Chapter 105
BPOV
I was dreaming, I had to be because gram’s kitchen was no longer someplace I could physically be. She’d been dead and in the ground for more than ten years and my mother much longer. So I knew their voices calling out a warning in the darkness wasn’t real.
As the nothingness turned to brightness a warm tingly feeling spread through me. My body shifted, rolled sideways and the tugging on my arms pulled me the rest of the way until I was propped on one hip. Trying to tuck my hands under my chin was futile as my wrist refused to be moved. Wanting to continue sleeping I bent one leg and stretched out the best I could.
Still halfway between sleep and alertness the presence of the person rearranging me became clearer.
"Mmmm. .eddd"
"Shhhh..." warm hands cupped my breast as his hush against my ear set shivers down my spine "...stay quiet now and don’t speak until I tell you. Do you understand?"
Nodding my head ‘yes’ he kissed my cheek "Good girl...for now, I want you to just feel ...and think"
Think?
Think about what?
The grogginess dissipated and I started to wonder if I was suppose to think about the weight of his firm chest pressed against my back or the thrill of his arms encircling me. Maybe he meant how his hands felt against my breast and the twinge of warmth radiating through me from the tug of my nipple. Or possibly it was the way my body responded to allow his hand to slide between my hip and the bed to settle in the junction between my thighs. It could have been the sound of my increased breathing from the trail of kisses he placed against my neck while long talented fingers skimmed over my lower lips.
Was that what I was to think about?
Or was that what I was suppose to feel?
Edward’s nose tailed up the length of my neck and his warm breath sounded in my ear "I discovered something last night Isabella"
Ahhhh...last night
I had discovered something too; Edward’s hands weren’t the only talented part of him. What that man did with his mouth was – unworldly. Pussy worship was a glorious sacrament and if it meant I’d get to experience that again, I’d set up an alter between my legs and keep the eternal flame burning brightly.
My thoughts came back to Edward’s fingers moving between my folds, sliding in the wetness and circling softly around my clit. My body responding to the pleasure and my hips moved against his hand while he spoke gently "You have a spot...right...about...."
Stopping at the top left side of the gland he used one finger to lightly rub an area I didn’t know existed "....here"
My body stiffened and I sucked in a gasp as pure unadulterated pleasure shot through me. That small area taking on a mind of its own and demanding more pressure until I found myself unwittingly pressing against his hand. Between that and the fingers tweaking my nipple, I was suddenly shaking with an orgasm that I wasn’t going to be able to stop.
Edward’s dark chuckle sounded in my ear "Oh yes nâhtötse...that’s going to be fun to explore"
To both my regret and relief his hand moved. "But for now..."
My body longed for the denied release as Edward slid two fingers on either side of my clit, capturing the gland between them. Slowly wiggling his fingers had me once again totally focused on the sensations cursing through me. He kept just enough pressure on the bundle of nerves to make me suck in a breath yet not undo my control. It felt good, but wasn’t quite enough and I wanted so desperately to wiggle against his hand, so I could gain just the tiniest bit more pressure.
"...we have something else to work on."
Oh Jesus...
Those words brought me back to reality.
Working on something was Master’s code name for ‘time to learn a lesson.’
Once that realization hit me all thoughts of sexual release were gone as I tried hard to think of something I did, said, wrote, thought or implied that would warrant ‘working on.’
The only event that came to mind was the episode with Demetri.
The previous night, Master had made it very clear that we would be finishing that discussion in the morning. However it didn’t make any sense that Edward would combine a punishment with a lesson. They were two totally different things, and as the pressure along with the quickness of his fingers moving over my clit increased so did the grip on my nipple.
The building tightness in my belly had me letting out a deep moan "ohhhhh"
Removing his hand from my breast Edward quickly brought it down on the side of my butt cheek with a stern "Quiet!"
The unexpected flash of pain spontaneously sent my hips forward and I found that I had been correct, the added pressure was exquisite and I began grinding against his hand. Biting my lip didn’t help stop the small whimper from me or another correlating swat on my behind.
