 Episode Twenty: MasksBella and I had fooled around until we wore each other out. I loved that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. She could barely keep her hands off of me, and she begged for my kiss, my hands, and my cock. I fell asleep with her in my arms quickly, but at two in the morning, I woke up with a start. I had some severe heartburn from the stupid hot dog that I decided to shove down like a moron. Slipping out of bed, I do so carefully as to not to wake her. She was laying on her stomach, nude with the sheets just covering her fine ass. Her hair was fanned out around her face. Moonlight streamed in through the window, just touching her peaceful face. She had her cheek resting on the pillow so that she could breathe. I couldn’t help but take a picture. She didn’t move at all. I took my joints and my cell phone with me after I slipped on my sleep pants. First, I went to the kitchen to get more medicine before I took a bottle of water with me to sit outside for a few minutes. “You’re up late,” Jasper greeted me when I called him. "Mm, I got heartburn, and I couldn't sleep," I complained quietly. "We had these chili cheese dogs that were fucking delicious, but holy shit it's going to destroy my chest." “Gross. I feel you. I just take a pill every day now.” “If you just slowed down you wouldn’t need it,” I informed him with a smirk. “I know how you fucking eat. You animal. We both know what the problem is.” He laughed a little. “You know that I’m right.” “Yeah, probably. So, how’s the little woman?” He decided to distract me. I laughed at his choice of words. Yes, she was indeed a little woman. "Um… She's… Damn. I don't know how to explain it. You're seriously going to love her. She's a tad sarcastic and mean, but she serves up with a sweet little smile and such easy charm. And I can't-" I stopped myself. “Can’t what?” "I can't keep my hands to myself. I need to touch her. I need to kiss her. Last night, we kissed for literally hours. Hours. Like we were teenagers. And I'm going to tell you something that's TMI, and you will never repeat it, or I'll rip your dick off. But like… I legit didn't know sex could be this good. I thought it all basically felt the same and was the same with everyone, but she- Fuck. The way she moves is like nothing that I've ever felt before. All I want to do is fuck her all the time, and she's literally begging me for it. And I think my ego is going to pop at any moment if she keeps it up," I said in a hurried rush, embarrassed that I was talking to him about this. He started to laugh. “Bad sex is still good sex.” "Okay, no doubt. But bad sex is not great sex. And it's not like once every three or five times is this extraordinary. It's every day. Every time. No toys. Hell, we got some lube, and we don't even need it because she's so goddamn wet for me." “Oh, Tony, you’re turning me on,” he replied dryly, making me laugh. “Okay, I gotta ask. How does she move that makes it so special? What is she doing?” "She does things with her hips, and she's good at angling herself, especially when I'm on top. Holy shit, she moves more than me when I'm on top, and it's fucking incredible. I swear Vicky just laid there like she was bored half the time. But Bella gets off with just my dick. Like… Okay, that has never happened with me with another woman. Ever. I’ve been with three, in fairness, but I was with two of those many times and if they did it involved hands and mouths. Or toys.” “So, Bella is a lucky girl. Most women can’t that way. Something like twenty-five percent, or whatever, can through penetration.” “I love that you’ve researched this and can pull facts out of your ass.” "I'm sorry that I am a mature adult who can handle learning about sex. Learning, I might add, is how you improve. And I don't know about you, but I want somebody to talk about my fucking the way you're talking about Bella's. And I bet she knew that little fact." “You’re annoying right.” I heard him blow a raspberry. I chuckled, taking a sip of water. “So, the benefits of dating an older woman, hm?” “I guess so. It might just be the benefit of dating Bella. I don’t think that I’ve had this much sex ever. By the way, I found that the best motivation to workout is watching a big breasted woman spend thirty intense minutes on an elliptical.” “Oh,” he laughed. “I bet.” "In the sports bra from the tattoo shop and tight ass yoga pants. Also, a reason that you'll love her. She lifts weights, too. I watched her bench press one fifty this morning without breaking a sweat, and if she weighs one hundred pounds, I would be shocked. And you know that machine that I splurged on and got for my back? She can do as much as me! And while we were working out she told me at home she maxes out some of the leg machines at her little gym. And I fucking believe her. Her thighs are so thick." “Wow. Well, I’m not surprised she’s extra into fitness. I imagine she has some mortality issues with her husband dying suddenly and all.” “Oh,” I breathed. “I guess you’re right. Probably. Hm,” I hummed. “I can also see why she’d want to go for a younger man for the same reason.” “Or, woman.” “Did she confirm?” "She said she liked women's asses to a gay male friend of hers on the phone. They were talking about yoga pants. So, I think so, but I'm still going to wait until she brings it up." "Mm, probably wise. God, how hot if is she, though?" "Right?" I snorted, rubbed the back of my neck. "I keep trying to remind myself that doesn't mean that I'll ever get to see her with another woman or that we'll have a threesome, but my mind is literally running wild with possibilities. But the idea of her with someone else and me watching? Fuck. Just holy fuck. So hot.” “It’s always the quiet ones…” He teased. I clicked my tongue and laughed. “Any man would. Seriously. Don’t worry, you’re normal.” “Bella being more experienced than me is a little intimidating,” I admitted. “If she enjoys being with women, I promise that she’s probably better than me.” “Uh, good? Yeah? Not a problem, mate. Isn’t that why you become a celebrity? To date women wildly out of your league?” I laughed again, leaning my head back on the cushion as I looked at the black starless sky. "Maybe. She asked me something the first time we were together, and I keep thinking about it." “What’s that?” “She asked ‘what if I’m really, really kinky.'" I chuckled at the memory. "I said ‘promises, promises,’ which she liked. But I’m vanilla as fuck. I mean, I have kinky shit that I think about and want to do but have never done. What if she’s kinky and way more experienced, and she gets bored with me?” He began to laugh hard. "Are you fucking kidding me? She's not going to get fucking bored with you, you dumb cunt. You're six foot five, fucking handsome, smart, rich, funny, and an eager little fucking puppy dog. She seems like a good girl, but she's still going to have fun playing with you. She'll be able to get whatever she wants out of you, so you better be careful." "She's not like that at all," I promised. "She is not interested in this celebrity thing or the money. Bella… I don't know how to explain it. She's got such a good gentle, kind heart. She helped her best friend start a charity and worked in the office and as a volunteer for years now. They help people do culture stuff. And it's so cool to listen to her talk about it! It's so pure. Bella isn't the kind of woman to ask for something without reason or…" I trailed off, not knowing how to finish my thoughts. "Damn. Just… I am so excited right now. Sometimes it's hard not to just randomly start jumping up and down in joy." “Aw,” Jasper hummed, chuckling. “You should every once in a while. I think you’ve earned it at this point. Seriously. Good for you. I hope that she’s everything you say she is. I can’t wait to meet her.” “Me too! Seriously, you two will love each other. You’re both that kind of person who can be friendly to anyone.” “It sounds like you’re dating a female me, to be honest,” he taunted. “Legit, I’ve thought about that at a few points. And I do see the parallels,” I admitted. “But,” I popped the b, “I think the traits you share are ones that all good people do. So, it’s not surprising.” “You are such a suck-up. Don’t stop,” Jasper deadpanned. I laughed. "Seriously. She looks nothing like you, though. The complete opposite of both of us. Well, with the exception of her one very cool blue eye. Oh, and she has tattoos too. But hers are hidden, and yours are all over. I took a picture of her a little while ago while she was asleep, of her back, in the moonlight with her sexy tattoos." “Oo. Can I see?” “Mm, no.” “Aw, why not?” “Because I said so,” I snorted. “Fine. Whatever. How’s your chest feeling?” I rubbed my sternum with the heel of my palm. “It’s better.” “What do you have on for tomorrow?” My friend asked me curiously. “I’m doing a panel at a con. We’re going early so that I can shop for dumb shit,” I explained. He went with me to cons all the time when we lived together. We both loved them. “Bella going, too?” “Yup.” I beamed to myself. “She seemed excited too. She said she liked cons.” “So, she’s a nerd too?” “She said she used to play DnD and vampire the masquerade,” I replied way too cheerfully. “And she loves video games. Remember how she talked about them in the video?” “Hm,” he hummed quietly. “What time is it there?” I pulled back my phone to look. “Fuck, after three. We’ve been talking for ages. I’m sorry.” Jasper chuckled a bit warmly. “Don’t be sorry. You know that I love talking to you, too. Go to bed, though. Try to get some rest. Text me later.” Smiling to myself, I was glad I had gotten to talk to him. Even if my chest hurt through half the conversation. I realized that I had forgotten about my box of joints. I didn’t need them, after all. “Yeah. I will. Goodnight.” I slipped back into bed beside Bella. She rolled into me, her hand sliding down my stomach softly. “You okay?” She asked quietly. “Yeah, just my tummy,” I mumbled. She snorted softly, pulling the blanket around us both. “Poor baby.” Even sleepy, she was somewhat sarcastic. Pushing my face into her hair, I closed my eyes. "I know. I made myself suffer. I took something, and I'm feeling better already." I fell back asleep quickly in her grip. When we woke in the morning, we were in the exact same position. After a quick workout and a hot shower together, we both got ready for the day. I was just going to dress normally and wear a big ugly mask, as were Seth and Tyler. Bella declined. That didn’t mean that she didn’t get ready in her own way, though. She made full use of her new makeup and styled her hair into tightly braided pigtails down her back. Once again she wore knee socks, this time with a blue jean skirt and the perfect Star Wars shirt. It was the same one she had worn the day we went to the zoo together. She was hot as fuck. Bella held my hand as we walked through the crowded space together. I was having way too much fun shopping with her. I was in a good mood and indulged in my every whim. I was making lots of money, so why not? It was a weird way to show off. I had to send the bodyguards or Seth and Tyler to the car to drop my new toys off a few times. “Can I take your picture?” I asked Bella teasingly when we had a few minutes alone as we shopped. She rolled her eyes but nodded. I brought my camera up and snapped a few quickly. Then I switched to the video. “Are you having fun today?” “A lot. It’s so loud, though.” She made a little pouty face before it curved back into a smile. “Are you?” “Yeah,” I said jovially. “You’re so beautiful today. I love your makeup. You’re so good at it.” She blushed, her expression bashful as she smiled to herself. “Eddie, you’re so sweet. Thank you. You like the green lipstick?” She smiled to showcase it for my camera. “I do. I’d like to kiss you if it weren’t for this stupid mask,” I complained. She giggled. “If I thought that I could get away with it, I would sneak one.” “You can kiss me tonight,” she offered smoothly. “Mm, I planned on it.” I pulled her closer to me with my hand on her waist. “If I didn’t hate this mask so much, I would want to kiss you right now too,” she remarked puckishly before pulling away from me in a giggle. I swatted at her ass but just missed, making her tilt her head back in wicked laughter. She wiggled it at me and the camera. I chuckled to myself as I turned it off and put it back in my pocket. I liked it when she showed off for me. There was something nice about the fact that she didn't really change in front of the camera, though. I was looking at the messenger bags at a booth while Bella looked at one with steampunk stuff. My nerdy and dirty mind enjoyed the idea of her in the corsets and little dresses. It was probably a good thing that no one could see my blushing face. "Hey! I know you! You're a friend of Eddie's! You were on a video today." I heard someone say, but I couldn't see where it was coming from. I quickly turned my head towards the voice, making the mask spin around. Bella laughed loudly, putting her hand delicately over the eyes. “I am,” she continued to snicker. Embarrassed, I quickly fixed my mask. “I really liked the one from today! I watched it at breakfast,” the little booth girl stated excitedly. “Oh, which one? I've not seen yet. We filmed a bunch actually.” “The one at the tattoo shop!” “Oh! Yeah, that was so much fun,” Bella answered with a wistful smile. I smiled to myself as well. “I loved your tattoo! It's making me think about my next ink,” the girl said as she showed off her own tattoo collection on her arms. “Wow! Thank you! Yours are great, too! I really love my new one so much. It's a little itchy right now because it's real scabby, though. So, I did okay? He said I did well, but I think he was just trying to be nice to me,” she asked worriedly. “Girl, I loved it. I'm glad you made a bunch with him. He needs to get some more women and especially people who aren’t so... white. He's gotten Seth and you this year but most of his friends are white as fuck. He used to at least have girls in them, but it's been a while. Everyone seems so nice, but it would be nice to see a little diversity." I could have kissed her for her answer. Yeah, she wasn't wrong. We were really white, and there were lots of guys. We needed her. And Bella needed to hear it. I was even happier for my mask right then. I couldn't control my face. "I think that would be a great idea. He always likes filming with new people. It's something we've actually somewhat talked about. He moved this year so that probably has something to do with it. He's still trying to find people here. He's shyer than you'd expect," Bella made an excuse for me. I really didn't. But I did love filming with her. She squeezed my hand gently. “I actually ordered one of your pictures. From your website. It's a poster of like some green abstract looking piping,” the girl blurted out. I could see Bella’s eyes get wide even through the blurry mesh of the eye holes. “With the subway sign beside it? I know which one you're talking about. With the weird pipes and the mosaic old wall. That's awesome! It's one of my favorites. That green so good in that picture. That one and this fallout sign are my favorites,” she said with a happy enthusiasm. Well, I knew what photos of hers I would be buying next. “Oh, my god! The one that is at night with the sign above the open door with the yellow light? That one is next when I get paid again! I'm getting them framed, too. My roommate loves them as much as I do. They are so awesome!” She praised my little girlfriend, who was obviously not used to it. She smiled widely, biting her bottom lip as she blushed and laughed a little to herself. “Aw! You're going to make me cry! Thank you so much! I see that sign almost every day. That's actually the back way into my apartment.” She leaned in a little. “So, is Eddie like he is in the videos?” The booth girl whispered. “I mean, he seems really nice.” “He's lovely. Always fun to be around. Very kind and always a gentleman," Bella answered her warmly, the tone of voice making my heart double in speed. She was totally sincere and so sweet. Once again, I was grateful for the ugly mask. “So, are you done taking pictures of him? On his Twitter, he talked about you coming over to take pictures last week,” she asked curiously. I had mentioned Bella on twitter several times, usually linking her website to a video with her in it. I had done that a few times, including in the morning. They always got lots of retweets. “Yeah, I'm done taking them for the magazine. I'm here on vacation now with my boyfriend,” she explained as she pointed one of her little fingers at me with a smirk on her lips. I liked it so much when she called me her boyfriend. “Hi,” the girl greeted with a grin as she waved at me. “A con is such a great thing to do on a vacation. Will you be working with Eddie again to make more videos?” I loved her questions. They were great. I loved it even more that Bella was willing to answer with me standing there like the eavesdropping asshole that I was. “Yup, I think so. He offered me a job taking pictures for him, actually. It's pretty good pay. Great benefits. I'm considering taking it.” I squeezed her hand, feeling like dancing in place. The girl clapped her hands together happily. “Oh, yes! Please do it! Don't you live in New York, though?” “Yeah, but I don't mind flying back and forth for a while. Flights out of New York are always cheap.” “Right. Same with L.A. By the way, I love your makeup so much. Do you do tutorials? Like on YouTube? Do you have your own channel?” Oh, yes, helpful little booth girl. That is a great idea. Bella could definitely make makeup tutorials on YouTube. I could help her with that. And she could do cooking ones too. Actually, Bella could do whatever kind she liked, and people would watch. “Um, no, I don’t. I've not watched a bunch of tutorials either, to be honest. Only a few in passing.” The girl seemed surprised. “Then how did you learn to do it so well?” My girlfriend looked embarrassed. “Oh…. One of my best friends is a makeup artist. He worked on Broadway for ages and now he's running his own little theater. He used to practice on me and my two other best friends. He'd give a Ted talk during makeup practice about makeup before Ted talks were Ted talks if you know what I mean? He should do tutorials. He taught me everything.” I smirked to myself when I realized that sometimes her mouth ran away with her too. We had some interesting things in common. Bella bought herself a dress, a necklace, and a bracelet from the very helpful booth girl. By the time she was done, it was time for me to prepare for the panel. “I didn’t think of you as the steampunk type,” I said to her cheekily as I took her bags from her for at least the moment. She giggled. "Truthfully, I love costumes and stuff. That dress is kind of subtle, though. I can wear it out for sure. And I love costume jewelry. The cheaper, the better. But it's not really about that. She bought something from me." “You shouldn’t feel obligated.” “Mm, well, her stuff was really nice. So, it’s not like I regret what I bought. I think it’s all very cute. I did buy more than I would have otherwise, like the dress. I probably would have got the jewelry. But it’ll come back to me.” “Why do you say that?” I asked, smoothing my hand up her back as we moved through the crowd. "She'll buy more from me now. And she'll tell her friends that she met me and that I was really nice. We had a conversation, and we connected. That I bought some of hers too. She'll show them my pictures, and maybe they'll buy some, too. And if not, at least I'm supporting another artist, and that's what is more important." “Isabella, I find you very impressive,” I whispered in her ear as I came to the door that I needed to walk through to be on stage. In a second, I would have to become Eddie. I would rip off one mask and exchange it for another. I pulled off the big head as I put my arm around her waist, pulling her up to kiss her neck so as not to mess up her lovely makeup. She wrapped her arms around mine and hugged me tightly in return. “You’ll be amazing out there, Eddie,” she breathed in my ear. “Break a leg, huh?” “Yeah,” I squeezed her as I lifted her up a little by the waist. She giggled again. As soon as I stepped out, Eddie came out in full force, my arms outstretched at my sides as they cheered for me wildly. Everything after that was sort of a blur. I knew what I was doing, it came naturally. But it didn’t feel like me. My smile was perfectly controlled, as was my voice. Everyone was eating out of my hand and begging for more. Afterward, there was a meet and greet where I talked to fans, took pictures, and signed autographs. I got complimented over and over again, told I was their favorite, or how they loved my work. I loved talking to them in this controlled setting with their smiles. Especially the kids. Whenever I would glance back at Bella, she would grin at me from behind her camera. She was busy having fun taking pictures of other people in the costumes they had put on. I wondered if maybe one day we could cosplay together. She did say she liked costumes. It was a fun idea, but one I would save for later in the relationship. Asking your tiny girlfriend to dress up as an anime character because you find it hot is probably not something you request in the first month. We decided to pick up chicken for dinner on the way home since everyone was hungry. Bella sat in the backseat with me, her head on my shoulder as she held my hand. When we got back to the house, she started to pull out the food from the Zankou's bags. We had gotten way too much. Two whole chickens, pita bread, and all the sides that they had along with tons of garlic sauce. We all liked it, and it would not go to waste. “Would everyone like a beer?” I offered. Bella nodded as I kissed her cheek. “I’ll take one,” Seth said cheerfully. “Me too, boss,” Tyler answered as well. “You know, it's taking everything I have not to tell you about the Zankou's chicken murders,” Bella spoke in a joking tone as she sat down at the table. This was one of the times that I wasn’t sure if she was fucking with me or not. And then Seth reacted, getting very excited as he sat down too. “Isn't that such an interesting story! Everything about it is so wild. Cancer. The bad sons. The white suit.” “This is why you're single,” Tyler insisted meanly to Seth. “No one knows what you’re saying.” He was right. I had no idea what he was on about. “Hey! No! I do! And true crime has been a thing for centuries,” Bella added quickly. “It's usually just that women are more into it. But I think it’s cool that he likes it.” “I wonder why it’s more of a lady’s hobby,” I mused out loud as I took a leg and a breast for myself along with a mix of all the sides. I threw three pieces of pita onto my plate as well. “That's easy. Women are more likely to suffer a violent attack in their lifetime. One in two women is