 Episode Forty-seven: FerryBella had taken her hair down, and it whipped around us as we boarded the ferry. There were only a few people, and most of them looked bored and tired. They were going to work. She took my hand and led me to the balcony so we could see it properly. The sky was already starting to turn purple. It wasn’t as cold as it had been the days before. I was more prepared, even if the long underwear made me sweat my ass off in the club. My girl was chilly, though, not that she would have mentioned it. Wrapping her in my coat, I pulled her close to my chest with my arms around her back. She peered up at me, a small smile on her face. Bella seemed so content. I leaned down and kissed her sweet lips that still tasted like coffee. “I had so much fun tonight,” she declared in a breath against mine. “I am so glad you could be here for it.” “Me too,” I grinned. Dragging my nose across hers, I lost myself in the softness of her skin. I was still tipsy enough to be relaxed. “I like your friends.” “They like you, too.” “I’m so glad you’ll get to meet mine. Jasper will love you. My sisters, too,” I sighed in happiness. “It’ll be exciting. I haven’t been to Australia since I was a teenager for a school trip,” she answered. “We went to Sydney for a week.” I pressed my lips against her ear. “I’ll have to show you a really good time.” The Statue of Liberty came into view. Everything was glowing orange behind it. “Wow,” I breathed. “Do you want to take a picture with me?” She questioned in a sweet voice. “Absolutely,” I grinned in answer. First, I took several on my phone before we switched to hers. I held it up in the air because I had such long arms. The light behind us was so beautiful, but it was nothing compared to her smile. She had me kneel in the last few so she could press a kiss to my cheek then lips. I sent one of them to Jasper on the cab ride to the hotel. Bella had her head on my shoulder, her fingers dragging up and down my thigh as she did. With every pass, they would go lower and closer to my half-hard erection. “Stunning view, darling,” he replied right away. “Are you staying up all night partying?” “I only partied for the first part of the evening. Then we went to eat and took a ferry ride. We’re heading back to the hotel now.” “Did you have fun?” I grinned to myself. “So much fucking fun. We danced for hours. Oh, lol and a guy who looked just like you hit on me at the club. He had an American accent, and it was a little unnerving.” “So, you’re saying he was sexy,” he joked. I chuckled softly. Bella could read my conversation on the phone as I typed. She was smirking. “He was! But he didn’t have that stupid fucking mustache.” He sent a picture right away of a closeup of said stache with his middle finger up in the center. The words ‘u r a cunt’ were in white lettering in the middle of his forehead. Bella giggled softly. I slipped my phone into my pocket. “I am a bit of one to him. I hate his facial hair so much.” “Why?” She questioned, scrunching up her nose. “Because it’s part of a character he plays and not who he is. I don’t like it. I like the real him.” She shrugged. “It’s just hair.” “I realize, but it’s what it represents. He started growing it after a nasty breakup, and the bigger it gets, the more he’s hiding his feelings.” Bella made her eyes wide, looking away knowingly. “Ah. So, he was appeasing the personal crisis gods?” I laughed at her way with words. “Exactly. But it’s been a while. I guess he likes it. I just always imagine him without it. I don’t know, maybe it’s me.” We got out of the car and walked into the already busy hotel. I could feel eyes on us as we did. A few tourists looked at me as if they recognized me, but said nothing. Bella didn’t notice. She pressed the button to the elevator as she gripped my fingers. We were shoved into the corner with a ton of other people. Her back was squeezed against my chest, and she held my hands as she leaned into me. She kicked off her heels as soon as she came into the room. “Ow,” she whimpered quietly. I scooped her up into my arms after she got her coat off, so she didn’t have to walk. Giggling, hers went around my neck. “You’re so sexy in this,” I mumbled as I marched towards the bedroom. “I’m so gross right now. I need a shower,” she answered as she undid the top buttons of my shirt. Instead of dropping her off on the bed, I took her into the bathroom. Carefully, I sat her down onto the vanity. She crossed her leg over her knees, leaning back on her hands. I went to flick on the water for us. I returned to her and freed her tie