heat that came from the heavy outfit. He moaned against my mouth as his hands held my corseted waist.

“This is what you had under that dress all night?” Edward practically whimpered as he looked me over, hunger in his eyes. “If I had known, we would have never made it inside.”

Laughing, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt a little giddy. “You’re funny,” I informed him, not knowing how else to respond.

“I am very serious, Ms. Swan,” he muttered as he turned me around. One wall of his room was completely mirrored, though it appeared to be the door to his closet. It was hard to tell. He had me stare at our reflection. He was standing behind me with his arms around my waist. “Do you not see how sexy you are?”

“Edward,” I complained quietly, closing my eyes and turning my face away, but he wouldn’t allow me.

“Look at yourself,” he ordered in such a strong voice that I instantly listened. One of his hands drifted up my body to the top of my corset, where my breasts were spilling out. He carefully gripped the cup and pulled it down, so it uncovered one of my nipples. I gasped quietly, the wanton expression on my face reflecting back. He took it fully into his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re perfect.”

“Edward,” I repeated in a whimper as he continued to pinch and massage. My head lolled back, resting against his shoulder. It felt so good. It was like I was going into a trance until I noticed his other hand sliding down my stomach to my panties.

The realization of what he was about to do struck me and embarrassment surged through my system. All I could think of was the horror show it would be if he tried to do anything down there. I should have known better to even let it get this far to begin with, but I had drunk so much, and he was so beautiful. It was so hard to say no to him, but I had to.

“Stop,” I whispered, my eyes snapping open. “I can’t. I can’t,” were the only words I could get out promptly enough.

Edward detached from me so swiftly that you would have thought I repelled him. “Jesus, I am so sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing,” he blurted out, hastily shaking his head. He backed up towards the exit.

“No. Wait! It’s not like that!” I turned to him immediately.

“No. It’s fine. I’m sorry for taking it too far.” He went to the door, unable to look at me.

“You didn’t take it too far!” I tried to tell him, but he would have nothing to do with it. “I want to-”

He brought his hand up as he shook his head at my words. “No, Bella.”

“Let me explain!” I practically cried, but he wouldn’t let me. Though his face was turned away from me, I could see his cheeks were nearly purple with embarrassment. “Please!”

“There is nothing to explain. Thank you for joining me tonight,” he said as he rushed out of the room. He moved so quickly.

“Edward!” I shouted before I felt my knees give in suddenly. I dropped to the floor, the abrupt ache in my entire body letting itself be known. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and I noticed the smudged eyeliner, swollen lips, red eyes from tearing up, and exposed breasts. I adjusted the cup and looked away from the image. I didn’t have the strength or have my wits about me enough to go after him. He could lose himself in the house if he wanted to. I would never find him if he really tried.

“Dammit!” I cried for the second time in less than a week as I threw one of my shoes across my room.

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