sexually assaulted. One in four will be abused by their partner. The number one cause of death for a pregnant woman is homicide, usually by the baby's father. And nine out of ten murders are committed by someone the victim knows. A spouse, a parent, a family member usually. Women start dealing with violence at a very young age. You have to learn about it, just to protect yourself if anything else. Then it just becomes a morbid hobby after a while,” Bella explained smoothly as if she had stood on this soapbox before. I wasn’t really sure what to think. I had four sisters and currently seven nieces. I hoped those numbers were wrong. I would kill any man that harmed my girls. Or Bella, for that matter. “Do you really think one in two women is sexually assaulted? I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty no man at this table has ever done that. It just seems so high,” I insisted in horror at the thought. Bella licked her lips before she answered. "Not only do I think that number is low, but I would also say the number is closer to seventy percent. Probably higher, honestly. Sexual assault is such a broad term, and every woman has been groped and has not reported it to anyone. But we've been taught that we've done everything wrong. My skirt is too short, my shirt too tight, I had a drink. I walked alone. You can't rape your wife. Every woman might not have been raped, but every woman has been forced into a corner, groped, or had gross threatening things said or done to them. They have been made embarrassed or catcalled for simply being a woman, at the very least. I mean... I was dragged behind a dumpster when I was, like, seventeen and was assaulted. He didn't rape me, but he was planning to. He was on probation for raping two young girls about six years before. He had been out for three months. Can you imagine? It's people like him who probably raped dozens, if not hundreds, of women before they get caught that make the world unsafe for women." Fucking motherfucker fucking son of a bitch goddammit fuck fuckity, my brain babbled a mix of curse words. She looked embarrassed, and I knew she hadn't meant to say any of that out loud. Her mouth really did take over sometimes. She stabbed at her food, her cheeks heating as her eyes focused on her plate. I rubbed her back gently. I didn’t need to throw my anger out there for her. “I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you went through that.” “It's alright. It was worse for him,” she countered with a forced smile. I couldn’t fathom that being true. “How is that even possible?” Tyler questioned as he looked at my girlfriend with wide worried eyes. Both of my friends were watching. “Uh,” Bella began to nervously chew on the side of her thumb before she answered. “Well... I used to carry around my granddaddy's knife, on my belt, you know. From a really young age, too. Because, of course, Texas. Pretty little thing with mother-of-pearl in the handle. Maybe three inches long. It was handy for opening things and such. Anyway... He, the guy, um... lost an eye and a testicle. I scarred his face up pretty good, too, though I don't remember too much of what exactly happened. I slashed a lot, I guess? I kind of blacked out. I tend to do that if I get too stressed out. It’s a problem.” Well, maybe it was a little bad for him. Still, not worse. He deserved it. But, Jesus. “Holy fuck!” Seth gasped loudly. He was totally impressed with her. “You don’t remember what happened at all?” "I know the basics of what happened. Obviously. He pinned me to the wall with my arms behind my back, and he tried to pull up my skirt." She looked down and swallowed. "The knife practically fell into my hands. I do remember that. How it felt slippery and sharp. I cut my palm. I have a little scar." She lifted her hand. I hadn't noticed a scar but knew I would look for it now. "He had exposed himself, and I frantically swiped low to get that away from me. He kind of lunged for me and I must have panicked because I stabbed him in the eye or face. My flight or fight instinct is heavily weighted towards fight. Anyway, he ran one way, and I went the other. I was covered in so much of his blood. And my own. He went to the hospital, unsurprisingly, and they arrested him in the emergency room not long after. Luckily, there wasn't a trial or anything I had to suffer through. They just revoked his probation and tacked on another twenty years with no possibility of early release this time," she concluded, forcing a smile towards the end. “Crispy Christ on a fucking cracker, Bella! Fight or flight? How about shank a bitch?” Seth yelled like an asshole. Instead of being offended, Bella laughed loudly and looked entirely amused, her smile sweetly embarrassed. “Don't piss you off, huh?” He pushed her arm. “I may be short, but you know who else was short? Bruce Lee. I'll fuck someone up. I'm scrappy,” she said dryly. “I don't carry that knife around anymore, though. Now I have a leatherman tool, like a Swiss army knife. It was Aiden's. It has a couple of knives in it, but that's more for handy reasons. New Yorkers frown upon open weapon carrying. In Texas, it's fashionable.” I was glad Seth was there to give that to her. I couldn’t have made a joke if I tried. I was fuming. Who could do that to her? Bella looked at me worriedly, her hand smoothing over my thigh under the table. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make dinner conversation dark. Well, this dark.” “It's alright,” I mumbled. “I just kind of want to kill that pile of shit that hurt you and other poor women,” I told her truthfully. “Oh, no. Don't do that,” she breathed. “He's got another twenty years probably in prison and killing him would bring him respite from the hellscape that is the U.S. prison system. In Texas no less. I want him to be in perfect health, so he can sit alone every night in a cell with no air conditioning with his one eye and his one ball and remember that he is sitting there because of a tiny little girl who wasn't scared of him and his sad excuse of a micropenis.” Shit… She was kind of terrifying. Seth was right, don’t cross her. Tyler laughed nervously. “Now that's nightmare fuel. A one-eyed, one testiculed, pedophile sitting in the dark, in prison, thinking about the one that got away. “I'm sure that's a horror movie already. Like every sequel,” she suggested to him sarcastically before shrugging. “Not the ball part. That’s all me.” “Can you imagine a knife being out while your pants are even down? Let alone anywhere close to it?” Seth questioned as he looked between Tyler and me. “Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Fucker deserved a Bobbit.” Tyler had taken enough of the extreme darkness and decided to slightly change the subject. “Do you like horror movies? You enjoy true crime. Seems in the same genre.” “They're fine, I guess. It depends on the movie. I've only really watched a handful in the past few years. I'm not a big movie person in general,” she answered. “Yet, you're dating an actor,” Seth said mockingly as he looked directly at me. I wanted to flip him off. "I just don't enjoy the movie-going experience. I'd rather watch at home and Blockbuster is gone, so I miss a lot of stuff. My roommate has all the streaming services, so I catch more now than I did. But I'm super behind pop culture, sadly," Bella elaborated quickly. “What don't you like about it? Going to the movies?” I asked. "It's expensive. They're dirty. You can't talk during them, or knit, or play on your phone. Or pet your cat. Out of every ten films made one is good, two are decent. And the rest are boring at best and hot offensive garbage at worse. I can't pause to pee. You can't drink cheap wine straight out of the bottle. I think I could go on, but you get the point," she listed off with a bit of sass, her head bobbing a little as her list got sillier. “Fair enough.” Tyler smiled at her. “I'm with you. I'd rather watch at home, too. Miss Blockbuster so much.” Actually, I didn’t like going to the theater all that much either unless I was with someone else. “I've only been to the movies once since I've moved. I don't want to go alone.” “When we went to see Infinity War,” Seth replied. “Stupid movie,” I began to complain. He had loved it. We fought about it for days. “No, we're not arguing about this again. You won't change my mind. Terrible, long, boring, and stupid. A waste of great characters. I could have written a better script in my sleep. Don’t at me with your shit.” “And too much CGI,” Bella interjected. She had a good point. “I saw it at a volunteering event. Black Panther was pretty good, though. I just want a movie with the sister and general though and their pet rhino. Sciencing shit up.” “I'd watch the fuck outta that,” I agreed as I finished my beer. “They'll have to figure out that black people AND women love good strong female characters, no matter the color, as long as she is well-developed and well written. Both groups are so starved for entertainment they'd go see it no matter what. Same with Asian and gay audiences,” she sighed, “but that won't happen anytime soon. Because fuck us, I guess. Why would we want an interesting movie? Good luck if you’re a gay mixed-raced kid. No representation for you.” “It's a shame,” Seth agreed with her. We had this conversation too. “Maybe one day.” “You'd get along really well with my girlfriend,” Tyler declared, looking over at Bella. “I think you have some things in common. You'd agree with her on a lot of things, especially in the entertainment industry. Are you going to be in town on Halloween?” “I fly out on the Friday after,” she explained. "You and Eddie should come over to my place for Halloween. We're going to grill out and watch movies, drink, pass out candy. Karaoke. Seth is coming. Some more of my friends and my girlfriend's friends, too. If you don't have any plans?" Tyler asked, glancing between Bella and me. She looked over at me curiously. “We haven't talked about Halloween yet. You wanted to go out.” "I hadn't thought about it yet. I'm always down for eating, but it's up to you, love." I had just been grasping at straws when I said I liked Halloween and wanted her to spend it with me. I was surprised it worked so well. “I meant to invite you sooner,” Tyler spoke to me. “But I figured you probably had better plans. Some swanky ass Hollywood party.” “Ah no, mate. I'm barely leaving the house these days.” I shook my head. My girlfriend grinned slowly, and I returned it. She looked back over at my friend. "It sounds good to me. Is it like a costume thing?" “It's not required but encouraged. My girlfriend is dressing up. So am I.” “I am, too,” Seth added. “It’s a surprise. It’s going to be awesome,” he said excitedly. He loved to cosplay too. “Should we bring something? Food or whatever?” She wondered after she nodded. “You could bring like a side and a dessert. Or, a bunch of beer. I mean, it's up to you. Anything would be great.” She smiled at him charmingly, and he ate it right up. "I can make something really good." “What should I bring?” Seth asked with wide worried eyes. “I didn't realize I needed to bring shit.” Tyler wasn’t going to make his friend bring anything. The only reason he said anything to Bella was that she asked. “Grab like a couple of bags of chips or cookies. Or, beer. You know, the staples. We're making hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, and chicken. A bunch of veggies. Salad. Baked potatoes. Rice. My girl's a vegan for health reasons,” Tyler explained to Bella. “She's got a very sensitive tummy. So, we'll have a big spread for everyone.” “You could get her some Oreos, then. They're vegan,” she suggested jokingly. “Are there any Oreo murders?” I murmured a bit sarcastically before I could stop myself. Bella laughed, looking over at me as she widened her eyes to make herself look more innocent for a second. “No, I don't think so. But, I'm still dying to tell you about the Zankou's one.”  Episode Nineteen: Perfect Straight ManThat evening we spent hours pleasuring each other. Bella indulged my intense need to kiss her. She didn't seem to mind in the least. We fucked three times, twice before bed and once in the middle of the night. She started that particular time, her hand wrapping around my erection in her sleep. Then she began to massage it until I was practically vibrating in place. I didn't know what to do with myself until I finally gave in to my urge to kiss her neck. She moaned, her eyes fluttering open as she continued to play with me. I wasn't sure she was really awake, but she pulled me towards her in a forceful kiss. I could barely get the condom on fast enough before she slammed down on me. Bella gave herself two orgasms while on top with her fingers between her legs. And when she finally pulled herself off of me, I devoured her. I loved the feeling of her knees on my shoulders, her fingers tight in my hair as she called out my name over and over again. When I got back to sleep, it was some of the best rest that I had gotten in ages. Bella's warm ass was pressed against me. It was like she was designed to fit right there. I didn't know what the ringing was that woke me up. It wasn't my phone. Bella slapped her hand over on the dresser for her cell, her eyes shut tight. “Yeah?” She moaned when she answered it, her eyes still closed. “Did I wake you?” Bella pulled the phone away from her face and frowned at the loud voice. “Yes,” she pouted. “Bitch, on a weekday? It's almost lunchtime.” It was an odd male voice. “Well, in LA it's fucking early, bitch,” she said back very sarcastically. She looked at me and kind of shook her head. “Oh, you're in LA? I thought that was last week.” “I'm on vacation.” “Why didn't you tell me! I'm so jealous! I was going to ask you to lunch since I'm in Queens today for a doctor's appointment.” “You should take Al to arepas since I won't be there two Fridays in a row. It's her favorite right now,” Bella responded sleepily. “Oh, that sounds good. That place by the office has the best pulled-pork ones. With plantains and some black beans. Yas. I'll ask her. So, is it sunny? What have you been doing? Drinking? Laying in the sand?” “It's late October. It's a bit cold for that. There was a big storm Monday and Tuesday and rained a little Thursday but other than that it's been great weather. I've actually just been laying in bed with a sexy man,” she answered in fake boredom. I smiled to myself. She was so good for my ego. I kissed her shoulder softly. “Oh, and what does he look like?” “Six five, two hundred pounds maybe, muscular. Broad shoulders and chest. Nice ass. The sharpest jaw you've ever seen. High cheekbones. Reddish hair, especially in the light. Gorgeous green eyes. Pale like he's not seen the sun... ever.” I giggled at her compliments, pushing my face between her shoulder blades in embarrassment. She wiggled against me. “What book you reading? I'm going to have to borrow that. Sounds hot.” Bella pulled the phone away from her cheek as she glanced over her shoulder at me. She whispered, "say hello." I put my chin on her shoulder. “Hello.” The man on the phone screamed. I pulled back slightly, laughing. “Oh, god.” “Girl, I thought you were talking about one of those vampire books Rosalie likes. What is your name, sugar?” “My name is Eddie. Nice to meet you,” I answered in my most respectable tone. The dramatic man gasped. “Wait. What? Wait! No! No, no, and no. Are you banging that homeboy you were supposed to take pictures of? The one you made me watch videos of the other day?” “I didn't make you watch them, asshole. I showed you. You clicked next for two hours, not me. And, I waited to 'bang' him until after I took the pictures. Like the next day and everything.” Bella held her chin up high, bobbing her head as she snapped back at her friend. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, though. “Bells. Honey, I need you to give yourself a high five for me,” he said to her in a serious voice. “Just imagine I am high fiving you so hard. Right now. Do it. Do it for me.” “That's what she said,” she sassed. “Do it!” He shouted. I decided to be stupid. She always enjoyed that. “Oh, I'll help.” I tried to give her a high five at an awkward angle. Bella laughed as the phone slipped from her fingers.“Fuck, that wasn't very good.” I adjusted and did it again. “Oh, my god. He's so cute. Are you going to keep him?” “He's not a lost puppy,” Bella giggled, shaking her head a little to herself. “He's coming to Thanksgiving.” "Yay! I love it. I can't wait. I am so ready for your food. I was going to wear my fat pants, but now I'm going to have to be looking sexy if you're coming, handsome." She made a sour face. “You're a married man. Wear your damn fat pants.” “Think they have sexy fat pants?” He playfully asked. “You still got some Juicy in your closet?” He laughed. “Heavens, no.” Bella shifted a little on the bed. "Well, I guess yoga pants are the new comfy fat pants, and I've definitely seen some fine looking women in yoga pants. But I mean, I might just like women's asses in general," she joked cheekily in return. My douchebag brain said, ‘yay, my girl likes girls’ ass too.’ I reminded myself that meant nothing for me, but it was a fact I enjoyed knowing for some reason. I wouldn't say anything about it, though and I would try very hard not to be a pervert. “It's because that shit is a wonder bra for your ass. I want to be buried in yoga pants, so I can be comfortable forever.” “With a pair of Uggs, a pumpkin spice latte, some crystals, and a bottle of Chardonnay,” she retorted meanly. “I feel personally attacked,” he deadpanned. She yawned before she stretched out beside me some more. Bella looked delicious, all sleepy and nude. “It's because you are a basic bitch. Bitches feel attacked about basically everything. They are sensitive as fuck.” My girl was a little mean and quick, and I loved it. “Boo, you whore,” he threw back. No one had hurt feelings. “What are you going to do? Ask to speak to my manager?” “Yes! I'm going to call Alice. Tell her you're a heartless skank hoe.” Bella shook her head as she rolled her eyes a little. “Alright, well. She already knows. Tell her that I love her and miss her.” “Okay, baby! I will. Have a good time and take lots of pretty pictures. Love you!” The man concluded in a sugary sweet voice. "Love you, too. Try the new mini cheese and chicken empanadas. They're so good. With that creamy green sauce. Whatever the fuck it is. The stuff on the table." When she spoke, she waved her fingers around like she was imagining the setup in her mind. “Sounds perfect! Call me when you get back into town! We'll talk about the show then. Bye!” “That was interesting,” I chuckled as I pushed her hair away so that I could start to kiss along her jaw and cheek. “That's Demetri. He's the former makeup artist I was telling you about. He runs a sweet little vintage theater in Brooklyn now. That's where the show is. He's a doll. I've been friends with him for over a decade now. He used to be my dance partner before he got hurt. He broke his back. His husband is the most angelic person ever, being able to put up with his dramatic ass all the time. You'd love them,” she explained with a little smile on her face. “I can't wait to meet all of your friends,” I whispered before I kissed her cheek again. She smiled at me charmingly. “They’ll love you.” Bella rolled over to face me some more, running her fingers over my jaw. “I am annoyingly awake now. Would you like to get a good workout with me again this morning?” “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Watching her exercise was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. She was so intense and impressively strong for her size. And watching her tits bounce on the elliptical was hypnotizing. I peeled off her sports bra as the shower warmed up, the steam starting to quickly fill up the glass-enclosed space. “How can you stand to touch me like this?” She questioned as my hands slid down her sweaty back. I tugged off her shorts next. “To be honest, I think you taste delicious like this,” I told her honestly. “And I enjoy watching you get this way. You’re so graceful.” “Thank you.” She blushed, biting her bottom lip as she helped me out of my shorts. “I like watching you too,” she admitted in a small voice as she pulled me into the shower. “But I like kissing you more.” We made out until we were running short on warm water, which took forever in my house. It felt like a dream come true. I hated myself for not flaking out on the things that I had missed recording and wish I hadn’t shoved so much all in one day. Bella didn’t seem to mind, though, always easy-going. She listened to my thoughts and plans, always asking encouraging questions and giving me a lot to think about along the way. She was so thoughtful. I made us coffee while Bella made herself up for the day, doing extra to her hair and makeup. She looked video worthy for sure. I smiled to myself as I watched. I couldn't help but flirt with her stupidly the entire time. It was just an excuse to make her giggle and smile for me. When she was done, her hair was completely straight and extra shiny black. Her makeup made her face look like art. If I didn't know her age, I would have thought she was in her early twenties. Her tight little skirt and rainbow shirt only added to it. Seth looked Bella over hard, making an ‘impressed’ expression as he circled it with his finger. “Hey, your face! I like it! You did new fancy things.” “It's called makeup,” Tyler said to him calmly. “You do look very nice. My girlfriend loves that thing with the eyeliner. But she gets mad every time she does it. What is it? Cat eyes?” I knew what it was. I had four older sisters who all loved clothes and makeup. They had done my makeup many times for videos and such. I didn’t know all the terms or products by any means, though. I kept my mouth shut. “Yeah,” she nodded thoughtfully, “it's super hard. It took a couple tries to get it right.” Very seriously, Tyler answered, “I've seen her cry over it. She's thrown things. It's a mess.” Bella giggled. “I've cried too, but usually just because I've stabbed myself in the eye.” "I've seen her do that, too." He nodded in understanding, frowning a little. He looked at me, and I shook my head a little to myself, just sighing as I headed off towards the car. As much as I hated having such a busy day, the Hawaiian breakfast place with Bella was the best way to start. She was so charming with the owner, flirting with the camera in her thickened southern drawl. We drank all morning, Bella feeding me delicious pancakes and chicken off of her fork. She kept asking the owner thoughtful questions, completely owning the shoot in a great way. She let me play while still learning about the food and the restaurant itself. Even as she got drunk with me, she was my perfect straight man. We had taken our time with brunch, and we had a couple of hours before we had to eat hot dogs. The beach was the