from its Windsor knot. She went back to the buttons on my shirt. Her lip was between her teeth as she watched her fingers. When she pushed it to the floor, I tossed off my undershirts too. Her cool palms went to my bare skin. The smell of sweat filled the space. She pressed her nose to my heart, deeply breathing me in. “I love dancing with you. I’ve never had a romantic partner who was a good dancer,” she informed me as she undid the buttons of my trousers. “The way your hips move against mine is so sexy.” Chuckling, I flushed at her compliment. I worked on her shirt next. As I moved my way down, I could see the red lace of her bra. “It helps when you’re hammered.” Giggling, her head fell back a little. “Yeah, it does.” She pushed the fabric off her shoulders and onto the counter. She reached behind her and popped the hooks on her bra so they could come free. Running her fingers over her bare skin, Bella’s nipples hardened at her own touch. Then she hopped off the countertop to her feet to remove her pants. She looked me over, her eyes moving from my toes to my wild mane. “Wanna fuck around in the shower?” I shoved my trousers to the ground, adding it to the huge pile of clothes. Eagerly, I followed behind her. We crashed so hard. She was asleep within seconds of her head touching the pillow. She was naked and still slightly damp from the water. Her hair was sticking to her skin as she laid flat on her belly, not even bothering with the blanket. I pulled it around both of us, lying on my side close to her with my hand on the small of her back. My dreams were wild. We were at the club, but I couldn’t hear anything. I could just feel the beat in my body. The neon-colored lights were frantically moving around our heads. In the center of the dance floor was Jasper. I felt so drawn to him. Suddenly I was standing in front of him, and he was taking my hands. He placed them on his hips as we danced together. He was grinding on me like Bella had. I pressed my body against him, his back to my chest. My fingers explored his own over his clothes. They slid down his stomach. One of them kept going until I palmed his erection. The crowd parted as my girlfriend walked towards us. She danced with us with Jasper in the middle. My hand was on her hip, pulling her against him and his hard-on. He kissed her neck, both hands moving over her breasts. She was wearing the same sexy suit. In my dream, I wanted to be alone desperately with both of them. We were covered in sweat, and I wanted to feel their own drip on my bare skin. The beat got harder, my heart thumping in my ears. Jasper tilted his head back and kissed me on the lips. Soft, wet, warm, I felt on the edge of ecstasy. Bella’s fingers grasped me through my slacks just as his tongue slid over mine. When I woke up, my girl was curled around me with her hand on my balls. She was dead to the world, and her mouth was hanging open. I laughed a little to myself and carefully moved it. Almost right away, she tried to put it back where it was. It made me snort. Turning over, I wrapped my fingers around hers to hold it. She smiled as she pressed closer to me. She pecked my nose. With her cheek on mine, I fell back asleep. When I woke up again, I felt like shit. My stomach was gurgling, and my whole body hurt. The day before, I had been sore when I got up because of all the fucking, but this was worse. Bella was waking up beside me slowly, yawning and stretching with her arms above her head. Sitting up, she sulked when she looked at the clock. “Damn.” “What?” “We were supposed to do something today. It’s like six, though.” I stretched and popped my back. “Whoops. We can do it tomorrow. It’s okay,” I promised, touching her thigh. “I’m hungover as fuck.” “Aw,” she pouted. She nodded her head and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, me too,” she admitted. Bella glanced over her shoulder as she pulled one of the sheets up to her breasts because she was getting cold. “Netflix and chill?” “Yes, please,” I replied with a grin. “Room service?” She got out of bed and went to get the menu for us. When she did, she also got the oil pen for us to share. Taking a big hit, she blew the smoke out in a long stream. Bella stole one of my button-down shirts from my luggage after passing them both to me. I took a little drag, watching my beautiful girl get dressed. It went down to her calves. She twisted her curls into a wild bun. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. “Why don’t you get your laptop? What do you want to watch?” She questioned, crawling back into the bed. “Oh. I don’t know.” I gave her the menu so I could do what she asked. I hurried to my bag to get some underwear, picking up my computer. “What are you thinking about eating?” Bella flipped open the book, biting her bottom lip. “Mm… Cheese,” she mumbled to herself as she ran her fingers over the words. “Cheese? I like cheese,” I remarked drowsily. She allowed me to pick a movie from my list and was happy to indulge me. I just selected the first one I hadn’t seen before, Blade Runner. It had been on my ‘to-watch’ list for a long time. She laid her head on my lap, smoking while we waited for the food to arrive. I hoped as I woke up that I would start to feel better, but I was disappointed. Maybe stupidly, I decided the hair of the dog was just what we needed. I poured us each a glass from a bottle she got me for my birthday. Since I chose first, I insisted she picked the next one. I wasn’t surprised when she selected a documentary about murder. What shocked me was that I was enthralled by the end. “Okay, your turn,” she said as she refilled my glass once it was done. I put on another with a frown. “I hate it, but I need to know what happens next.” We watched all the shows. There was no justice in the finale. My mouth hung open as the screen faded to black. “What the actual fuck?!” I demanded angrily as I got up to throw away our second bottle of wine. “So, that motherfucker got away with it? Seriously? Clearly-” I growled brokenly. “They protected him simply because he was a man. And they treated her like she was insane because-” “I know,” she smirked at me and sighed. “If there had been a proper mental health care system in place to begin with, they would have seen that she was a victim of long-term abuse. And how the police handled it! It’s just so fucking careless. It can’t be that way when people’s lives are at stake.” She let me go on for way too long about it, pacing around the room in front of the bed. A pretty smile spread over her face, her knees were drawn up under her shirt. “I wish there was something that I could do.” “Well, you know there are charities for all those things.” “It’s not enough, though.” I could always do more. “You’ve already given more than the average person does in a lifetime. Don’t stop now, of course.” I shook my head. “Money is one thing, but look at how much time you’ve put in. Rosalie was telling me at the show that you helped Alice more than anyone with CfA and that you’ve given thousands of hours to help her. She said you put your career on hold to help Alice get started and that you gave her a lot of the money she needed.” Her smile disappeared as she got more serious. “Aiden did that. And she got most of the money she needed from her dad when he died.” “You were married. That was your money, too.” Bella quickly shook her head. “Not really. I did help her get it started. Worked in the office. Me and Rose were her first leaders. It’s taken years to get it to this point. I’m glad Alice is so business smart because she’s just grown this thing to crazy heights. I don’t do as much as I used to, obviously, though.” “Alice told me you did five big trips just this year and that you’ve done over thirty-day trips. Sometimes doing three or four a week,” I replied, thinking about one of the many conversations I had with her at Thanksgiving. She had brought it up casually when we spoke about Culture for All. “To be fair, one trip was overnight, and another was two nights. I did do the long two weeks one this year. We went to Mexico. They needed translators. And, most of those day trips are only two hours long. It’s not entirely out of the goodness of my heart. I do get paid something,” she countered. “Twelve a bloody hour. Is that even minimum wage here?” It wouldn’t even be enough to motivate me to get out of bed. She pouted at being called out. “No. It’s fifteen, I think.” “I thought not.” Lifting her chin, she squared her shoulders. “But I do get pictures which I can make money off of. Nothing I’ve done will compare to the money you can give. I can see you in twenty years donating the kind of money that eradicates diseases. Or builds schools. Maybe make your own nonprofit to focus on whatever you care about.” She was right. I loved the idea. We snuggled into bed again, my arms around her. Gently, I petted her curls. “Now that’s a goal to work for. I’m glad I know someone who has experience starting a successful charity.” “I’m sure Alice would be happy to help,” she said a bit sarcastically. Rolling my eyes, I ignored her. Instead, I kissed her lightly until Bella fell asleep with a smile on her face. Thanks to Gina for proofreading this episode!