closest and most interesting option. Bella had said she enjoyed the beach and the guys could always wander off to give us privacy while they took stock footage. When we arrived, I took Bella's hand, and we strolled for a moment until we found an empty bench. She curled into my side, laying her head on my shoulder. She seemed comfortably quiet, but suddenly a moment of anxiety hit me. "I should take you out and not just for work," I blurted out. Bella smoothed a hand over my thigh. “You didn't know I was going to be here this week. You couldn't bend your work or the weather to your will. It's okay, though. I've really enjoyed having you to myself at home.” I really liked it too, but I was still concerned. “Wouldn't you like to go dancing or something?” She was obviously so young at heart and more adventurous than me in a different way. I worried she found me boring. Or would soon when she realized what kind of man I really was. She shrugged, almost as if she was bored with the idea. "Sure, when we get the chance again. We went just last week." "That was for work…" I sighed as I thought back on that night that now seemed so far away. "I wanted you so badly on that rooftop. I wanted to just grab and kiss you. I was actually trying not to cry." As soon as I said it, I couldn't believe it came out of my mouth. I hated that I kept babbling things out. "Oh, sweetheart," Bella breathed as she moved her hand on top of mine that was sitting on her bare thigh. “Not very manly, I know.” I felt so embarrassed. My girlfriend seemed to be instantly annoyed with my words. “Depends on what you consider manly. I don't see how a man who doesn't know his own emotions is much of a man at all.” “You said you weren't much of a crier.” Bella pouted a little. “Just because I don't cry easily doesn't mean I don't feel and understand the emotions. I just have a harder time releasing those emotions outwardly. That's a fault, not a positive. It's not a sign of strength. Boys don't cry. Big girls don't cry. It's all outdated and part of the reason people used to not live to forty. You can't hold it in. So, get that toxic masculinity idea out of your head because it's just another lie your anxiety can hold on to.” Oh. So her dead husband didn't talk about his feelings often. I was sure that she didn't want to say that. It was hard not to read between those lines, though. I thought about what she said. She was right. She was a smart woman. Obviously, Bella wanted to be more in touch with her feelings than she was able to be sometimes. I understood how she felt. I rarely controlled my emotions and was often brutally controlled by them. Especially my anxiety. It took a certain level of maturity to understand some of these things. Maturity I wasn't sure that I had. She knew things I couldn't yet. Nine years wasn't a huge difference. Not enough to discourage me in any way. I think perhaps I liked that she was older. I was a dumbass on camera for fun, but in reality, I was a shy, anxious, quiet man. I couldn't imagine dating a twenty-one-year-old person, ready to party all the time. Even if I had the chance to bed even younger, barely legal models, I wasn't interested. It was hard not to wonder if it was enough to discourage Bella, though. I hoped not. I became lost in my thoughts. “I hope I didn't upset you,” she whispered. I looked over at her as I bit my bottom lip. "No. Not at all. I'm just... overwhelmed? I guess. I don't know. You're so much more mature than me, and sometimes I really feel it. It's not a bad thing, on your side. Maybe on mine." She tilted her head up to look at me. “You are far more put together than most adults your age. It's not fair to compare us in that sense. And I sleep on a couch most the time in footie Pikachu pajamas. You've known me a week, baby. I am a tall child masquerading as a short adult.” I wanted to giggle, but I held it in. She had told me before that she didn't like her little twin bed very much but preferred to sleep on her large overstuffed fake leather couch. I loved the image of her in Pokemon sleepwear, snuggled up like a child at a sleepover at their grandparents. “Almost two weeks. Aw, footie pajamas? Really?” I needed pictures. I had to see her in them in person. “I have a whole collection of them sent by Mrs. Brandon," she giggled. "New York is cold, and I have no one to keep me warm. I'm kind of in love with them." “I'll keep you warm,” I offered up immediately. "You going to come to Queens and snuggle up in my twin size bed, under three blankets, because it's zero outside?" She asked with a small smirk. "The couch isn't big enough for the two of us." Fuck that. “Or,” I held my finger up, “or I could keep you warm by flying you to sunny Los Angeles during the long cold New York winters.” "But I love the winters. I wouldn't get to see snow." She was not being very helpful on purpose. I went in a different direction. “Well... I could keep you warm by getting a nice room with a good heater and a king-sized bed. And we can snuggle up under as many blankets as you like.” Bella looked up at me in curiosity. “The bed size is the bigger problem?” “I'm too big for a twin bed.” “I can see that,” she said a little impishly as I put my arm around her and hugged her close to me. She nestled closer with her head on my shoulder. I put my mine on top of hers. "Maybe we should try to get a weekend away somewhere cold and snowy this winter. Since you love snow so much. Spend a couple of days in a cabin with a roaring fire, in the mountains maybe." I didn't think before I spoke, but sometimes my mouth had good ideas. Bella seemed to like it, too. “That sounds so romantic. Where do you think? Maine or somewhere in Poconos? Colorado would be so lovely.” "I've not gone to Colorado yet. I've been wanting to go to Denver," I remarked as I considered all the possibilities. "It's something to think about. By the way, I have the ticket for your flight at home. It's next Friday at two. It's a nonstop one, and you should arrive back in New York at around eleven. Is that alright? Or is that too late?" Zafrina had arranged everything for me by my request. It was so nice to have someone to do those things for me. I wished I could get Bella to stay, but I knew that wasn't realistic. My sweet little girlfriend was too responsible to be talked into running away forever with me. Especially when she obviously loved her friends so much. "No, it's fine. I've gotten in later. I'll still be on LA time, and there are always taxis no matter the time. Thank you." I kissed her cheek softly. “It's selfish. I want you to save yours so you can use it to see me whenever you want to.” “Just drop by anytime, unannounced?” She teasingly questioned. Um, hell yeah. I couldn’t hide my smile at that idea. “Yes, please. I love a good surprise.” She looked at me in disbelief. “I wouldn't want to do that to you. You have such a busy schedule.” Did she not realize that I would make the goddamn time for her? Also, it wasn’t like she wasn’t working with me, too. “Okay, please. I'm not that busy. Besides, I like having you here with me. I’m honestly surprised how… It's so easy to interact with you on camera, too. You don't mind these, do you?” “Not at all. Really,” Bella answered with a smile. “It's a lot of fun. I get to talk to people with common interests. Eat food I've never had before. I think you're just being kind to me when you praise me about being on camera, though.” No. It wasn't just me. I knew it. Jasper saw it. Tyler and Seth had seen some of her videos now, and they agreed that her personality really came across really well on camera. I didn't have enough to prove it to her yet, I knew that. But I knew I would soon enough. The comment sections of the couple of the videos that I had posted her in had gone crazy for her. “Well, the only way to prove for sure is the view count. I've got plenty of videos with you coming out soon enough. You'll see for yourself. They already love you.” She scrunched up her nose and wrinkled her forehead. “You lie,” Bella insisted in an extremely thick southern accent. “Read the comments,” I laughed a little. “Actually, maybe don't. Perverts. Anyway, you add a little diversity to this sausage party,” I joked stupidly. She pulled back, a silly expression on her pretty face. “Wait. Am I the token chick for your boy gang? Am I the Webby to your Huey, Louie, and Dewey?” She was such a cute little nerd. I loved Duck Tales as a kid and watched my sister’s copies, obsessively. I laughed again. “Only since coming to America. I had loads of female friends back home. I'd do videos with my mates Lucy, Kelly, and Melly all the time.” “It sounds like you made up those names,” she quipped. “Melly and Kelly are twin sisters. Her name is Melanie, really. But she goes by Melly.” Bella got a mean little smirk on her face. It reminded me of Jasper’s. “Honestly, it still sounds made up. It sounds like the names you'd make up for fake twins in a Penthouse letter. Dear Penthouse, the greatest thing happened to me today. I met twins with big boobies named Kelly and Melly. They let me play with them!” “No,” I chuckled nervously, blushing in embarrassment. “Okay, well, only Kelly. A little bit. Over the shirt. And that was a drunken pash in college. It was weird. I instantly apologized afterward.” "Aw," she giggled. Bella scrunched up her nose in that way when she thought I was being cute. At least she thought my weird liquor-fueled snog was adorable. It wasn't too awkward for long, though. Kelly started dating my friend not long after. “She's engaged to a mate of mine now. It's nice. They're a good match. I'm happy for them.” I missed all my friends, and I needed to talk to them more. I was just so busy. “Well, that’s nice,” she commented, snuggling more comfortably into my side. “It’s always nice to watch your friends find happiness.” She let me hold her until it was finally time to go to the hot dog place to eat. Bella had agreed to try the spicy hot dog so that I wouldn't have to suffer through it. She seemed to like fiery things way more than anyone in the group by far. She sampled the sodas first before getting her tiny hot dogs. She tried to eat them as neatly as possible with a fork and knife. Answering every question, she gave me detailed feedback about the food. It was a dream for the video and exactly what I needed. Then she got to the spicy one. Her face got very serious. Bella quickly drank some of the root beer that she had liked before. “Think I could handle the other bite?” She shook her head. “No.” She covered her mouth with her hand and a napkin. “Zero hot dogs out of five. The heat is a gimmick. Just have the regular chili dog and enjoy the flavor of something.” And then she shoved a bunch of french fries into her mouth. I had never seen her dislike something so much before. I decided to be a jackass. “Hey, Seth, man. You wanna try the spicy hot dog? Bella said it was nothing,” I called loudly to my friend when he came out of the kitchen. “Fuck no, I'm not stupid. Her mouth is asbestos,” he answered as he flipped me off. He saw right through me. I laughed hard. “Oh, okay. I guess you're not man enough to even try,” I smiled wickedly. It was easy to egg him on. Seth took the bait right away, putting his hands on his hips as if I challenged him to a fight. “Spice level is not the measure of a man.” “Okay,” I dryly replied. I loved fucking with him. It was payback for any betting he was doing behind my back like the asshole he was. He stomped over to the table and reached for the food, but Bella hurriedly pulled it from his reach. “No. Don't. He's a lying liar who lies. You'll die.” All my brain could spit out in response was, ‘hahaha d'aww my girlfriend is cute.’ Thankfully, I didn’t say it out loud. “Oh, you see that!” Seth pointed at me aggressively. “She's nicer than you! You're a punk ass bitch.” "I should have let you eat it," she stated to me with a sassy little smirk. Bella was right. She should have. It would have been hilarious, but it was too late now. Tyler got tired of not being involved in the stupidity. He went over to the table and put the spicy hot dog into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, chili staining the corners of his lips red. “No.” He shook his head as he tried to wash the taste out with his own root beer. “Yeah. That was a mistake,” he calmly clarified. Bella looked so unimpressed with all of our dumbasses. “Y'all are going to hurt yourselves one day. You're going to ruin your stomachs trying to impress each other. Burn a hole like battery acid.” Yeah, probably. “Nah,” I laughed as passed off the camera to my friend. “Now, let's eat us a five-pound hot dog.” Seth and Tyler made me suffer for my antics. They knew how to play me, egging me on to eating way too much food. I wasn’t sure why I thought it was a good idea to eat a five-pound hot dog in the first damn place. Bella rightfully joined in my mocking on the ride home.  Episode Eighteen: In DreamsThat night I dreamed about Jasper. It wasn't strange for me to do so. I did a lot actually. I missed him terribly. We had been together almost every day for well over a decade of our lives. We shared a dorm, and then we shared an apartment. The first dream that I had, we were in the old place in Sydney. Jasper and I were laid out on his old bed, watching his television because it was the nicest at the time. He was stretched out with his arms behind his head, smiling as we spoke. I don't know what was said, but we began to wrestle jokingly, a bad habit we had kept up from when we were on the wrestling team together in school. We both loved to roughhouse far too much and were often vicious in our attacks. Neither of us really got mad at the pain, and probably both enjoyed it far too much. Frankly, he was better at it, but I was always bigger. The dream was more feelings than images. Happiness, laughter. Everything was playful and fun. It made me miss him all the more. It ended, and even in my head, I knew that it was all just a dream. I was sad for it to be over, though. I wanted that. I wanted my best friend around. There was a reason that he was the first person that I wanted to call after Disney. Because he was the first person that I would call after everything important that has ever happened to me in my life. He had always been there for me. Then I began to dream again. This time we were in my new bed in LA, and we were both nude. It reminded me of the one I had with all the strange women kissing me. I wasn’t as anxious in this one, though. He crawled on top of me, kissing me. In it, I returned it eagerly, my arousal evident as it rubbed against his erection. His strong hands pinned my wrists above my head, his mouth on my neck. The images were just as sharp as the emotions in this one. “Please,” I whimpered pathetically. I wanted to reach for him and pull him towards me, but he held me too tightly. “I need you.” “Beg me,” he said as he kissed down my chest. Suddenly he was between my thighs, kissing and licking there as my knees bent. My body pushed itself toward his warm mouth. I couldn’t speak, though. I was too in shock from the pleasure that he was giving me. He looked up at me with his wicked grin as his hands smoothed over my thighs, spreading them. In the dream, all I wanted to do was grab his face and shove my cock in his mouth. My hands still felt pinned down, though. And then he gave me what I wanted, but just for a second. I woke up with a start, my heart thumping in my chest. It was just a couple of minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. Bella was curled at my side, her red nightgown lifted up over her bare ass. She wasn't wearing panties to bed. One of her legs was pulled over my naked thigh, and I could feel the warmth between them. My erection was confused. And I was annoyed with myself. Painfully aroused was not the word to cover it. I was embarrassed about having such a dream with a beautiful woman in my arms, but I knew I couldn't control it. I hated myself for perversely enjoying them, though. It made me feel dirty, especially since I admittedly found him attractive. Though anyone would have, he was objectively so. Muscular, blond, blue-eyed, tattooed, and a great smile. I would never tell him, or her, about the thoughts. He had been nothing but a friend to me, and there was no reason to embarrass either of us. He might not have been shy about sex, but I was. I had dreamed about having sex with Jasper countless times, especially since moving to America. To the point that I looked it up and talked to my therapist about it. Apparently, it was a sign simply that I missed him and that we were growing closer together. Our friendship had gotten stronger since I left. We spoke more often and perhaps more deeply about personal things. He was the only person, now besides Bella, that I felt entirely comfortable around. No masks. It was such an odd thing to be just me. Honestly, if I could find a way to get him to come to America, my life would be utterly perfect. With my girl and my best friend, I could take over the world. I would happily wear my mask all day if I could take it off every night to be myself with them. My alarm began to go off, and Bella groaned softly as she stretched her arms over her head. I smoothed my hand over her back gently, rubbing my fingers just over the curve of her ass. “Good morning, lovely,” I whispered as I leaned down to press my lips to hers. She moaned against my mouth, happy to return it with her tiny fingers tangled into my hair. I wondered if she knew how much I loved that. “Do you want to work out with me before I have to go?” "Mm," she hummed, pressing her lips against my neck. "I'd love to. Let me go get changed, and I'll meet you in there." After a long and sensual kiss, she pulled herself from my arms and went to the spare bedroom to get some work out clothes. I took several minutes and calming breaths before I got dressed. She decided on a white sports bra and a pair of yoga pants. It was hard not to openly stare at her toned body. I found her tattoos especially sexy like this. She was usually fairly conservative in the way that she dressed. I found myself almost jealous that she was so comfortable with her own body. I had not watched Bella work out the day before. If I had, perhaps I would have gotten a clue to how fit she actually was. She flew through a routine that made me ache just thinking about it. And she lifted weights that I found surprising. I would have never guessed that she was so strong, but she did so with ease. Then to finish it off, she did thirty intense minutes of the elliptical. It was, by far, my favorite part. I loved watching her breasts bounce so much that I actually found it hard to concentrate, even as I tried to show off with my own workout. We were both covered in sweat by the time we finished. I wanted to take her on the weight bench. Instead, I let her lead me to the shower. She turned on the water before tugging off her bra. Bella helped me with my own shirt so that our naked torsos were pressed together as she pulled me down into a kiss. Her kisses were the best, and her warm, delicious mouth was unbearably sweet. She smiled as I grabbed her ass, her hands smoothing over my chest. “I could kiss you all day,” I told her honestly. “And I’d let you if we both didn’t have to work today,” she said, annoyingly responsible. She saw my frustration. “You can kiss me all you want tonight, though,” Bella promised. “Mm, I planned on it,” I hummed as I pulled down her pants and underwear. “And not just those pretty lips.” Bella tugged down my shorts, a sexy smirk on her face. She then bit her bottom lip before dragging her hand over my erection. Then she giggled wickedly as she slipped into the shower. We made out for most of the shower, her hot, slick wet soapy body sliding against mine while my hands alternated between her breasts and ass. It was a great way to start the day, and honestly, all I wanted to do was get back into bed with her and fuck her from behind again. Instead, Bella made us a beautiful breakfast that we ate outside in the sunshine underneath the umbrella. I merely made the coffee, though I was getting pretty good at it. I liked watching her work. She carried her laptop outside with a large mug of coffee before I left. I brought her my weed to help take the edge off if she needed it. I knew she was nervous about how the magazine would like her work. Personally, I thought everything she did was amazing, but I might have been wildly biased. I hated recording commercials. It was boring and tedious. I said the same thing a hundred times in a hundred different ways before moving on to the next phrase. The director was a loud man, shouting ‘good, good. Let's do it again,' after every take. I was far less motivated to do well than I had been before when Bella was watching. I don't think I could have done any better than I had, though. All I wanted to do all day was go home to her. It was late when I got out of the recording studio. Tired, I didn’t really feel like going out. My throat hurt. I hoped Bella would understand. I didn’t think it would bother her, she was so compassionate. Jasper sent me a message as I sat down in the driver’s side of the car, thinking about what I wanted to text my girlfriend. “How did the celebration go?” "Perfect. It was a great night. Bella made us a proper Sunday roast, and she loved her gifts. I went hog wild, though," I answered him. "I'm just getting off work, and I'm about to head home to her." “Any plans?” “I’m knackered,” I admitted. "She was working on things today too, so I hope she doesn't mind staying in." “She’ll have to figure out that you’re a homebody at some point,” he teased. He wasn't wrong, of course. I enjoyed being at home more than anything else. Though I did appreciate going out occasionally, it was only for short controlled spurts of time. “Would you like me to pick up anything for dinner or would you like to order dinner?” I finally texted Bella. Her response was almost instant. “I'm making homemade pasta if that's alright?” That sounded fabulous. It was so lovely that she was cooking for me again without having to be asked. “Oh, yes, please. Do we have garlic bread?” I questioned. I sent Jasper a text back. “Bella is making us pasta for dinner.” “Yum,” he answered. "No. If you want to stop and get some french bread, I'll be more than happy to make you some. It sounds good," my girlfriend responded. “Should I get dessert?” I was eager to do anything to please her. It would also give me a chance to get her something else while I was at the grocery store. I texted Jasper. “What flowers should I get Bella?” “Ahhh… Fuck if I know?” “Be helpful and look some flower shit up.” “Ugh, fine…” “Up to you. We have leftover mousse and whipped cream still. And strawberries,” she replied. It was delicious the night before, and I definitely wanted to eat it again. “That sounds good. I'll be home as soon as I can,” I returned with a bunch of stupid emojis. Jasper finally came back with the information that I needed. "So, apparently yellow roses are a Texas thing? Plus they represent joy, which I would think fits how you're feeling. That's all the googling you're getting out of me.” “Perfect! Thanks :D” “So glad to help you get laid.” I smirked to myself. “I don’t need your help with that. She’d fuck me without the flowers.” The roses were right by the door, and so was the bread in the store. I rushed through the self-checkout so that I could hurry home back to Bella. It already smelled so delicious from the garage. She beamed as I presented her with the flowers, giving me a soft kiss as a reward. “How beautiful. Do you have a vase to put them in?” Oh, fuck. No, I didn’t. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? Bella giggled at my expression. “No. That's okay. I'll figure it out.” After searching around for a few moments, she found a stupidly big beer mug that I had. Filling it with water, she trimmed the flowers to fit and put them in the center of the table. I smoothed my hands over her arms from behind, kissing her cheek after she placed them. “Thank you. They’re lovely. I love yellow roses,” Bella said sweetly, snuggling into my grip. “Are you ready to eat?” “Yeah. Is there anything I need to do?” She turned in my grasp and brushed her fingers over my cheeks. Slowly she shook her head. Pouting her bottom lip out, she lifted up on her toes to meet me in a kiss. “Are you okay? How did today go?” "Mm. Yeah. Just tired, and it was boring. Usually, my career isn't a job, but today it was. But one must pay their dues and their bills," I explained, enjoying being close to her. She smelled clean, and her lips tasted of wine. "I don't mind. I just would have preferred to spend the day with you." “Is there anything I can do to make it better?” She offered. “You’re already doing it,” I breathed. "Would a big glass of wine help too?" “Mm, yes it would. But let me get that. Do you have a bottle opened already?” “I finished the one we opened the other night. I needed to use it to roll out the pasta,” she giggled. “So, pick us something to share. Whatever you want. I’m not picky.” I loved watching her dance around the kitchen. Her movements were so graceful. Bella lifted up on her toes and wiggle her hips as she stirred pots and made plates. She piled mine high with pasta in a creamy white cheese sauce and a fancy looking salad with homemade dressing. Everything on it was made from scratch. It was so impressive. “This is incredible, Bella,” I told her after a bite. “Thanks.” She blushed slightly as she twirled her pasta on her fork before taking a delicate bite. Bella hummed in pleasure after taking a tiny taste of the toast. “I’m glad you wanted bread. It’s good with the sauce.” “It is.” I couldn’t eat fast enough. “I’ve never had homemade pasta before. It’s so much better. Seriously.” “I’m really glad you’re enjoying it. I just made something pretty quick and simple,” she explained away like it was any less impressive somehow. Like I knew how to make homemade pasta, sauce, salad dressing, mousse, and whipped cream. “And you used a wine bottle to make the pasta itself?” “Yeah. I used to make pasta for the restaurant I worked for on the daily. I could probably do it in my sleep at this point. But I have to tell you… You seriously need some things for your kitchen,” my girlfriend remarked, looking at me from underneath her eyelashes as she twisted more noodles around her fork. “Do you want to make a video about it?” I blurted out. “What do you mean? Just listing off stuff you need in the kitchen or just me buying shit for your kitchen?” I had no idea. My mouth decided to say it before my brain really had time to think about it. "Both, I guess. Kind of. I don't know. You know what a person needs for a good kitchen. You used to cook professionally for a while. And if we make it into a video, I can write it off as a business expense." She giggled quietly. “That seems a little shady.” I smiled innocently. “Not if we keep using them in videos. Both of us...” “Do you even want to make cooking videos?” Did I care about learning to cook myself? No. Did I want to spend as much time with Bella as possible? Yes. Also, watching her in the kitchen was extraordinary. I couldn’t imagine that I would be the only person to see that. I could easily see a cooking show with her as the star. We played off of each other so well. Why couldn’t we do it together? I pulled apart my bread and took a bite to give myself time to think about what I wanted to say. “I'm already making food videos. You said yourself it makes sense that I learn. You could teach me. You've already doubled my cooking knowledge this week.” She laughed, biting her lip as she looked away from me. "I'm not against it but don't we need to be in the same state for that? You've already got your week planned, and I fly home on the second. And you already have to work on Sunday because of all the rain." She was right about all of that. My attentive girlfriend was paying better attention to my schedule than I was. "It's just one place for a watch. It'll be very short. We could do it after." I just wanted to make another video with her, and I knew she would love all the things for the kitchen. It would also give her an excuse to come back. Bella could make her own little cooking show in my kitchen. It would give me an excellent reason to focus on her. Besides, food videos always did fantastic on YouTube. “The kitchen supply store or Bed, Bath, and Beyond, or whatever, ain't gonna let Seth and Tyler run around with cameras and a boom mic inside. Not with such short notice,” she stated smartly in her thickened accent. “Oh, well. Perhaps. We don't have to film the shopping, just the end results. All the things and why and what they do. Or we'll just use our phones. But either way, it'll be Eddie's first fully decked out adult kitchen. And when you come to visit again, we can do some cooking videos together. If you want to. It's up to you," I babbled. “Are you sure you want me in so many of your videos?” Bella asked in a quiet and worried voice. I had to instantly dispel any of her fears. I hummed jokingly, tapping my finger on my chin. "You are beautiful and well-spoken. Funny as hell. I absolutely do. You know, I posted a video with you this morning, and it already has five million views. The second part of the Japanese stuff. The sodas. It might be the fastest ever for a food one. And the comments are almost all nice. There was a percentage of thirsty ones, too.” Stupid, gross trolls and their obsession with tits. “But it’s the internet.” “The first already had ten million, though. I don't think it's me,” she countered. “It's up to twenty-two million views, actually. Last time I checked this morning. And the one from the jump has doubled its views from just yesterday. By the way, I moved your pay from one hundred to one thousand. I can change it again if it's a problem,” I explained in passing. It only took a couple of clicks to do it. “How much are you actually giving me?” She narrowed her eyes on me. “I'm not giving it to you. You earned it. You did work. Mostly tolerating my buffoonery...” Bella looked extremely unimpressed, cocking her head to one side and frowning deeply. I sighed. “Four percent of all the ad revenue and sponsorship if it implies. Like the jump gets way more because it's sponsored. Way way more. It’s the most I’ve made from a single video already by a whole lot.” They paid me a quarter of a million dollars just to jump out of the damn plane in the first place. That wasn’t to mention the incredible ad revenue. “None of that was work,” she began to argue right away, her whole face glowing. “I can't imagine what you're getting for each video. Do you do the same with Seth and Tyler? Give them a percentage?” "They get double that for each one they do. They seem really happy about it." That was an understatement. No one was unhappy about our deal. They worked their asses off for me, and I made it worth their while. And I would make it worth hers as well. “That's because they're getting paid thousands for twenty hours of work a week. Tops,” she laughed awkwardly. “They work on their own stuff, too.” Bella looked so distressed as she began to chew on the side of her thumb. "Would you promise to let me know if you ever feel like I'm using you? Because, I don't ever intend to but, I just... I don't want to take advantage, and you've already given me so much. I don't ever want to exploit your generosity. It would be okay if you gave me less. I haven't done much of anything." Nope. No. Not how that’s going to work. I was going to give her more with time, not less. Bella was crazy if she thought otherwise. But she looked so worried, though. I decided it was time to lighten the mood. "You can use me a little bit." I winked. It worked, and her expression melted into a small smirk. Rolling her eyes, she looked away. I brought her hand up to my lips and pressed a kiss against them. "You're not. But I promise to tell you if I ever feel that way." I knew without a doubt that it was never going to be a conversation that we were going to have. Bella deserved the world, and I was going to give it to her.  Episode Seventeen: Way to my heartWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)We finished a bottle of sparkling wine together, but that wasn't enough to soothe my frazzled nerves. I got my joints, smoking one while Bella excitedly opened up all the boxes of makeup that I had purchased for her. She had rubbed dozens of colors all over her arms and was now using my forearm. It admittedly showed up on my light skin really well. "I love the gold," Bella moaned softly as she examined one of the shades she just smeared across my arm. “There was a gold lipstick,” I let her know. I searched until I found it and pulled it out for her. “Ohhhh...” She said as she freed it from the box. “I've got a bunch of gold eyeshadow, too. I could go as an Oscar for Halloween.” She then used her camera as a mirror to spread it over her plush lips. “Oh,” she giggled. “I'm shiny as fuck.” I loved her playful mood. I was a little drunk and stoned and beyond happy even though I was still anxious. Like the ham I could be, I took the lip gloss from her and smeared it all over my lips. Kind of. Sort of. I got it mostly on my lower face region. I looked at her with a big smile. “Yes, but how do I look?” Bella gave me the exact reaction I wanted. She laughed as she leaned forward to kiss me. Her hand slid over my cheek and into my hair, holding me in place. I could feel the lipstick spreading over our skin as our kiss became more and more passionate. My hands slipped up her back as she came to straddle my lap. “Oh, Eddie,” she sighed against my lips, her forehead against mine. “Thank you for my gifts. I love them. You’re incredibly thoughtful.” "I'm glad you like them," I replied, pulling back to look into her eyes. I couldn't help but smirk at what I saw. She had gold all over her beautiful face and none on her lips. She began to giggle as well, her thumb coming up to my mouth to wipe away some. “Damn, that’s hot,” I teased, going in for another kiss. She giggled again, returning it happily. “Now we’re both shiny.” I reached for the phone that was in her hand, the camera feature still up. She saw right away what I was doing and started to pose with me. We took several pictures, including a funny one where we were both doing a duck face. Before I even handed the mobile back to her, I sent the images to mine to keep. “Come on. I’ll help you get that off,” she offered after one more kiss, picking up one of the bottles from the pile on the couch. Bella let me ramble my thoughts out to her while she finished cooking dinner for us. All I could seem to do was smoke as my anxiety began to prickle at the base of my neck. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a good thing, and I should be excited. Not terrified out of my damn mind. “I should tell my family after dinner. They should all be awake by then.” I tried to do the math in my head as I passed her the smoke. “Your nieces are going to think you're the coolest uncle ever. Especially the new one. She'll be about four or five when it comes out. She'll be the exact right age to be obsessed with the songs. How fun.” Bella smiled warmly as she passed it back. "If they do a premiere in Sydney, I could get them all to come. All my girls. I'm going to be able to do whatever I want to do after this. Disney is basically a license to print money. I'll be able to set up funds for my sisters and their daughters and make sure they'll always be taken care of. I'll be able to buy my parents a house and a new car if they want it. Get them the best nurses when they get older and need more help. My grandparents, too. And I'll be able to do whatever project I want to do. I can just do what I'm passionate about. It won't have to be about a paycheck ever again," my mouth decided to take over and fully ramble on about exactly what was on my mind. This was a huge deal. I sighed as I tapped out the ashes in the tray before they fell off onto the counter. “Fuck…This… This is so massive. I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t know what to expect or do. I feel like I’m just faking it and I’m just terrified they’re going to find out,” I admitted. Bella finished what she was doing and went to wash her hands before she came to stand beside me. “Well, I think they know what they’re doing. They are Disney, after all. I think they know what they’re looking for. They’ll let you know what they expect from you. You just have to pay attention.” “Do you think so?” She nodded. “You haven’t even read it.” "Not yet. But I know you. I've seen the work you've done before. I must say, it's a genius move on Disney's part to snatch you up now before you realize how much you're really worth and start charging them out the nose," Bella said with a small smile as she ran her fingers over my chin. “Thank you,” I breathed. “I’m so proud of you,” she stated, pressing a kiss to forehead since she could easily reach it. “Why don’t you pick us some wine out to go with dinner? It’ll be done in just a few minutes.” The roast was flawlessly cooked and delicious. It was the perfect meal for the day. The creamy chocolate mousse was beyond scrumptious as well. I enjoyed feeding Bella several bites, the way her lips wrapped around the spoon was more than a little arousing. During the meal, I kept leaning over to kiss her. When we finished eating, I helped her clear the table. “I’m going to make a few phone calls,” I told her quietly. She smiled sweetly. “Of course. Take your time. I’m going to go take a shower.” I seriously considered saying ‘fuck the calls’ and following her into the bathroom, but I wanted to tell at least some of my family members. With a soft sigh, I watched her walk towards my room before I went outside to sit by the pool while I made them. I decided there was a fun way to do this. In the group text with my sisters, I sent the message, “I’ve got good news. Who’s around?” “Me!" Tanya texted right away, so I called her first. "So, guess what?" I began when I rang her, beginning way braggier than I actually felt about the whole thing. I knew that I was about to hear a woman scream. "You're dating the photographer!" She started right away, throwing me off guard. Of course, my sisters talked. I knew they had a group chat without me too. I had forgotten that I hadn't told them that yet. "Yes!" I laughed. "That's not actually the good news, though. That's the amazing and unbelievable news. The whipped cream, sprinkles, and many cherries on the awesome cake that has been my week." “What?! Really?” She laughed happily. “Sasha was right!” “Yeah, well… Yeah,” I laughed. “Do you want to hear the good news or not?” "It's not that you've got a girlfriend?" She questioned dryly. "Really?" "Surprisingly… No," I chuckled. "They bought the script. Disney is making my movie, and I'm going to be the star. Tanya, I did it," I tried to say as calmly as possible. It was so hard. “TONY!” She shrieked. "Mummy!" I heard my niece shout worriedly. “Oh, sorry, baby. Didn’t me to surprise you,” she mumbled with her mouth away from the phone. Tanya brought the mouthpiece back up. “Tony! Seriously?!” “Yeah!” I beamed. “The one I read?” “Yeah.” "I knew it! I told you it was good! Oh, darling!" She yelled. "Oh, my god. You have to tell everyone!" “I know,” I laughed at her excitement. “I don’t know if I can do it all tonight. I think the Grands might have to wait for a day or two.” “I can tell them if you’d like,” she offered easily. Our grandparents were always lovely to talk to. “You have to tell Mum, though.” “Ugh,” I groaned. I would rather speak to my grandparents. “She’ll be annoyed if she doesn’t hear it from you,” she reminded me. I groaned again in response, making her giggle. “Sorry. Anyway, that’s so great, though! Now tell me about her!” "Seriously! I just tell you that, and you're still more interested in my love life?" “Yeah?” Tanya spoke as if I was stupid. “Is she the new girl in your videos?” “Yes, she is.” “Oh. Yeah, I can see that. She’s beautiful, Tony!” She gushed. "And she's smart, kind, witty, funny, talented, artistic, passionate, caring, and… just everything," I added happily. “Wow! How long have you been dating?” “Like four days,” I breathed. “It’s insane, but… I can’t explain how I feel about her. She’s literally the best person that I’ve ever met. You’re going to love her. I can’t wait for all of you to meet her.” “You sound like you’re in love!” She informed me excitedly. "I am," I blurted out. "I am, but don't go telling everyone that, please. I realize my tendency towards drama, and I know I need to chill out. But, yeah, I am. I am really in love with this woman. The first thing I thought when I saw her is that I wanted to marry her." She squealed. “And I can’t tell everyone?” “I mean, not the grandparents and the parents. You’re going to tell the girls whatever I say.” "Okay, that's reasonable," my sister agreed. "Okay, now tell me more about this Disney thing, so I know what to tell everyone." I then spent the next fifteen minutes giving her all the details. Then I got a call from Irina. I let Tanya go so I could answer it. “What is your news! Don’t leave us hanging like that!” She chided right away. “Sorry. I was talking to T,” I laughed. “So, you remember that script I wrote?” "Did you sell it?" She asked in an enthusiastic voice. She got a little squeaky when she was happy. “You bet your skinny ass I did!” I laughed in elation. “Guess to who!” I then proceeded to talk to my two other sisters. Carmen actually cried, telling me how proud she was of me. Her tears made me cry too. It took several minutes to finally catch my breath and make the call I was putting off for last. "Hello?" My mother began in boredom. She always sounded so annoyed on the phone, like she had something else better to do. Just like when I was in boarding school. “Hi, Mum. Is this a good time?” I hoped she would say no. “Yes, of course, Anthony, darling. Is there something you need?” "No," I answered quickly. "I actually have some good news that I wanted to share with you. I sold a movie script to Disney. They're going to be making my movie, and I'm going to be the star. I'm going to have a lot of creative control, and I am getting a percentage of the sales of everything involved with the movie," I explained as fast as possible before I knew whatever questions or comments she had were coming. She had a tendency to talk over anyone and everything. “I see,” she replied very calmly. “That is very exciting news. Have you finalized the contract?” “We’ve only put some basic paperwork in as of right now. I’m having my lawyers and my manager look over everything first. But I don’t foresee any issues. Their offer is more than generous for a first-time creator.” “Hm. When will you know for sure?” “By the end of the month.” “Are you sure your lawyers can handle it? A contract with Disney must be a complicated thing. You’re not a very big star. Perhaps you should have someone else look at it,” she commented doubtfully. “Mum, my lawyers are-” “I can research-” My mother thought she knew everything about everything, especially when it came to the law. I was sure she could research American contract law, but that was why I had good lawyers. “No, thank you. Really. I’m sure it’s fine,” I clarified swiftly. “If I need help, I’ll let you know,” I added politely. I would rather cuddle a rabid dingo. “So, I imagine you’ll finally give up your internet foolishness,” she sniffed. I bit my lip and looked up at the sky. “It’s about time. I don’t understand why you’re wasting your time, embarrassing yourself like that all the time. It’s shameful.” "I'm not giving up anything. I love my channel, and I'm sorry it's foolishness, but it's not a waste of time. It makes me a lot of money, in fact. And I enjoy it. I wouldn't have gotten Disney if I wasn't doing it." “You could clearly be making more money if you applied yourself elsewhere. You’ve outgrown it, surely.” “I just sold a damn script to Disney. What else could I be doing?” I demanded, closing my eyes tightly. “I made millions of fucking dollars today.” “Language. And I don’t know what else you could accomplish, that is the point,” she stressed sharply. "You know what, Mum. I need to go. I've got a date tonight," I lied. I had a woman waiting for me, but we weren't going anywhere. The only place I wanted her was in my bed. I needed to stop talking to my mother before she sucked out all of my happiness and killed my buzz completely. “With who?” Did she think she would know her? She didn’t watch my videos or talk to me. “A beautiful woman. A photographer. Her name is Bella,” I explained. “Did you ever call Mariane?” “Who?” I asked in confusion. “My friend’s daughter. She’s in California for work.” “Oh, god. Are you serious?” I laughed. “No, I learned my lesson the first time. Vicky was enough. I’m done with your friend’s daughters.” “Vicky is a lovely woman.” “She was. And she thought that I was a childish jackass, just like you. No, actually, I have a girlfriend right now. And I’m making her wait. So, I’m going to let you go. Have a good day,” I asserted promptly, hanging up before she could say anything else to me. I didn’t even talk to my father. It took all of my mental energy to speak to her. I decided to smoke again before I went back to Bella. She was sitting at the vanity in my bathroom. Bella had straightened her hair, and it fell all the way down her back in a shiny black sheet. She was wearing a very sexy red nightgown and was painting her lips to match when I came in. Her eyes found mine in the mirror, catching me staring. “I'm sorry that took so long.” “You're fine, honey. I hope everyone is doing well,” she answered in her rich accent. “Yeah, they are. That was a lot of calls,” I replied softly. “You look stunning. Your hair is so much longer when it's straight. It's almost to your