💛Hi, y’all!💛 Due to unforeseen circumstances (my children getting off of school for a full month at least unexpectedly because of a ☠plague☠??? Sure wasn’t on my radar in January…) 📷Imperfect Pictures and Perfect Snapshots📷 is going on hiatus after this week. Imperfect Pictures will return June 1st with episode 132, and Perfect Snapshots will return June 3rd with episode 48. I won’t be going away completely, though! A Change in Direction will continue to update on Thursdays, and Key will update on Tuesdays and Fridays! (Except for planned breaks on April 13-17 to prepare for my eldest birthday and May 25-29 for my anniversary.) Luckily, I’ve already gotten those chapters to my proofreader! To keep up to date with news and schedules, please join my Facebook group, where I also have teasers for every chapter. And the best way to keep up with new chapters is email alerts, so don’t forget to sign up! (Remember to check your SPAM folder if you didn’t get a confirmation email!) 💛💛Thanks for being awesome!💛💛 ~Jeska  Episode Forty-six: Buy a DrinkIt took a few minutes to get out of the theater, Demetri locking up behind us. There was a large group, all of us mismatched perfectly. It reminded me of going out with my friends in Sydney. Maybe a little quieter and less drunk. Most of my girl’s companions were older, though, and probably at least somewhat more mature. “Tacos!” Alice shouted when we turned the corner after walking a few blocks. “Ooo. I love these.” “Oo,” Bella hummed in agreement. We were holding hands as we ambled down the empty sidewalk to the club that wasn’t too far away. She glanced up at me. “Hungry? I only had a slice for lunch.” “I had some pizza, too,” I smiled. Great minds think alike, but everyone was eating pie in New York City. “Yeah. You know I love them.” “Have Bells order it for you,” Emmett said over everyone’s head. “They always do it better when she does.” “Why?” I asked in a laugh. “She orders in Spanish, and she looks Mexican, so they try harder,” Alice answered for her. Bella looked at her and scrunched up her nose. “Plus, she’s hot, so they flirt with her with extra food.” She threw her head back in laughter before playfully twisting her braid around her finger. Then she cocked it to the side. “Hola! Extra queso, por favor,” she teased in a high-pitched voice. Then she looked down at her chest. “It only works when they can see down my shirt, though.” “Girl, you bad,” Emmett laughed, swatting her shoulder. “No, but can you order for me? It always comes out right when you do it.” Even in the darkness, I could see her eyes roll. “Yeah. What do you want?” “Cheese-crusted bean burrito with extra cheese.” His wife made a disgusted face. “What?” Bella ignored them, walking ahead of the crew and taking control of the situation. It was obvious she was an alpha and didn’t mind being the boss. She looked perfect for the role in her tight outfit. It made her ass look so good. “Hola, Mami!” A young Latino man said as he hung out of the truck window when she approached. “Dope suit. Hambrienta?” Grinning, she put her hands in her pockets. “Gracias. Yeah. Mmm…” She tilted her head to the side. “Un carne asada y a Jarritos, por favor. Puedes…” she paused. Bella was thinking hard about something. Finally, she shrugged. “Cheese-crust a burrito?” “Yeah, Mami,” he smiled at her. “Meat or Frijoles?” “Frijoles, extra queso, por favor.” He winked at her, pointing his tongs at her. “Un minuto. Let me get that started.” Her brother-in-law looked so deflated. “I could have done that,” Emmett complained. I chuckled. Demetri pushed up to the front to study the menu. “But you didn’t. Chicken or beef?” He questioned Bella. She just shrugged. “You’re not helping. Tell me what I want.” My girl leaned back into me, tilting her head to look at my face. “What do you want, honey?” I grinned at the opening. “A kiss,” I answered, leaning down to peck her lips lightly. She smiled, holding onto the back of my neck with her gloved hand. “And I’d like two of the pork with the pineapple and a Jarritos, too.” Her mouth formed a little ‘o’. “Can I have a bite?” “Of course,” I cooed as I stole another kiss. Music was playing as we waited for our food. The girls playfully danced and sang along with it. Bella took Alice’s hands, and they twisted and spun around each other. They were both very hyped up from their performances. It was an old Britney Spears song, and my girl was definitely leading. “Damn, and I’m all out of ones,” Emmett quipped dryly as he crossed his arms over his chest. They didn’t even slow down. “Bitch, you can’t afford this,” Alice sassed as her head fell back so she could look at the starless sky. “They’re so mean to you,” I laughed. It made him chuckle warmly. “You like it, don’t you?” Shaking his head, he smirked. “Obviously,” he sighed, rolling his eyes. The place was packed with people. The music was so loud. I had never been to a gay club before. They were playing ‘It’s raining men,’ as we came in, the version by one of the Spice Girls. All of my sisters adored them. Demetri turned around and began dramatically lip-sync to it as he hung off his husband. “I’m buying the first round! Shots for everyone!” He came back with Jack for everybody. We all slammed it down. My girl didn’t even grimace. I loved whiskey, but it still made my eyes water. “I’ll get the next round!” Bella said with a big smile. “More JD or something else?” “Tequila!” Alice shouted at her, putting her arms up. She had a huge, shit-eating grin on her face. “No!” she responded instantly in the driest tone. “Fireball?” Rosalie got very excited. I could see what she was like in uni. “Yes!” I bought the next round. And then Rose wanted more Fireball. Everyone just kept purchasing more. It didn’t take long for it to get to me. I couldn’t understand how my girl was still standing, but she didn’t seem bothered at all. I was so much bigger than her and could handle my liquor pretty well. Demetri grabbed my girlfriend’s arm. “I want another dance!” I was nursing a beer, and she had half a drink. There were a few left on the table from people dancing. “I’ll watch these. I’ll get the next one,” I winked at her. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. I could smell the cinnamon lingering on her lips. Riley was sitting across from me, watching our partners go. He was probably the quietest and most reserved of the group. “I’m so glad he has someone to dance with tonight. I hate it.” Softly, I chuckled. “I love it. I can’t wait,” I admitted. Then I felt something on my shoulder. A guy was behind me. “Um, yeah, mate?” He smiled, looking my face over. “Hi, I’m Tom. Can I buy you a drink?” I automatically laughed nervously. “Uh, no. Thank you. I’m with my girlfriend tonight.” He walked away without saying anything. Riley raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “The gay hookup culture is so toxic and rude. I’m glad I’m done with it. At least say something before you tuck your tail and run away.” “I wonder if it’s the same in Australia,” I mused, taking a big gulp. “None of my close friends are gay there, so I don’t know. I’ve met a lot more since coming to America.” Sipping his drink, he shrugged. “Well, Hollywood is filled with them. New York, too.” “That’s true,” I agreed. “My manager is a lesbian. She’s active in the community in LA.” “Nice!” He grinned. Then his eyes got wider as he peered over my shoulder. “Oh, incoming.” I turned and looked to see what he was talking about. Just behind me was a very handsome blond man with curls that hung over his forehead. His big blue eyes studied me like the other guy did. He resembled Jasper so much… without his stupid mustache. It stunned me. “Hi there,” he said in a deep voice. His accent was Midwestern American. “How are you?” “Hey. Fantastic,” I responded instantly. He took a sip of his drink then grinned at me. “Are you here for the afterparty, too?” I nodded in answer. “Were you in it? You look familiar. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with all the makeup and costume.” For some reason, I was a little dazed by him. My cheeks heated as I swallowed. “No, no. Um, I’m an actor, though.” Quickly, he nodded in understanding. “Awesome!” He praised me. “Have you been in something I’ve seen before?” “Uh.” I was stuttering a lot. I laughed and cleared my throat. “Well, maybe, but I’m mainly a voice actor.” He bit his bottom lip, just like Jasper did. His eyes raked over my body. “Mm, that makes sense. You have a very sexy voice. Can I get you another one of those?” He pointed at my bottle. I realized instantly if I had been single, I would have said yes. I had no idea what to do with that information, but I shoved it to the back of my brain and blamed it on the liquor. “No, thank you. I’m actually with someone.” “Lucky guy,” he smiled before pouting for just a second. “I am,” I replied. Bella was pushing through the pack towards me. I finished my beer in one go. “Thank you for the compliment, though. It’s very flattering.” “You’re welcome. Have a good night,” he said before he winked at me. Then he turned to go back into the crowd. He