arse.” Bella stood from the vanity and began to walk towards me. She did a little spin, shaking her hair free to show it off to me. Everything about her was perfection. “How did I do?” She asked as she showed me her eyes. “It's very pretty. You are very pretty. Though it's like you're photoshopped your face in real life,” I joked stupidly. “I'm afraid to mess it up.” She pulled on my shirt, her smile mischievous. “I only put it on so you could mess it up.” Bella was doing all of this for me. She made herself somehow even more beautiful just for me. She wanted to feel her lipstick smear on my mouth, just like I did. “Well, in that case,” I mumbled just as I pulled her into a kiss. My hands had to touch every part of her body, but especially her thick gorgeous ass. I loved how the lace felt against my palms. We both smiled when we pulled back from our wild kiss. Just as it had with the gold, the red had smudged across her face. I found it incredibly hot for some reason that I couldn’t explain. Her sparkling eyes were naughty and amused. She was just as eager to mess it up further, letting me kiss her for as long as I could stand until it became too much. I lifted her up and placed her on the countertop, enthusiastically throwing her nightgown over my shoulder as she took off my shirt. I smiled to myself when I realized she was wearing the lingerie that I had picked out for her. It looked better than I could have ever imagined. Every part of her skin was luscious and soft. I needed to kiss every inch of her chest. She was so vocal about her pleasure, holding me to the places that she liked my attention the most. I fell to my knees in front of her, excited to worship her. She spread her legs open, allowing me to taste her dripping wet panties. Her fingers twisted into my hair, obviously enjoying my efforts. "Damn, damn... damnnnn...." She cried out as her whole body reacted. I could feel her thighs stiffen around my face, her heels dug deep into my back. And that was through her clothes. I knew it would only get better with my fingers. When I did, she cried out over and over again, just for me. I stood to kiss her delicious lips, pulling her bra away as she tugged off my slacks. When they were gone, she wrapped her legs around me. Her mouth was pressing hot kisses along my neck before she began to nip at my shoulder. Bella slid down from the vanity and took my hand as she led me over to the bed. She very purposefully bent over to fix the blankets, pressing her plush ass against me. She looked so good like that, the shape of her bum perfect. I moaned to myself as I tugged her back against me hard. “I want to fuck you like this. I want to fuck you from behind,” I whispered in her ear as I held her against me. I saw her slight smile as she hooked her thumbs around the panties and pushed them to the floor. Then she crawled onto the bed for me on her hands and knees. I honestly couldn't get the condom on fast enough. She was visibly wet, waiting for me to take her. I wasn't going to go slow, though. It wasn't going to take long for both of us to cum. As soon as I slid into her, she cried out loudly. Her body pushed back roughly to meet me as she shoved her face into the blankets to muffle her moans. Her beautiful hair bounced around her, blocking her face. I pulled it back roughly so that I could see her orgasm as it ripped through her, tinting her skin red. It was too much, the perfect sensation and gorgeous views bringing on my own. Bella sort of slid down onto her stomach, crawling up, so just her feet were dangling off the edge of the bed. I chuckled to myself, knowing exactly how she felt. After getting cleaned up, I slid in beside her and gave her a soft, slow kiss on her now completely bare lips. Her once lovely eye makeup was now smeared all over her cheeks and forehead, the red of her lipstick dotting her neck and jaw. It was hilarious and awesome, and I wished I could take another picture, but I knew she wouldn't let me. “Well, your makeup looks wild now.” “That's because half of it's on your bed,” she answered as she rolled over a little to show me where her face had been shoved into the sheets. On it was almost the complete mask of her makeup. “Well... shit,” I said in a laugh that I couldn’t help. “Whoops.” I would have told her that I was sorry, but I wasn’t. Not one bit. “I'll wash the sheets tomorrow.” She smirked a little as we readjusted in the bed so that we were laying the right way. Bella put her head on my chest, getting more comfortable beside me. I was almost about to drift off to sleep when I remembered something. I was going to make the same mistake again and forget to tell her what I needed to do the following day. I also had to set my alarm. "I have to go to the studio tomorrow. I have to do some voiceover work for a commercial. Will you be okay by yourself again? I feel bad, but I can't get out of it." “No, it's perfect. I need to finish up your pictures, so I can send them. I'm almost done but, there is always more I can do. What time do you have to go? I'll make you breakfast before,” she answered sweetly, glancing up at me with such adoring eyes. I loved that they were for me. But I wasn’t going to make her do that. That’s not why I wanted her there, even if I already loved her food. "Noon. But you don't have to do that. I love your cooking, but I feel bad making you cook for me all the time," I informed her as I tugged her even closer to me. Her leg slid between mine. "Don't. I love cooking for my friends. And a way to a man's heart and all that," Bella giggled as she ran her finger along my pec, just over my tattoo and thumping heart. "Besides, you're still in the super grateful stage, and it's my favorite part. I was thinking breakfast tacos." “Yes, I would be very grateful for breakfast tacos.” I nodded, making her smile. “The way to a man's heart is definitely tacos.” I fucking loved them in all of their forms. It was one of man’s perfect foods. I could eat them daily. “You know, there is this myth that the most proposed over a meal is roasted chicken and somehow not tacos,” she stated in a jokingly serious tone, her chin coming to rest on my shoulder. What an odd fact to know. “How would they know that? If it's true, why chicken? Is it just roasted chicken or does fried chicken count? Or is that too greasy?” She hummed for a minute, pretending to think. “A roast chicken takes a lot of work and often comes out bland and dry if you don't know what you're doing. I guess it shows a certain level of skill in the kitchen. Wife material. But is it the same if you go to a restaurant? Then someone else is doing the work but does it provide the same desired effect? A placebo, if you will.” Bella was a natural comedian. I wasn’t even sure she knew how funny she actually was. I swallowed down my smirk. “These are the hard questions that need to be asked,” I tried to say seriously, making her scoff and laugh. “I don't think I'd want to propose over food. What if they had garlic or onions? What if they had chicken in their teeth? It's not very romantic or original.” “Most proposals aren't very romantic, I don't think. Or, original. But I'd rather get engaged over a meal than over a pregnancy test any day of the week,” she replied with a little roll of her eyes. My brain decided it was time to make a bad joke. The conversation was getting a little serious, and I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. I wanted it to go away. “Wait... You don't have kids, do you?” She pursed her lips to one side as her eyes got wide then narrowed on me. Then Bella whacked my stomach playfully, making me laugh. It wasn't hard, but it had a little smack to it. "Sorry! I'm joking. I'm joking.” “No. I just thought I was pregnant, and I had a panic attack. Aiden brought me a couple of tests and handed them to me and said, 'it doesn't really matter. We were going to get married anyway.' And it was negative, of course. It was actually food poisoning, not morning sickness, but somehow we were engaged. We got married a few months later. I was only nineteen,” she explained to me softly. “That is the most simplified version of the story, to say the least. I guess it was romantic that he already knew what he wanted. I don't know.” What ass doesn’t make his proposal to this gorgeous woman special? Why wasn’t he on his hands and knees begging for the honor? I knew in a heartbeat that I would. Bella was worth it. She was worth the pomp and circumstance. The flowers, balloons, champagne, music. Whatever it took. She was worth a New Years’ level firework display and whole Macy’s day parade worth of marching bands. At the very least, more than plastic bag wrapped pregnancy tests. I could almost see it: two in the morning as she sat beside the toilet, green from illness. “You deserved something more special than that.” “I was so young. I was just happy someone wanted me at all, let alone wanted to keep me. He did get me a ring after that. Gave it to me on the first night of Hanukkah.” She quickly covered herself. “I'll take a shitty proposal and a good marriage over a good proposal and a shitty marriage.” “It's possible to have both.” I could give her both. I would. I would do anything to keep her happy. Her smile was worth the effort alone. “It's also possible we make ourselves unhappy by having too many expectations for ourselves and others. You might not know that yet, since you’re young and you’ve reached for the moon and literally made it to Jupiter right off the bat. It's not that you haven't worked for it either. You're just lucky enough not to have that life experience yet. I'm insanely jealous,” she said quickly before stopping, her face becoming warm with slight embarrassment. I rubbed her back soothingly as I considered my answer. "You're right about expectations. It's an obvious thing. I know we can't have it all, but it doesn't stop me from wanting it," I finally replied. Bella shifted so she could look at me. “Well, in your case you could have it all. So, why listen to me?” I swiftly shook my head. “Don't discount yourself or your thoughts and feelings. They're valid.” “In another life, you would make for a good therapist,” she breathed as we looked into each other’s eyes. My world sort of melted away around her. “Did it ever get that serious with anyone for you?” I guess I should have expected that question. It seemed fair. “Um... Not really. Yes and no. I was going to propose to the girl I had been dating before I moved here. I thought that she'd move with me to LA and I'd ask her to marry me on our fourth anniversary in June. Victoria didn't want to move, though. She didn't want to leave Sydney or her friends. Or, her job. She is an interior designer. I understand, I guess. I just wish she told me right away, instead of at the last minute. Letting me plan everything as I did. But, to be honest, I think Vicky was ready to be rid of me,” I babbled on nervously. “Why do you think that?” “I don't know. A feeling. She thought I was an immature ass most of the time. She started dating someone pretty soon after, too. I don't think she was cheating, per se, but I think she was thinking about it really hard. I wish her all the best. I hope the next asshole likes her weird tastes in furniture and burnt toast.” I frowned at all the time I wasted on trying to please someone who didn’t really like who I was, but the idea of what I could be. Someone I could never be. Bella liked me for me, though, the version that I was right then. Imperfect and as immature as I was. She was happy to be there in my arms, playful and opening herself up to me. “Well, her loss,” she purred before kissing my tattoo. "I think it worked out for the best.” I grinned, brushing her hair away from her cheek. She smiled in return. “Me too,” she giggled before pressing another quick kiss to my lips. “I’m going to get washed up. Then are you ready for bed?” “Mm, sounds perfect.” I smirked to myself as I watched her nice round ass sway its way into the bathroom. When she came back, her face was clean with her hair brushed straight again. She had also put her pretty little nightgown back on. This time I opened my arms to her, and she crawled into them with a giggle and a kiss. Bella was my exact little spoon, fitting against my body as if she was designed to be there. Wrapped in her scent and curled around her soft warmth, I quickly fell asleep.  Episode Sixteen: OverboardThree hours later, I walked out of the offices a much richer man. My hands were shaking when I got into the car. It was just after two in the afternoon. I called the first person I could think of. "Hello? Tony?" Jasper answered his cell phone quickly. It was pretty early in the morning there, but he was probably at work. He worked at a local news station in Sydney. “Hi,” I breathed out, my voice quivering. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” "Um… I sold my movie," I said in a bit of hysterical laughter, tears beginning to form in my eyes. "I… I just sold my script to Disney, and they want me to be the star." “FUCK YES!” He shouted and laughed. I could tell he actually jumped up and down for me. “HELL YEAH! Yes, you fucking sold a script to Disney, you talented bastard! I am so fucking proud of you!” I laughed at his reaction. “This is… This is everything I ever wanted. This is everything that I’ve ever dreamed about. Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!” I began to freak out as it fully set in what was happening. “I AM GOING TO BE SO FUCKING RICH! HAHA! I’ll be able to do whatever the fuck I want after this. I could retire and just spend the rest of my life surfing and making dumb shit videos for fun!” “So, what are you going to do, huh? How are you going to celebrate? Have you told your new girlfriend yet?” "No," I laughed, smiling as I leaned my head back against the headrest. "No, you're the first person I called. She went out shopping. I don't know what we'll do. She said she was going to make dinner tonight, but maybe I'll take her out instead. Oh, goddamn! I am so fucking happy right now," I told him as I wiped the tears away from my eyes. “I can imagine!” He chuckled. “It’s been a good week for you.” “It’s been the best damn week of my life. It feels… It feels like the universe just went ‘here’s everything you could ever want in this life! Enjoy!’ Just all at once,” I laughed once more, too giddy for words to fully express. “So, which is the best part? The girl or the money?” He teasingly asked. "The girl," I said without hesitation. "Man, I would go get her an engagement ring right now and ask her to spend the rest of our lives together if I thought she'd say yes. It would just be the icing on the cake." He clicked his tongue. “Please don't, darling.” "She wouldn't say yes. She's more practical than that," I chuckled, taking in a deep breath. "Thankfully. One of us has to be, but I do want to buy her something." “Flowers?” He asked in curiosity. "Actually, I have a better idea. She was showing me this makeup catalog this morning at breakfast. She said she used to collect that kind of stuff but hasn't in a while. She said she wouldn't buy it for herself, but it was obvious that she liked it." “Oh, that’s perfect then,” he agreed. “Ladies do like their cosmetics. Sounds more interesting than flowers anyway. Longer lasting.” "I'm sure I'll get her some of those soon too. I know she likes to take pictures of flowers. She loved the ones at the zoo." “I am so glad things are going so well for you right now,” my best friend informed me warmly. “I wish you were here so we could all go out and celebrate together,” I remarked honestly. “You were the first person that I thought to call for this exact reason. Thank you… Thank you for being such a wonderful and supportive friend. I miss you. I miss you so goddamn much.” “Oh, darling,” he sighed. “I miss you, too. I do. I wish I were there too. You don’t know what that means to me when you say that.” "You could take my job offer," I advised him. "You could come here to LA, and we could make those dumb shit videos together for the rest of our lives." He sighed again. “I wouldn’t feel right about taking your money.” “I’d make you earn it,” I promised. He chuckled. “I doubt it. Look, I gotta get back to work. Go buy your old lady some face paint. I’m sure she’ll love it.” “Yeah. Hopefully. Alright, mate. Text me later. Have a good day, yeah?” “Yeah. Love you, darling. Congrats,” he added before hanging up on me. I chuckled again, taking a deep calming breath. The catalog was from a large makeup store. After some googling, I went to the nearest one. As soon as I walked in two saleswomen descended upon me eagerly. "Hi, how can we help you today?" One of them chirped. The other just nodded, standing beside her with a big black mesh shopping bag. I must have looked like a big ol' target. But that was fine, though. "Actually, you can. You see, I'd like to buy a gift for a woman. But she's not just any woman. I'm pretty sure she's the love of my life, and I have literally just had the best day of my career. So, I'd like to spoil her. I have a general idea of what I'd like to get her, but I'm sure I'm going to need some help picking it out." “What are you looking to get?” The other girl inquired. “Everything. Anything she could possibly need to feel pretty. She showed me a certain brand that she really liked. Something… Face.” “Too faced?” The first questioned. “That’s the one!” “So, you want to get her everything for a full face of makeup? Do you know what shade of foundation she’d want?” One of them wondered, looking at the other. “Um…” I drew out and smiled awkwardly. “I have a few pictures of her if that helps?” “We can work with that,” the second girl answered as she took my phone to look at the pictures I had of Bella. I had taken loads, some when she hadn’t realized. Off while she was sitting by the pool, looking off into the sunset or cooking in the kitchen while I watched. “Oh, she’s pretty! Look,” she showed the other girl. “Just Too Faced?” “I know she’s interested in that brand for sure, but it doesn’t just have to be that one, I suppose. She did mention that she loved the ones that smell like food.” "Oh, I know what she wants." She started walking towards a section to one side of the store. She showed me a Christmas display. I picked up one of everything on it. The girl with the bag passed it to me. "There is even more over here if you want to get her something else." "How about this? You two pick out everything you would buy if money were literally no object. As I said, I had the best day of my career, and this woman deserves the world." "Seriously?" The first saleswoman asked after a surprised pause. “Absolutely.” "If you're really interested in doing that, may I suggest signing up for a credit card? You get points for your purchases, and you get twenty percent off your entire first purchase." “Sounds perfect. Hook me up.” “Does she like colors, or is she into nudes?” One of the girls questioned with an excited smile. “She’s all about the rainbows,” I grinned. “Oo…” They looked eagerly at the other. “I know exactly what we should get her. So, like I’m going to pick out all the absolute fan favorites and-” she went on and on. I was happy to let her go. They both looked like they were having fun. They asked every time they picked out something, but they quickly learned that I wasn't going to say no to any of it. I knew I was spending thousands, and I didn't care at all. It was merely a drop in the bucket now. And I knew in my heart that Bella wouldn't buy herself anything this nice and I wanted her to have beautiful things. I also wanted her to wear it all for me. Besides, if she was going to be my girlfriend, eventually she was going to join me on a red carpet. I hoped anyway. Just as I finished up at the store, I received a text from Bella. “I forgot to get your key code.” I smiled to myself. At least I knew she was going to be home soon too. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you. It's 10051985." “That's my birthday?” “Your birthday is May 10th, 1985?” That was one of my sister’s birthday. I was a little surprised. “No, October 5th, 1985.” She answered back right away. It was only a couple of weeks after my mother’s. I had sent her, along with Sasha, a print of her work. I was a little sad to have missed her birthday since it was so recent, but at least I had an excellent present to make up for it. “Oh, that's right. It's backward here. It's one of my sister's birthdays. One of the middle ones. Sasha. I figured my birthday was too obvious, so I always use one of my sister's birthdays instead.” “It's going to be easy for me to remember,” Bella replied. I would have been home much sooner if traffic wasn't such a bitch. I was stuck behind a wreck for an hour almost. When I pulled into the garage, my window was rolled down, and I could smell something delicious wafting through the air. It was the aroma of steak. Suddenly as the scent hit me, I became overwhelmed. It smelled good because a woman I cared about and cared about me, was cooking for me. Without having to be asked or paid. She wanted to. This was her way of spoiling me, and I wasn't even sure she knew she was doing it. At that moment, I knew that's what I wanted to come home to every night. To my exquisite Bella. Knowing that I would be able to share the day with her made it a million times better. I wanted to cry again. Before I went in, I decided to make a quick diary enter. "It is October twenty-five, 2018. It's mid-afternoon and-" I stopped, smiling too much as I sniffled. "Fuck, I am so goddamn happy. I feel like I'm getting things that I didn't even ask for. All I ever wanted was to be in a Disney movie, and I got that today, and it's even one that I wrote. And the best part is that there is a beautiful woman in there who I can't wait to share this with." I laughed, leaning my head back. "Fuck! I did it. How? How did I get so fucking lucky?” I took several deep breaths. “Okay. Fuck. Okay. Ha. Let’s go surprise our sweet Bella. Hopefully, she likes her belated birthday gift.” Bella was sitting on the couch with earbuds in and was quickly typing away. I placed the orange bag of goodies behind the sofa to give to her later. Quietly, I put my arms around her before pressing my lips to her temple. She jumped in surprise before melting against me. “You're home early. Is that good or bad?” She asked gently as she smoothed her palm over my forearm. “Very good.” I couldn’t help my wild smile as I pushed her hair away from her eyes so I could kiss more of her delightfully soft skin. "Let me just finish sending these pictures to Al, and you can tell me all about it," she told me just before kissing my fingertips that she brought to her lips. I knew exactly what we needed. Champagne. "Don't rush. It smells so good in here," I complimented her skills. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I knew I was going to love every bite. “I hope you like it. It's roast beef. It won't be done for a while, though. I wasn't expecting you yet.” "That's okay. I haven't had a roast in ages. Sounds perfect," I commented as I found the wine glasses. I didn't have champagne flutes, but these would certainly do. I made quick work of the cork as she finished whatever task she was doing. Bella turned when she heard me open the bottle, a small smile spreading on her lips. She closed her laptop. “It was a really good meeting.” I passed her a glass. I took a deep breath. “I just sold a script to Disney. They're going to make my full-length animated movie and not only will I have part of the creative control, but I will also be doing the lead character. I'll get a huge cut of everything. The movie. The toys. Future movies and shows. The clothes. Everything.” Bella's face instantly lit up and her eyes got huge as she threw herself at me. “What?! Why didn't you tell me that's what you were going to do?! This is so big! Oh, my god! How exciting, Edward!” "I didn't know!" I laughed at her pure joy. It was precisely how I felt. "I gave it to them on a fluke a couple of months ago when they first did my contract. I was just supposed to work on a brainstorming session for a television show for the Disney Channel today, but they wanted to talk to me about this instead. They kind of blindsided me. They loved it, though! They're talking about a 2022 release day. It's so soon! We've already got some tentative paperwork in place. I just need to let Zafrina and my lawyer look over the contract." Then she kissed me, breathtaking and deep. She poured all of the passion she had into it. I didn’t know how she had so much in her tiny body. “I'm so happy for you!” She gushed. Before we made a giant mess, I took the glass from her and placed them both on the side table. Then I grabbed her face and showed her all of my passion. She laughed as we fell back onto the cushions, her fingers in my hair as she held our kiss. Wrapping her legs around me, she pulled me as close as she could to her body. "I am literally euphoric," I told her honestly, letting out a nervous laugh. Tears pricked at my nose, and I took in a deep breath in an effort to hold them in. I couldn't though, so I hid my face in her neck. She let me, her fingers gently soothing me. "I'm so glad you're here so I can share it with you." "You're such a darling," she breathed as she kissed my forehead lightly. She used Jasper's pet name for me unknowingly, and I don't think she knew how special it actually made me feel. "What do you want to do to celebrate?" “This. Exactly this,” I said as I rolled beside her so as not to crush her. She immediately brought her head to my chest, her hand going to hold mine as it laid on my stomach. I couldn’t stop my tears. “I'm so overwhelmed right now.” "I can only imagine. But you are going to be so amazing! You are so talented and funny. It's going to be great," she praised me so sincerely, her glowing eyes looking into mine. I leaned my forehead against hers before nodding and taking another breath. I needed to calm down before I openly sobbed in front of her and couldn't stop. I don’t think she would have judged me for it, but it’s not something I wanted to do either way. “We shouldn't forget about our champagne,” Bella finally suggested when I had calmed, a small smile still on her pretty lips. “Oh, right!” I laughed as I finally came to sit up. I had forgotten about them. Much like the night of the storm, Bella curled herself against my side with her glass in hand. She put her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her as tightly as I could. “How was your day?” I finally asked when my brain started to function again. “It was not nearly as exciting as yours. I just went to the mall. Got some food for tonight and tomorrow and started dinner. I made a mousse for dessert. I talked to Al and told her about you and Thanksgiving.” “I hope she likes me,” I replied honestly. I hoped all of her friends did. She had said that they all loved her late husband, and I could only aspire to live up to whatever standards he set. "Oh? Al? She is friends with every single person she meets. She is the most agreeable person on the planet. She's actually a therapist by training. And she's pretty great at it. She was the only one brave enough to be friends with me in first grade despite my grandma being the scary lunch lady and my big scary scar. Came up at recess on the second day of school I was there, told me that everyone else was scared of Mamaw, but she didn't care. She liked my big hair, weird eyes, cool scar, and let me copy her homework." Bella smiled a little wistfully at the memory. She had called her Al, but certainly, that wasn’t her name. “How does one become an Al? Alexandra? Alana?” “Mary Alice Brandon.” “That sounds very southern.” She tilted her head up to look at me. “She's Cajun, actually. Her twin sister is named Rosalie. I thought it was so awesome when my best friend came with a bonus best friend with the exact same face.” I laughed at her words. “I can see why that would make someone happy. Bonus besties. Are you all still close?” “Yeah. Rose and her husband live in New York, too. In Coney Island. They'll be at Thanksgiving. They're both lawyers. Rosalie is in family law and Emmett, her husband, is an immigration lawyer. They're really great. They're both so kind and generous. They both give a lot of pro bono work to CFA, the non-profit. Emmett was one of the first volunteers we had that wasn't a family member. It's how they met.” “What a wonderful way to meet someone. They sound like lovely people.” "They are. It's like having two sisters and a brother now. I'm so glad Ms. Lettie, their mom, took me in. She's always been so accepting. They've all been so good to me. I can't imagine having a better family." She was dejected for a moment. "Normally she'd be in town too for Thanksgiving, but she's going to spend it with her stepfamily in Texas. She feels really bad about it, but both Alice and Rosalie are relieved. She's a handful." She smiled again. "They're all going down there for Christmas for a couple of weeks, though." “Are you going to go with them?” I had no plans for Christmas and had already resigned myself to spending it alone. It would be the first that I wouldn’t be spending it with all of my sisters and nieces. Though I had plans to spoil them rotten, it wasn’t the same. Maybe I could spend Christmas with Bella instead. It was a delightful thought. “No.” She quickly shook her head. “Two weeks is too long for me to be in Texas. I made the excuse of work. I'm just going to send a gift. There was much guilt to be had.” Ah, what a perfect segway… “Oh, speaking of gifts,” I mumbled as I reached behind the couch to retrieve the bag. Her eyes got wide as I put it on her lap. “What did you do?” I smirked a little at her reaction. "I had a good day, so I wanted to spread the love. Happy belated birthday." Her mouth opened and closed again, looking between me and the bag for a minute. Then, as if it would bite her, she pulled it open to look in. Then she began to take out her bounty. “Oh, my god. What did you do?” She asked again. "I didn't know exactly what to get, but I remembered you said you liked this brand. So, I told them to get me basically one of everything. I showed them a couple of pictures, and they picked out the colors for the foundation and everything. So, if it's not right, we can return it. I also got to talking to them, and they told me about the 'fan favorites,' and I told them to just give me whatever a girl might need to put on their face. Which is apparently a shit load of things, " I explained with a big nervous grin. “Holy hell! How much did you spend?” She gasped. Like I was going to tell her that. "Um, I don't know. I signed up for their little club though, and they said I had already hit 'platinum' or ‘diamond' or… something and that you could get some good stuff from it. Free shipping, too. So, if you ever see anything else you need. I don't know if I missed anything," I explained casually. Her face was bright red. “I'll never need anything ever again! This is crazy!” She said in shock. “Why?” My tendency to go too far was obviously coming out in full force. It was probably a good thing Jasper told my dumbass not to buy a ring. I probably spent about as much on all the makeup. “Do you not like it?” “No. I love it. It's just too much,” she added quickly. Yeah, I had gone too far, but she was going to let me. I could already tell. I decided to play dumb. “We'll get you a box or something to keep it in. We will get you some more luggage.” “That's not what I mean,” she giggled as she rubbed her fingers across her cheeks and over her eyes. “I actually bought a suitcase today. I just... Eddie, are you sure? This is a lot.” “Why wouldn't I be sure about seeing you happy? Seeing you smile is worth every cent.” She swiftly shook her head, making her pretty curls bounce. "You have the biggest day of your career, and you buy me a gift, though? I should be buying you dinner or drinks." "And you have bought me dinner," I replied as I waved my hand towards the kitchen. "And, it seems like a perfect celebratory meal. Besides, like I said. It's for your birthday. I missed it by that much." I put my fingers very close together. I saw her nose wrinkle, and my smile grew. "I only missed it by a couple of weeks." “Thank you,” she breathed. “You are very welcome, my darling,” I assured her before I pressed my lips to her forehead for a long moment. “When I used to get new makeup, I would try it all out by doing swatches of all the colors on my arms. I have the strongest urge to basically paint my entire body funny colors,” she whispered in a silly voice, her eyes wide with surprise. I couldn’t help but laugh as I gazed at her. She was trying to make me, though. “I don't think you have enough real estate to do all the shades. You might have to do it a few times. Wash off and start fresh.” Oh yes, I would very much like to bathe with her again. “The bottom of your shower would be looking like someone murdered a clown,” she teased with a mischievous smile in an adorable thick accent.  Episode Fifteen: I want youWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)It was just after eight in the evening when we were finally alone again after our long day of shooting. Bella pressed her soft body against mine as her arms snaked around my waist. “How are you?” She asked curiously, looking up at me with her lovely mismatched eyes that made my heart skip a little beat. “Good. Happy. You?” “Same. Would you like to order some dinner tonight or is your stomach still upset?” She inquired teasingly. “I’ll be fine,” I mumbled, pouting a little bit. “As long as dinner isn’t spicy.” “That’s probably a good idea.” Bella wrinkled her nose a tiny bit and smiled. I pushed her hair behind her ear before pulling her into a quick kiss. Her fingers twisted into my hair, holding me in place. “Is there anything you need to do tonight?” She asked as she brushed her nose against mine. “Well, there is always editing I have to do,” I admitted. “But I think that can wait until later.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” I grinned down at her. “I don’t mind,” she said sweetly. “We can both edit some while we wait for dinner.” “You mean you wouldn’t prefer to share a bottle of wine and a smoke while we wait?” I asked in a seductive voice, leaning down to press kisses along her jaw. She moaned softly, tilting her head back to give me better access. “Okay, yeah. I think I would prefer that,” she giggled, her fingers curling around my shirt as she pulled herself closer to my body. “It probably says something about me, how effective that line is.” “Mm,” I chuckled. “I think it would be pretty effective on a lot of people. Me being one of them. You have used it on me, after all. Honestly, I could use weed and wine to get my best mate to do anything I wanted, too.” “Oh, my god. Mine too,” Bella giggled again, pulling away from me. “So, why don’t you think of a couple of places you’d like to eat and pick us out a bottle of wine? I’m going to get more comfortable.” “That’s a lovely idea,” I agreed. Following her to the spare bedroom, I swatted her ass as I left her to go get changed into my sleep pants myself and get the joints to share. I opened a bottle of chilled white wine, pouring us each a large glass. When Bella came out, she was dressed in a comfortable cotton nightgown. It hung loosely on her body, but it was easy to see that she had removed her bra. I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw her. “So, what do you think… Greek or Italian?” I offered her the glass that I had made for her. “Mm, Greek sounds delicious,” she hummed, taking a sip before offering me her hand. “Let’s sit outside. It’s a beautiful night.” Bella sat on my lap as we looked at the menu together, drinking and smoking snugly. I loved watching her smoke entirely too much, the way her lips kissed it into the air in long twisting curls. When dinner finally came, we ate at the table. She was so incredibly easy to talk to and always ready to give me a warm smile and a soft giggle. Speaking to her made me feel like all my stress was just melting away. “So, what shall we do now?” I asked, taking her hand across the table after we were done. She bit her lip before standing, tugging me to my feet as well before silently walking us towards my bedroom. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and pressed my lips to her neck. I spent several long minutes lavishing it with attention. “I want you,” she whispered quietly, her eyes sinking shut in pleasure as my lips moved over her ear. Bella’s fingers slid into my hair, holding me in place there. I loved it when she said those words. “Tell me what you want me to do.” I moved my hands from her stomach to her thighs. Slowly pulling the cottony black fabric up with my fingers, I bunched it in my fists. “Tell me what to do to make you feel good.” “Use your fingers,” Bella breathed, her cheek pressed against mine. Sliding one hand up with her gathered gown, I slipped the other down her thigh and in between her legs. She hummed quietly, leaning her head back against my chest as I gently massaged her through her thin panties. “You get so wet,” I said with a smile against her cheek, kissing it lightly. "Just being around you turns me on so much," she whispered as she brushed her nose against mine. "The way you feel and taste, how you touch and kiss me. Even the way you look at me." She gasped as I began to rub a little harder. Her words naturally spurred me on. I couldn't imagine her being as turned on by me as I was by her. But the way her body reacted, it was hard to deny. “Edward,” she moaned my name as she bucked against my hand. “Eddie, I’m going to fall. Maybe we should move to the bed,” Bella suggested in a breathless giggle. “I won’t let you, I promise.” I tightened my arm around her just as my other hand slipped into her now soaking underwear. “I have you.” “Oh,” she drew out, her thighs quivering as she easily came. I smiled like a maniac. The ability to do that to her boosted my ego a million percent. If I could do nothing else well in life, I wanted to be a master of this. I wanted to learn every single way to get her off and do them all to her a billion times over. “Fuck me,” she begged as her orgasm still twitched deep inside of her. “Oh, I want you to fuck me hard.” I yanked the gown over her head, finally turning her around so I could wildly kiss her mouth. My wet fingers slid to her ass underneath her panties, gripping her cheek roughly. She moaned against my mouth, working her underwear off her hips quickly. My shirt and trousers made it to the floor as I walked her back towards the bed. Lifting her up easily, I quickly pulled a condom from the box. Being inside of Bella was the best feeling that I had ever had. Warm, wet, tight. I felt complete, my heart frantically beating with excitement and fantastic pleasure. She moved and rocked with me, meeting my efforts with her own, doubling the sensation. When I opened my eyes, hers were looking up into mine, adoring and bright. Her kiss, sweet and tempting, brought me to my finish. “That is, without a doubt, the best way to end a perfect day.” She grinned up at me, her fingers smoothing over my jaw. “I couldn’t agree with you more.” Once again, my gorgeous girlfriend fell asleep in my arms, completely nude. I did as well, but I didn't stay that way. It was three in the morning when the rain started. Bella was resting on her side, curled close to me. I tried to relax but found that I couldn't. Since I didn't want to bother her, I found my underwear and grabbed my phone before heading into the office. It was probably a good thing that I had woken up, I had forgotten to set my alarm. I had been too distracted by wine, weed, and my woman. It was actually really nice. Several reminders were waiting for me. First and most important was my meeting with Disney the following day. I had forgotten all about it. It was just a brainstorming session with some of the directors for the Disney Channel. We were working on putting a show together. I had created several characters and written a few scripts already. I had actually gotten a lot of work done the day the electricity was off. I wasn't exactly worried, but I wasn't really looking forward to spending the whole day away from Bella. I wasn't sure how much time I was going to get with her, and I didn't want to waste a second. But there was no getting out of this. Since I was awake, I sent several work emails, including rescheduling the shoots I missed due to the rain. Then I quickly put together a rough cut of the wings video for Jasper to watch. I sent him that first, along with all the raw footage of the day. At five in the morning, I finally began to feel sleepy again. Bella was still asleep, curled up comfortably in the middle of my big bed. I carefully slid in beside her, brushing my fingers over her arm. Without waking up, she brought her hand to mine, twisting our fingers together. Lightly, I brought her knuckles up to my lips to kiss before adjusting the blanket around both of us. Once again, I found sleep. I woke up alone again, my alarm gently singing to me. The rain was still falling, but it was slow and relaxing. The bathroom was empty. I went towards the spare bedroom but realized that the door to my little gym was just barely cracked open and I could hear one of the machines going. Inside, I found Bella in a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra. She was covered in sweat as she moved at a decent speed on my elliptical. “Hello.” “Hi. I didn't wake you, did I?” She asked, not pausing as she looked at me. “No, I have to get up earlier today because I have a meeting to go to this afternoon.” “Exciting,” she panted. “It is. It's with Disney. It's supposed to run all day, though. I forgot to talk to you about it last night. I meant to. I got distracted.” I smiled to myself as I thought about why I had gotten distracted, leaning against the door frame as I did. All I wanted to do was spend the morning with her, alone. “What time is the meeting?” “Eleven to Five or Six.” She finally stopped, carefully stepping off the machine before moving towards me. I closed the distance, pulling her to me so that I could kiss her a good morning. Even her sweat tasted good when it was on her lips. "Let me shower, and I can make you some breakfast." I pulled back slightly to look at her. “Are you sure?” “Absolutely,” she said with a sweet smile before giving me another salty kiss. There was no way to describe how good Bella made me feel. She made me feel wanted and cared for. When I was with her, I felt more confident, and I wanted to do my best for her. My mask didn't feel so suffocating. It's as if she made me feel more comfortable in my own skin, so it fit better too. “I wish I could take you with me to my meeting today.” She ran her fingers over my cheek. “That's okay. You'll do amazing. And I'll go out and have some alone time.” “What will you do?” “I'll go do a little shopping. Go to the grocery store and pick up some more milk. Do you need to do anything tonight?” She questioned me lightly as her fingers moved over the now itchy tattoo. "Nope." I kissed the top of her head. I could always edit later when I was alone again. I would be spending enough time away from her, working. I nuzzled her still sweet-smelling hair. I wanted to breathe her in so deeply, even like this. Bella sighed in contentment. “I'll make us dinner tonight then.” “That sounds so lovely. Thank you,” I whispered before bringing her into another kiss. She held me close, allowing me to taste her until we were both breathless. “I need to work out, too. I need to head out in a couple of hours.” “Okay. I’m going to go ahead and shower then I’ll start us something to eat,” Bella replied as she drew away. I was grinning like a fool as I hurriedly changed into some workout clothes before I rushed through an intense routine. I had been ignoring exercise as much as possible over the past week, but I wanted to look as fit as possible for Bella. She was obviously very healthy herself, and I wanted to be able to keep up as best as possible. By the time I finished and cleaned up, Bella had a gorgeous meal ready for us. A colorful fruit salad, scrambled eggs topped with cheese, toast with strawberry jam, and fresh coffee to drink. “I'm going to be terribly spoiled to this cooking thing you're doing.” "You're so easily impressed," she responded with a roll of her eyes, her hips swaying as I followed her with the coffee pot and almost empty creamer. She set the plate with the larger amount of food in the spot where I usually sat before sitting down in her seat. "I don't think I've ever had anyone make breakfast for me that wasn't related to me or paid to. Well, maybe, Jasper. My mate. But not a woman, I mean," I admitted. Jasper was actually a pretty good cook if he ever got the time. He didn't do anything fancy, but he had mastered breakfasts. We had perhaps eaten too many pancakes for dinner in our time as roommates together. Bella had brought a stack of sales papers to the table to read while she was eating. “That's sad. What kind of relationships have you been in?” We had discussed her marriage more than we had any of my relationships. I had been in one long term adult relationship, but I had to be honest with her. “I've only had two girlfriends actually. One was in Secondary. Like a high school for you Americans. So you can imagine we weren't really waking up together all that often. Or, at all,” I laughed a little in embarrassment. “And the girl I was with the longest, didn't cook a damn thing ever. And, that was for the best. She'd seriously fuck up toast.” Vicky liked her toast burnt to a blackened crisp. I found it rather revolting that she wanted to basically eat charcoal. But to each their own. “Cooking is not that hard.” Bella shook her head. “How is it?” Well, it wasn’t like I could whip up a damn thing either. “So good. Thank