filled out his Wranglers really well. Riley leaned in again. “He might have been okay. He was hot.” I smirked nervously, glancing at him. “I think I just figured why some chicks enjoy going to bars. This is amazing for my ego,” I mumbled in return. He chuckled. “Oh, my god. Buy me a beer and call me pretty!” He continued to snicker when they finally got to us. I innocently smiled at my girl. She didn’t notice I was being stupid. If I was tipsy, she was already drunk. “Your boy got hit on twice while you were away,” Riley told her with laughter still in his voice. He was trying to cause trouble. “You’re just mad I’m getting hit on more than you,” I sassed. His husband threw his head back and cackled meanly. He pouted at his reaction until he got a kiss on the cheek. Bella leaned in, grinning at them. “I’m not surprised. He’s sexy as fuck,” she declared before winking at me. She finished her drink, throwing her head back to do so. Then she held her hand out to me. “Come dance with me.” She tugged me along to where her friends were dancing. A new song came on as we did. Bella instantly turned and ground against me. My hands automatically went to her hips, drawing her back into me hard. She pulled me into a quick kiss with her hand on the back of my neck, forceful and sweet with her liquor. This was the kind of dancing I wanted to do with her at the club the night of the jump. If she had moved like this against me, I really might have dragged her off to the roof for a good fucking. Or at least that’s what my alcohol-fueled mind imagined. Alice was close to us, so she pulled her over so they could dance while Bella still twisted against me. They were very handsy with each other, neither shy. There was no way my girlfriend didn’t notice my arousal. My threesome fantasies came in full force. Us and her best friend, or with mine… And she was definitely encouraging them on purpose. I knew Alice didn’t want me, and I would never endanger my relationship with the woman of my dreams. But it was fun to dance with them. When the song changed to a bouncier one, they each took one of my hands and jumped around as they giggled. Rosalie hopped over to them. They were so cute together. They were laughing and so happy. “This is amazing,” Bella breathed with her head against my shoulder. Her eyelashes fluttered, her lips parted. I couldn’t resist her mouth, and I didn’t have to. I kissed her deeply, earning a soft moan as her fingers twisted in my hair. “Again,” she sighed against them. I honestly had no idea how my girl was still upright. My brain was swimming with our booze. The lights swirled around us, the music blending together. Kisses and sweat, dancing, and grinding. It was almost overwhelming. There was a reason I never did harder drugs than pot. “Shit, I’m hammered!” Rosalie shouted at her sister and Bella. Alice nodded vigorously, making my girl giggle. “Let’s get out of here! I’m hungry.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Go get Demetri and see if they wanna get something.” Riley jumped at the chance to leave. He had been ready for ages. The women led the pack, taking everyone to a quaint diner. We took up the largest booth meant for a big family. They were one, though. It was fun to observe all of their interactions. And they were all so welcoming to me. We stayed for hours, snacking on the perfect hangover killers. “Al.” Demetri took her hand as he leaned over the table after everyone said goodbye to her sister and husband. We were still faded, and Rose looked as if she was about to fall asleep at the booth. “Do you want to have a sleepover?” “When?” she inquired, looking at her watch. “Right now,” he laughed. “You can come to our place, and when we get up, we’ll order food.” She pursed her lips. “That would save me a trip tomorrow. We left so much shit in your office.” “Oh! Can you get my stuff too?” Bella asked. “I forgot about my flowers.” “Yeah,” she responded and shrugged. “Yeah, okay. That sounds like a good idea. I’m ready to go whenever you are.” “Great,” Riley mumbled, then yawned. “I’ll pay, and we’ll get out of here.” We said goodbye to them, and it left us alone for the first time all day. She smiled at me, her eyes so warm. She sat down across from me after she got up to hug everyone. I took her hand because I needed to feel her skin. “Shall we go back to the hotel?” Peering down at our joined hands, a small smile crept over her sweet face. “Do you want to take that ferry ride I was telling you about? It’ll be sunrise soon.” “I would love to.” Thanks to Gina for proofreading this episode! |