you,” I said through a bite of food. She rolled her eyes a little again and smirked at me over her mug of coffee. She quietly ate her fruit for a little while, finishing her coffee and making another. Bella had a slight smile spread over her lips as she looked at the contents of the catalog, occasionally chewing on her bottom lip. I enjoyed watching her. “You look like a child wistfully looking at the Christmas toys catalog.” Blushing a little, she answered, “only a little bit. I love all this junk. It's stupid. I'm so sucked into the packaging and the colors. I used to collect makeup, back in the day. Both new stuff and old vintage compacts and lipsticks, stuff like that. After Aiden, I didn't feel like doing it anymore. I got very minimalist and gave a lot of my things away to friends and family. Now, looking at it, I wonder how I spent that much money on it. I still want it all,” she laughed a little, “but I won't get it. It's nice to imagine, though.” “Why not get a few things?” "I don't normally go out that much. I only wear makeup for professional reasons, and the basics cover that. What I have now is just fine. But there is this little part inside of me that goes 'oh, it's pink and purple with glitter and look, it has a cute little raspberry case.' And this kind likes to make their stuff smell like food so it might actually smell like raspberries," she replied thoughtfully as she showed me the page. I made a mental note of the brand name to look at for later. Surely none of it was all that expensive. It was just makeup. I figured I could probably pick her out a few things she would like. “So, what is that exactly? How does it smell like food?” I asked in curiosity. “Eyeshadow. They have this whole line that smells like chocolate because it's made with real cocoa powder. And now for Christmas, they have a gingerbread cookie and a sugar cookie scents eyeshadows. And lipsticks, too. One of my good friends used to be a makeup artist and used the chocolate one on me a few times. He had people sniff my eyelids all day,” she giggled. “Girl, don't she smell like a brownie,” Bella said in a funny accent that made me grin. “You have a bit of money now if you wanted to treat yourself,” I reminded her, pointing to the phone beside her. “I'm going to treat myself to paying off some bills. I should pay some bills today as a matter of fact. I have a few other adult things to do. Like I need to buy my ticket home.” The thought of her going home made me instantly sad. “I wish you didn't have to.” Bella’s eyes dimmed a little though she forced a smile. “Me too, but I have things I have to do. Promises I have to keep.” “Can I talk you into staying until a day or two after Halloween? It's my favorite holiday. Or, one of. Anyway, we could do something together. Maybe go out,” I started right away, thinking of any excuse to make her stay longer. She had told me a week, but I wanted more time than that. I needed it. I needed Bella. She gave a little sigh as she pulled up the calendar app on her phone. Bella pursed her lips, thinking to herself. I saw that she had several events marked it on it but not a lot in the following week. “Friday the second?” She inquired as she looked up at me. "Please? If you do, I'll buy your ticket, and you can save your gift card to come to see me whenever you want. Like… on my birthday," I stated hopefully after I finished my drink. Bella automatically began to make me another. “When is your birthday?” “The twenty-third of November.” “Oh…” She instantly looked a little disheartened. “That's the day after Thanksgiving. I've already made plans with my friends and that Saturday I'm doing a charity show at my friend's theater that he runs. The former makeup guy I was just mentioning, actually. It's for LGBTQ youth. I do it every year. I wish you could come to Thanksgiving and stay with me. You could meet all my friends.” Being covered in rainbows was not enough to convince me that Bella was perhaps bisexual, though it wouldn't have surprised me with her being such a free spirit. But doing an annual fundraiser for gay kids? I think Jasper was probably right. I decided I would let her tell me when she was ready. It didn't matter to me if she was or not. I adored her, and I would love that part of her as well. "Is that an invitation?" I seriously asked. "You've already said your Thanksgivings were out of this world. And, well… I believe you." I had yet to make any plans for my birthday. I had merely taken the week off and intended to try sleeping for most of it. In all likelihood, I would end up spending it editing. I liked the idea of going to New York much better. Without much hesitation, she remarked, “you know what? Yes, it is. I’d love it if you came to Thanksgiving.” I felt as if my face was going to split open I was smiling so hard. "Fantastic. I don't know what I'm working that week, but I'm taking the following week off. I'd like to spend it with you. If that's alright with you, of course." “That sounds really nice.”. “So, the second, then?” I asked just to make sure. She nodded, smiling back at me just as happy as I felt. “Oh, brilliant. Thank you. I'll work out the ticket for you today. What time do you want to fly? Afternoon? Not too early?” Though I didn’t want her to leave, I was eager to keep my promise and give her the nicest flight possible. I could easily have Zafrina arrange that with a simple text message. “Sounds good,” she breathed, her eyes glancing up to mine as she brought her thumb to her mouth for just a moment subconsciously. “Alright. Yes. Perfect. Okay.” I quickly stood, finally remember that I needed to work that day. “I need to go. I don't want to be late. Do you need anything before I leave?” “No, I'm good,” she assured me with a small smile. “I'm going to wash up and go out, too.” “Okay.” I brought my hand to her silky hair as I pressed my lips to hers. They tasted amazing, like fruit candy. “Mm, you have sugar on your lips.” I kissed her again and again until she dissolved into giggles beneath my touch. “Have a good day.” “Good luck at your meeting.” "Oh, I won't need luck. It's just a brainstorming session, and I am prepared," I answered with more confidence than I actually felt. Once again, as she gazed at me, I felt as if she saw through my mask. "Text me if you need anything. I'll have my phone on me all day," I promised. The entire drive to the Disney offices I talked myself up in my head. An assistant was waiting for me as soon as I stepped into the building. “Hi! Mr. Cullen. I’m sorry, but there has been a slight change of plans for today.” I immediately got excited that I could maybe just turn around and go home before Bella went out for the day. Or perhaps I could meet her wherever she was going. “Well, we can always reschedule,” I reassured her with a charming smile. “Actually, Mr. Howard was hoping to speak with you.” Mr. Charles Howard was one of the executives over the animated movie department. He was a big deal. I hadn't spoken to him before, and I wasn't even sure how he even knew my name. I was just some small-time writer and voice actor in their television department. “Okay,” I answered slowly, my nerves increasing a thousandfold. I followed the young woman to Mr. Howard’s office. She knocked once before pushing it open, briskly walking inside with me following behind. An older man in his fifties was sitting behind the desk, his shiny bald head reflecting the early afternoon light. Two other gentlemen were also in the office. “Hello!” He said cheerfully, coming to stand so that he could shake my hand. “Hello, Mr. Howard. May I ask, what do I owe the pleasure today?” I inquired, putting on my business mask. I had a feeling that it was time to become Edward again. Then I saw something familiar on his desk. It took all my will to stay calm and not start dancing and crying like a teenage girl at a concert. There was a currently nameless movie script that I had written and given to the director of the television show that I had been working on sitting squarely in the middle of his clean desk. I had told the director about it, and he said he was interested in reading it. He was in the movies as well, so I figured it wasn't a terrible idea. He could at least give me good advice. I had given it to him months before but never expected this. “Well, Mr. Cullen-” He began. “Call me Edward.” I beamed. “Please.” Mr. Howard grinned. "Edward, I had something exciting come across my desk very recently. Do you know what that is?" He asked, motioning for me to take a seat across from him. "Mm, why don't you tell me?" I flicked my eyes down at the desktop. "I have a wild imagination, and we could be here all day." He laughed at my cheesiness and oozing charm. "Oh, just Disney's next blockbusting, record-breaking, billion-dollar property," he answered as he sat. He picked up my script. "I want this movie made, and we've already got a lead star in mind, Edward." “Seriously?” I questioned excitedly. “Who?” "You, young man. I've been paying attention to your work since I read this thing. I'm very impressed. All of my friends who have worked with you are equally impressed. I've been making calls. I keep hearing the same thing: you're the next big headliner, and I think they're right, Edward. Now, how would you like that? How would you like to be Disney's next star?" A million things rushed through my brain at once. I was overwhelmed with excitement, but I knew I couldn't let it show. I was literally bursting at the seams. "Well, of course, I'd have to take a look at your offer with my manager and my lawyers, but it is certainly something I'd be interested in. But there is something I'd like to make clear…" “What’s that?” He asked, curiously. "I'd like to have as much creative control as possible. I worked on this script for a year. It's very personal to me, and I want it to be the best version of itself as possible," I informed him firmly. “That is certainly something we both want,” Mr. Howard replied as he nodded his head. “Why don’t you go ahead and call your manager up here? Maybe we can work out some basic contracts today.”  Episode Fourteen: Man CardIt was gorgeous and sunny when I woke up. Bella was pressed against my side with her leg hitched over my hip. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw how she clung to me. It was as if she couldn’t get close enough to me either. I brought my arm around her tightly. “Good morning, handsome,” she purred as she stretched her thin arms over her head before pressing herself more to my body. “Good morning, lovely,” I replied with a smile, smoothing my fingers over her scarred cheek. “You’re so beautiful.” “Thank you.” She blushed, pushing her face into my chest. “What do you have to do today?” “Shooting out with the boys. All day, I’m afraid. Some food places and this evening I’m getting a guided tour around the old Los Angeles zoo. It’s for Halloween. It’s supposed to be very haunted if you believe in that sort of thing.” “Mm, I really don’t, but that sounds like a lot of fun. I love going through abandoned buildings,” she told me with a sly little smile. “There is an abandoned fort in New York that Alice and I love to go hiking through. If you’re into the haunted stuff, there are tons of great places you could film there.” “Really? I’ll have to look into that,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t really into it, but Seth was. He had the idea for the zoo video for Halloween. It would be something that I would have to see if he was interested in doing. I wasn’t against exploring abandoned places though, even if I didn’t believe in the ghost stories. Bella laid so that her bare chest was pressed against mine, her chin resting on my pec as she gazed up at me. “I’ll take you to the fort if you ever come to visit me. It’s on a beautiful beach, and you can hike to this high lookout that overlooks the ocean. And you can see all the way to Coney Island and Manhattan. It’s also a fun makeout spot.” “Oh, I look forward to visiting you very soon,” I grinned teasingly. “I’ll bring that list of things I want you to teach me to cook.” “Mm, please do,” she returned happily in a giggle. “Would you like to take another shower with me?” I hopefully asked. “Sure. Just let me run to the bathroom first,” she responded, pushing herself up with her arms. Bella leaned down to press a quick kiss to my lips before prancing off to the ladies. I smiled to myself. I checked my phone. In the group chat, Seth had asked if we were still on for the day. I answered back quickly, affirmatively, and that I would see them at the scheduled time. I also put a reminder on my phone to send the canceled places emails about picking a new time. I also sent a group message to all my sisters at once. “I’m fine. I lost about four pints of good ice cream, though. I’m very sad about it.” “Two days and she’s the one. Really, Tony?” Jasper had replied to my text. “I’ve known her since the fourteenth. So, more than two days. Just… two days as a couple.” After Bella finished, it was my turn. When I got out, she was arranging the clothes she wanted to wear out on my bed. I put my arms around her from behind and lightly kissed her shoulder. “Do you want to come along today?” I asked softly. “Of course.” She turned in my arms. “I’m ready when you are.” I happily pulled her along to my shower, where we kissed under the steamy water. Our hands slipped easily over soapy bodies. She dressed promptly before applying a thin layer of makeup. We somehow were doing fine on time, so she offered to make us coffee while we waited for the boys. I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down. The creamer was fine, but we were going to need more soon. Bella moved around the kitchen like a dancer as I watched from my stool by the island. “You should see if you can do a video on the Museum of Death,” she suddenly suggested. “Get a little tour.” “That is a good idea.” I pulled out my phone to make a note of that as well as looking into the places she was talking about in New York. NYC could be a whole gold mine of new material to explore. “I wish we could do it before Halloween.” She shrugged a little. “That kind of stuff is popular all the time. You can always do it for next Halloween, too.” “That’s true,” I agreed. Seth had undoubtedly brought it up before. As if they knew I was thinking about them, they knocked before allowing themselves in. “Well, look who's still here!” Tyler exclaimed cheerfully as he put down his equipment. His smile was huge. Grinning in return, Bella bit her bottom lip a little as her cheeks lightly flushed. “Yeah, they canceled my flight because of the weather. But it works out. I'm going to take a little vacation.” I realized then that we hadn’t discussed whether or not we were going to be public about our relationship. Happily, I would shout my feelings from the rooftops, but I would allow Bella to take the lead on that. “Nice.” Seth high fived her as he walked into the kitchen for some of her delicious coffee. “So, is Eddie letting you crash here since you're practically one of us now?” “One of us. One of us,” Tyler chimed in sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at them. “Yes, of course, she's staying here. She is welcome to stay as long as she pleases,” I replied as I gave Tyler my keys. Someone else always drove in the mornings. He was probably the best driver of us all. Seth flicked his eyes over to me, taking my appearance in with curiosity. “So, is he putting you to work? Are you joining our little crew?” Bella wasn’t going to give them any more of the extra information that they were so subtly digging for. “How is this work? It's so much fun. I'm going to take pictures. But for me.” “And, of course, you can be in the videos, if you want,” I added in a yawn. “I hope you'll be. If you want to be... It'll be more fun if you are. The ones I've posted with you in it have done very well so far, too.” They were doing amazingly well from what I had checked briefly before bed. I was excited to sit down and look at those numbers when I had more time. I was a nerd. I shouldn’t have been surprised how well Bella did in the cake video. Her quick little fingers made easy work of frosted roses and neat piping that the pastry chef kept praising. I obviously tested the chef’s patience, though. She smacked me like a naughty child more than once on the top of the hand lightly. Every time I would look into the camera and try not to laugh. Watching Bella eat cake was the best part, though. More than once we fed it to each other, the other moaning about how delicious something was and how they had to try it. I wanted to kiss the chocolate away from her lips but knew I would have to be patient. I was honestly a little nervous about the next food shoot. We had done spicy challenges before, but nothing where I would have to sign a waiver. Bella agreed to join us with a roll of her eyes, signing her name as if it was nothing. Then I thought back to the pizza place and all that red pepper she covered it with. I knew we were chatting back and forth, my mouth happy to take over while I worried about making a fool of myself in front of my new girlfriend and my jackass friends, but I wasn’t paying real attention to it. The smell of heat seared my nose and made my eyes water as soon as they placed the wings down in front of us. I hated it so much. “So, here is the challenge. You have twenty minutes to eat all ten wings without any ranch or blue cheese. If you do, you get your picture on the wall and a t-shirt. Also, you can't throw up before we take your picture,” the chef explained to Bella, Seth, and me as we sat at the gingham cloth-covered table. Throwing up was something that happened so regularly that it had to be mentioned. Great. I was going to puke in front of Bella. I just knew it. “Antacids for everyone,” I complained. The first wing was spicy in a way that I actually liked. Just a little burn. But I knew that if the first ones were a good burn, it wouldn’t be too long until we got to the bad kind. Seth was handling it easily enough as well. He probably liked his food a little hotter than me. I glanced over to see how Bella was doing. She decided to start with ten and work backward. She had already finished it and was sucking the sauce from her tiny fingers. “Oh, goddammit!” I blurted out. “That’s not fair.” “What?” Seth leaned over to see what I was complaining about and opened his mouth in a wide O before gasping, “but, why?” “I liked it. It made my lips feel weird.” Unbothered, she picked up the next wing and took a large bite of the chicken. I looked back at Seth and then to Tyler. She ate it almost daintily before taking a tiny sip of her glass of milk. I’m not sure what was wrong with either of us, but both Seth and I, unable to control our broken male brains, tried to rush through the rest of the spiciest things I have ever put in my mouth. All because this itty bitty woman could apparently eat straight molten lava. We were making total asses of ourselves while she snacked like she was at a normal luncheon. She barely touched her milk. Bella finished before us even with our rushing. Probably because she didn’t have to stop every ten seconds to catch her breath. I wanted to die. I hated it. I hated myself for doing it. I hated myself even more because I knew it was going to be an amazing video, and I was going to do this dumb shit to myself again. My head was buzzing, and I was probably actually weirdly higher than any time I had smoked weed. My nose and eyes angrily dripped as I slowly boiled my brain from the inside because of the stupid wings. Seth was a bitch and quit before I did, though. Which was all that mattered. As long as I didn’t give in first. What I didn’t expect was for Bella to reach over for his leftovers. “That's not okay!” I objected as I reached for my milk before I greedily gulped it down. It was not enough to help. Bella smiled into the camera as she shook her head. “Gringo,” she teased us. “Do you use any of these sauces to make sandwiches?” She went on, proving that she was easily one hundred percent cooler than both of us and far more collected. She continued chatting with the chef, but I wasn’t really listening. I was just quietly dying. Or, rather, I thought I was. My brain was literally screaming ‘what the fuck is wrong with you’ over and over again. It made the pain of the tattoo seem mild and passing. Then I tried the tenth chicken wing. “No. No... no. No. Nono.” The words just came out. They kind of echoed in my ears. I automatically grabbed for my milk, drinking it as quickly as I could. I have never regretted putting something in my mouth more in my life. Blood rushed through my ears as I stood, making me dizzy. So woozy, in fact, that I rapidly sat back down too hard. “So, the spiciest is it like... ghost pepper? Or, is it a reaper?” Bella asked casually as she smeared her finger over the sauce left on my plate to taste. “It feels like both so I don't know.” “Very good! It’s a mix of both!” The chef practically cheered for her. This is where that time in a kitchen came in handy. Her taste buds were more attuned than mine. To me, it felt like I licked a lit grill. It was really everything I could do to keep the food in my stomach. Getting up again, I began to pace. “Ten out of ten would eat again with some ranch maybe next time,” she said dryly as she went for my last wing. “I’m a fucking idiot,” I muttered to myself as tears dripped from my eyes as I hugged my legs. “I deserve this. Who does this to themselves?” “It's really delicious,” she reiterated genuinely to the chef. I wanted to punch myself in the face. “How?” I snapped at her, in serious pain. Bella was smirking as she passed me a tissue and pointed at my face. Of course, I knew there was snot coming from my nose. There was nothing I could really do about it. No mere napkin would fix this problem. My insides were melting and leaking out. “Some people just... can?” She shrugged. Then she took another little sip of her drink as if to drive home the point that both Seth and I were big old pansies. “Dammit, it hurts,” I moaned. My chest was on fire. “Baby, it's too early in the day to be dying over some chicken wings,” she told me in her thickest, sweetest southern drawl. “Why do I do these things to myself? What is wrong with me?” “Because it's funny as fuck to watch us suffer?” Seth offered sarcastically as he shoved another one of his lactose pills in his mouth. At least he was going to be miserable longer than I was. I tried to stand up, but my stomach actually pulled me down. Swallowing back the bile in my throat, I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes. “And if you want to see Seth, Tyler, and I suffer some more like this, remember to like, subscribe, and fucking whatever else you have to do. Goddamn… Dude, she destroyed us. What the fuck...” “I think I might have lost my man card today,” he laughed, making Bella smile. “Yeah, I think I might have lost mine as well. Goddammit.” “Don't worry, honey. I got it in my purse. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a picture to take for a wall,” my brand new girlfriend concluded mockingly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder prettily. She pressed her lips to my cheek, her hand patting my stomach lightly before she went off to take her photo with the chef. Tyler and Seth both laughed at my expression. With his camera in hand, Tyler went to follow her. “She owned you,” he whispered. “Yeah, I know,” I whined, slapping my chest. He handed me a roll of Tums from his pocket. He was more prepared for the day than I was. “Thanks.” “You really should hire her for the channel,” Seth chimed in. “Yeah, working on it.” I sat down beside him in the chair. I drank another half glass of milk. At the zoo, the elderly woman that was the tour guide was happy to chat with Bella about something entirely gruesome. Seth instantly got excited about it, his eyes getting big when he realized that he knew what they were talking about. Of all the things they could have been discussing they were talking about a dead girl in a water tank. Bella easily took over the conversation. I could actually see Seth bouncing in place because he was so enjoying her seemingly dark knowledge. She appeared to be interested in true crime. I hadn’t realized. “How do you know so much about this?” I questioned her. My mother shielded us from anything of the sort growing up, but it’s not like it was something you learned about in school. “I've read three true-crime books just this week. I've probably read all of them at the New York Public Library. I borrow them on audiobook and listen to them while I edit. And I’ve been listening to murder podcasts for ages, too.” she explained, her eyes darting down to the ground almost in embarrassment. I loved to read. I didn’t care what someone read, just that they did. Lately, I had been reading more scripts than anything else, but I also enjoyed an interesting nonfiction book or a good novel. “Which books?” The tour guide asked cheerfully, eating out of the palm of Bella’s hands. She tilted her head slightly to the side, thinking for a moment. “A Stranger Beside Me again, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and a book about Carl Panzram. I've also brought one about Ed Gein. I've listened to them all before, honestly. These are just some of my favorites.” “A Stranger Beside Me is so good. She was so lucky.” “What's it about? You mentioned it the other day. You said it was your favorite.” I had forgotten to look it up with everything else happening. “A former cop turned crime writer who worked beside Ted Bundy on a suicide hotline. It's a true story. She never thought he was the killer even after talking to the police, telling them that he had the same car as the killer... He seemed too nice. He was a monster, of course. He killed forty-something women,” she elaborated without hesitation. The woman beamed at Bella. “You seem very well-educated about true crime history!” She looked down at her feet again. “Thanks... I think. I've always been a little obsessed with death. I grew up within sight of the cemetery my mom and grandparents are buried, and I went all the time. I'd sit at my mom's grave. Pick all the wildflowers in the fields around it and cover it completely. Spend hours and hours talking to the graves. I was a dark kid, too.” Poor wounded bird, Jasper’s words from before echoed in my ears. I couldn’t help but reach out to comfort her, my hand moving over her back before brushing away her silky hair. She gave me a small smile as she leaned her head against my shoulder. And then the crazy old bat decided to ask, “was your mother murdered?” I gaped like a fish, looking towards my friends. Both of their eyes were wide like mine, totally shocked that anyone would ask that, let alone on camera! Bella gasped out a nervous laugh. “No, ma'am. I'm not that dark. I've just always been followed by death.” “Nope. Not dark at all,” I mumbled. Thankfully it was time to move along with the tour and talk about less depressing things. Like ghosts. Seth had been watching us closely all day. His eyes moved between us as he walked backward towards the car in the parking lot. He was going to fall and hurt himself. He wagged his finger. “So… You two. You a thing or what?” A thing. I actually scoffed. It was far more than that already. Nothing that involved Bella would be just a ‘thing.’ “Probably not now that I've revealed my creepy pastime,” she replied in a small giggle. “Damnit,” he mumbled to himself as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and passed it to a grinning Tyler. “What?” She looked between them. My eyes narrowed on an annoyed Seth. “I bet you two would get together before you left,” Tyler explained cheerfully. “And you haven't left yet. See, I told you they liked each other.” “I never disagreed about that. Just about whether it would happen or not,” Seth answered him as he turned around once we got to the car. They had to stop at the boot to put the camera equipment away. I went to open the door for my new lovely girlfriend. “You're betting on my love life? Some friends you are,” I said as I snatched up the keys. “That doesn't seem very nice.” “I just figured she was too good for you,” Seth smirked. “Oh. Well. Yes. You're not wrong,” I instantly agreed. Bella quickly shook her head. “He is. You are wrong. I'm not too good for anyone.” “No, I'm okay with being unworthy,” I told her honestly. I knew for sure she was out of my league completely and was thrilled she was giving me even the time of day. Carefully, I brought her hand up to my lips to kiss her delightfully soft skin. A smile formed at the corners of her mouth even as she cheeks heated under my adoring gaze. The entire drive home her small hand rested on my thigh, contentedly looking at the window. I was pretty happy with the world myself.  Episode Thirteen: InspiredWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)“I’m going to get changed for bed,” Bella said before she pressed her lips lightly to mine. “I’ll be right out.” I went into my room to get changed myself. I had no idea what to expect. Would she want to sleep in the other room? I hoped not. I prayed to God that she wanted to sleep in my arms as she had done in the morning. The water was icy cold as I scrubbed my face and brushed my teeth. I needed a good shave and a hot shower, but those things would have to wait. Anxiously, I rearranged the sheet and blankets. I was tired but not in the least bit sleepy. When Bella walked into my bedroom, she was wearing a lovely blue nightgown that was short, cutting off well above her knees. Her curly hair was wild around her head in a black halo. She was more gorgeous than any of my fantasies, and she was walking towards me with an inviting smile. “I never imagined today would end like this. Not in a million years. Not if I thought I had a million tries. And yet, here you are,” I admitted, amazed. “I didn't know it was a possibility,” she almost whispered. Neither did I. “I'm so nervous,” I blurted out, my cheeks heating as I looked down at her lovely form. “Earlier was incredible and I don't want to... assume. I don't want to scare you. Or rush you. We can do whatever you want. If you just want to cuddle. Or talk. Or sleep. Or, whatever.” “It was incredible. Don't worry about scaring me. I promise to let you know. I’m pretty vocal.” She brought her fingers to my cheek. “And, is it rushing? Wasn't that just the longest blind date ever?” She joked. Oh, maybe she did have a point there. I was happy to play along. “Was that our first date? That whole week? No, I'd say it was more like seven separate dates. I mean, we slept in between. We weren't together the whole time.” “Eight, if you count Sunday night. If you're going by that logic,” she continued. “Oh, you're right. Eight. Or, is it nine now? If you count today? I wonder what the average amount of dates before a couple has sex is,” I wondered out loud. Bella lifted up on the very tip of her toes as she ran hands seductively up my arms. “We can look it up in the morning,” she answered almost teasingly before she pressed her lips lightly to my tattoo. I smoothed my hands over her shoulder and down to her own, twisting our fingers together. I couldn’t wait another minute to kiss her again, taking her delicate face into my hands. It felt like the dream that I had the first night she was there. But this time, she didn’t disappear from my grip. She held onto my arms, pressing her body fully against mine. We couldn’t get any closer. Bella was so amazingly light. I easily placed her on the bed and hovered above her so that I could look down at her like this. Sweetly, she began to run her fingers over my face and through my hair. A small smile played at her lips, her mismatched eyes focused on mine. I wanted to gaze into them for the rest of my life. “I like the way you look at me,” she whispered before she pulled me down for a kiss. Lightly she pecked and sucked at my lips before using her teeth, tugging the bottom one gently when she pulled away. “Well, that's the look of a man utterly enchanted,” my mouth replied. My brain was somewhere else entirely. “Try hard,” she breathed sensually as she pushed down my pajama bottoms, leaving me only in my boxers. “Get used to it,” I told her before I brought her lips into a heated kiss. When I had to come up for air, finally I moved to her neck. Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist again while I slid my fingers over her deliciously thick thighs. Her skin was smoother than silk. “I going to worship you.” I pecked at her sweet little butterfly and all around it before kissing the place right above her heart. I could feel it pounding against my lips. It was almost perfectly in time with mine. There was too much between us. I needed her skin on mine. My erection kept rubbing against her panties, making both of us moan and pant as we kissed for what felt for hours. I couldn’t get enough and never would. The faintest of gasps left her lips as my thumb ran up the center of her throat, gently squeezing it as I kissed all over her face. I wanted to learn what every part of her body felt against my lips. Her back arched up to my mouth as I kissed down to her full breasts. “I left a mark,” I said teasingly, kissing the spot as I did so. She clearly enjoyed it. “Leave some more,” she responded, scratching her blunt nails through my hair before pulling it. She had very quickly figure out how much I enjoyed that. “Where?” Wordlessly, she pulled my mouth to her other breast with her fingers tightly in my hair. I bit down, making her throw her head back against the bed. Her back arched once again as I squeezed her throat gently. She slid her hand over mine and brought them between her warm lips. Between the grinding, kissing, and finger sucking, I felt like I was going to cum in my boxers. If I weren’t careful, the evening was going to be over before it even got started. I wanted to make her feel good first. As I kissed around her belly button, I removed her underwear and tossed them away. I didn’t look where. I was too eager to taste her, something I hadn’t been able to enjoy earlier. She had so graciously pleasured me with her mouth, and I very much wanted to return the favor. I spread her legs as I eagerly began to kiss her thighs. I could feel the trembling as my fingers moved over her skin. Damn, she tasted so good. Bella was twice as reactive to my tongue as she was my fingers. Her thighs wrapped around my face in exactly the way that I had fantasized about. I held them in place as my tongue rolled over her clit over and over again. I knew she was close by her moans, and I wanted to feel her again. Gently, I pushed two of my fingers deep inside of her hot body. “Oh, fuck! Edward! FUCK!” When she came, it was hard, squeezing my fingers tightly as she lifted off the bed. Her own fingers dug into my back and at the sheets around her. “Eddie… fuck… Edward, oh, god. Edward, please. Fuck, yes. Please, Edward,” she called my name over and over again, spurring me on further and further. I wanted to shout, ‘yeah baby, scream my name’, but that would have required removing my mouth from her skin, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I don’t know how many times she got off, but I wasn’t going to stop until she told me to. She was delicious, and I would never get enough. When she pulled me up to her mouth by my hair, her legs wrapped around me so our bodies crashing together. “I'll not last very long,” I admitted as she rushed to pull off my boxers. “I feel like if you touched me right, I'd explode.” “Isn't that the point?” She asked as she kissed my ear, curling her fingers around my cock. Lightly she rubbed me against her clit. Her wet skin felt so amazing that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. It was so hard to control myself when she touched me. “You should get a condom.” I hurriedly retrieved one, sitting back on my knees while I messaged my aching erection. With a smirk, I put the condom on her stomach. I was feeling amazingly confident for once. Bella apparently enjoyed the show as well because she spread her legs open wide for me, her fingers dipping inside of her dripping wet body. I lightly brushed her fingers away before leaning forward so I could continue what she had been doing to me before, my head pressing against her clit with every pass. So badly I wanted to push my hard-on deep inside as I rubbed against her soft lips, teasing her entrance. Her sounds of wanting were lovely and loud, her body shaking a little. I knew I could get her off like this. I could have easily gotten both of us off like that. Bella took the condom from her stomach finally and whispered in the sweetest voice. “Fuck me. Please,” she begged as she rolled it over me. I helped her push it into place before bringing her mouth into a passionate kiss that she eagerly returned as I filled her. She was so incredibly wet, her skin red and moist with sweat as I slammed into her. I could feel it drip on my thighs with each push, spurring me on to go harder and faster. One of Bella’s arms wrapped around my neck as her back arched off the bed, cumming hard around me. It felt like it went on forever until it was too much and I gave in, cursing loudly. I felt breathless as I pressed my forehead against her beating heart. Bella held me to her soft body, stroking my hair soothingly. When I caught my breath, I kissed along her butterfly again before moving up to her shoulder. “God. Damn,” I finally blurted out. “Yeah,” she agreed with a laugh, bringing her hand up to her eyes. “I really like making you cum like that,” I admitted. “Can I do that... like... all the time?” Bella laughed again. “My legs are vibrating. So, yes. Please. Literally fucking vibrating. What the fuck?” I laughed as well, too proud of myself. I pushed my face to her chest, breathing her scent in as I smiled to myself. Lightly she pushed me so that I laid on my back. She shifted, rolling onto her stomach to kiss me for a moment. “I’ll be right back,” she indicated lightly before hopping up to go get cleaned up in the bathroom. When she shut the door behind her, I literally fist pumped the air several times I was so happy. Stopping before she could catch me being an idiot, I rushed to throw the condom away. When she got out, I went in to wash my hands and face in the dark. Much like in the morning, she was waiting for me under the covers in the nude. When her body pressed against my side, skin to skin, I felt so whole. She rested her head on my shoulder, her hand laying on my chest. I fell asleep easily with the scent of her coconut shampoo in my nose. I woke up alone, the rain still going on pretty good outside. The bathroom door was open, so I decided to go search for Bella. I heard the shower going in the spare bedroom. It wasn’t a terrible idea even if the water would be ice fucking cold. I needed a shower myself. Simply rinsing my body and scrubbing my hair clean, I rushed through. So quickly in fact that I beat Bella back to the kitchen by just a few minutes, giving me enough time to check the weather again. She came padding quietly out in those tiny shorts that I hoped she would wear for me and a t-shirt. “Good morning,” she said before she kissed me, her fingers moving along my jaw. “Good morning,” I practically purred. “I checked on the electricity, and it's going to be out until at least later this afternoon at the earliest. When it comes back, I'd really like to take a hot shower with you because that was bloody terrible.” “Sounds like a plan.” She smiled at my idea. “What do you need to do today?” “Besides you?” I replied, making Bella roll her eyes. “Well, I can't edit or anything. I could do a bit of writing that I was going to have to work on later this week, but I'm going to have to do it the old-fashioned way. This is turning my schedule all around, the rain. It rains so little LA can barely handle it. Anyway, what about you? What do you need to get done?” “My computer holds a charge for just a little while so I could probably get three or four hours of editing done before it dies. I'm glad I got a bit of a break yesterday. Sometimes the colors begin to blend together and everything looks the same. So, while you write, I can edit? Then we can take a break for lunch,” she suggested as her finger tenderly traced over my chin to my lip. I kissed at it lightly, smiling as I nodded. When I told her that I was inspired the day before, I wasn’t lying. My good mood filled me with ideas, mostly for my scripts that I was writing. I was making a kid’s show for the Disney channel. The premise of a sassy little character with a sweet southern accent, full of charm and confidence, was tempting. Funny and kind. Hell, Bella was halfway to being a Disney princess all on her own. She looked perfect on my couch, quietly working away on her computer. I got way more work done than I expected. Bella made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips and fruit like an old-fashioned American packed school lunch. It was simple but tasty as we chatted and watched the rain. After we ate, I needed to do a little reading that I had been putting off. Bella picked a book from my shelf, one about the history of England that my Grandpa George had gotten me when I was interested in it as a kid. She once again curled herself up my side. The rain began to wane as the sun started to go down, the lights finally flickering back to life. “Praise the Gods. Shall we freshen up and go get a late dinner?” I offered hopefully. “Sure, let me go get my things,” she answered with a sweet smile. Her lovely hips swayed as she made her way to the guest bedroom to get her clothes. I went into my bedroom, putting my phone onto charge and to get ready for our shower. To say I was excited about a hot, wet, soapy Bella was an understatement. She came with a bag of stuff. Bella set it up on the vanity, getting organized. It apparently took many products to come out as soft and delicious smelling as she did. I probably used more than the average man, but I was in the public eye. “So,” Bella started in a playful voice, tugging at my shirt. I helped her to pull it over my head. She was too short to reach that high. “What would you like to have for dinner?” “I’m easy,” I replied, happy to pull off her shirt. She was wearing the sports bra from the tattoo parlor. It pushed her breasts high up on her chest and tightly together, giving her rather impressive looking cleavage. “Hey, that’s my line,” she teased, making me laugh. I kissed her quickly, jerking the button of her shorts free. I yanked down her shorts dramatically. “You’re not easy, Bella.” “Oh, I think you proved otherwise last night,” she said flirtatiously, relieving me of my jeans. Bella moved her hand over my erection through the fabric of my boxer briefs. “Yes, but it’s better for my ego if you’re not,” I joked a little breathlessly. “Sorry.” She then put her head back, clearing her throat before she began to speak in her deadpan voice. “Oh, I’ve never gotten off before. Orgasms have been a mystery to me for all these years. Until-” I grabbed her up in my arms and spun her around, making her laugh loudly. Bella pressed her face against my neck as she giggled, her fingers in my hair. “I don’t care if I’m the first, but I’d like to give you the most.” “Oo, good answer,” she spoke into my ear. I set her on the countertop, standing between her bare legs. “Well, it is the truth.” “I believe you,” she answered as she reached behind her to undo the hooks of her bra. I helped her pull it from her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. Leaning forward, she pushed my underwear down so that my erection popped free. “Come on,” Bella said as she slid to her feet in front of me before walking towards the shower. Just before she stepped in, she slid her panties off, bending over so that I got a good view of her ass. The shower was wonderful. Watching her apply her makeup was fascinating. She worked as if she was a skilled artist. Bella painted her eyelids with a tiny brush, her hands completely steady. It always amazed me what Jasper could do with a piece of paper and a pencil. He was very talented, but I couldn’t even see him being able to do so without losing an eye. Watching her roll them into the back of her head was horrifying, though. When she was done, she gathered her dirty clothes while still just wearing a towel and went off to start her laundry before getting changed into clean clothes for the evening. “How’s it going with your new girlfriend?” Jasper had sent me a message sometime earlier in the day. I had already gotten dressed in my jeans and a blue button-down shirt as well as put on my shoes. I was just waiting for Bella to finish. “Well, it’s the second day, but I’m thinking it’s going well. We just took a shower, and we’re about to go out for tacos.” We had somehow decided in the bath in between kisses. “You don’t have to brag.” I laughed to myself. “Fuck yeah I do.” “Having fun?” “So much. This is the happiest I’ve been in maybe years.” “That’s good, darling. How’s the sex?” I chuckled to myself again at his question. “It’s part of the reason I have to brag. I got her off like ten times yesterday, and if she’s faking it, goddamn this girl deserves an Oscar,” I told him cheerfully. He sent a gif of someone golf clapping. I sent him one back of a guy in a tux bowing on a stage. “So, she’s the whole package then?” “She’s the one.” When I looked up, Bella was standing in the doorway of my bedroom. She was breathtaking in a little red dress and matching heels. Her smile was warm and inviting, her eyes so focused on me with her bottom lip between her teeth. “Ready when you are,” she informed me in a soft breath. “You are stunning,” I declared, making her cheeks flush. Closing the distance between us, I eagerly kissed her sugary sweet lips. “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s get some dinner.” |