"You like that Isabella"
The statement of fact didn’t warrant a response however the two quick slaps that came down on my butt did. Moaning into the pillow my hips once again thrust against Master’s hand. The added pressure on his wiggling digits brought another low whimper from me and two more swats from him.
Lips kissed my bare shoulder and my bottom lifted to greet Master’s hand as he softly rubbed my warmed cheeks.
"It’s ok to like the pain Isabella, but you already know that..." three kisses trailed up my neck "...after all you wrote a whole book on the normalcy of personal needs"
The soft soothing hands started to lightly knead my flesh "Yet after reading your journal I saw there was a lingering question in your mind."
"So let’s try to help you figure it out" and with that, the true spanking begun.
Edward’s hand rained down on my bottom, moving around the flesh as if he was following a road map. The slapping sound filled the room and each time Master made contact my hips jetted forward against the firmness of his fingers. I couldn’t stop the pressure in my belly from coming out in the form of moans and as the swats started to become harder, my wanton cries grew.
The fire in me was growing, my blood was boiling and the more I pulled on my restrained wrist the faster my heart beat. My body was on the verge, my head was swimming and I wanted so desperately to retreat into myself, to let go of reality and let the pain take me away.
But there wasn’t enough of a consistent rhythm to get lost in so all I could do was plead "Please Master...please..."
"Please what? Tell me what you need Isabella!"
"Mor...Mor...MORE! Please MORE!" it was all I could get out as the pain from the spanking started to edge into excruciating pleasure.
"More what Isabella? What is it you want more of?"
I didn’t exactly know.
Logically I should want the pain to stop, but each time Master’s hand landed, the hot sting sent my hips forwards into his waiting fingers and set my body ablaze with gratification.
"Is it the pain Isabella?"
The intensity of his question reaching my mottled brain and when I didn’t answer Master’s voice became forceful "Does the pain drive you?"
I couldn’t think about anything but what was happening in my body, I was teetering on the edge, with not enough pain to hit subspace and not enough pleasure to gain release. I was in a type of sexual purgatory, trapped in an abyss of desire that I didn’t know how to escape from.
"Isabella!" Master’s harsh voice breaking through my delirium "Answer me! Is it the pain?"
A hard slap to the top of my thigh had me crying out "Yes!"
"Yes What!"
Another loud slap had me yelling into the pillow "Yes Master!"
"Answer the question...do you enjoy the pain!"
"Ye..yes...yes...it feels..."
"Are you sure?" His tone gentler yet still authoritative enough to keep my attention
"Or would you prefer only this..."
The spanking ended and the fingers that had been teasing my clit became more determined as they quickly started to rub over the top of the gland.
My butt lifted off the bed as I sucked in a breath while my body spasmed out of control. After the pain of the spanking, it felt so good that my toes curled as I used them to hold my elevated body off the bed. My new position gave Master better access and he took advantage of it by rubbing faster.
I couldn’t move, I was afraid to breathe and my body shook uncontrollably as I struggled to hold onto the pressure in my belly. All I could focus on was the drumming of my own heart in my ear and the violent force in the pit of my stomach that was going to erupt.
I was in my own personal hell with no one to pray to and then somehow in the recesses of my mind I heard Master’s demanding voice say "Cum Isabella"
And I did
Every muscle in my body seemed to tighten as I screamed out my release into the pillow until I was weaken to the point of dizziness. Sucking in a much needed breath sent the hot tingle of my orgasm racing through me and every nerve ending in my body exploded with euphoric pleasure.
Enjoying the after shocks I once again felt myself being rearranged onto my side but was too busy gasping for breath to care. Master moved in behind me, his hand clasping my leg and lifting it over his thigh. The length of his dick sliding through the slickness of my sex, teasing my entrance and making me whimper when it brush against the sensitive gland.
"Shhhh..." he hushed while brushing the hair from my face "...are you able to think now Isabella?"
"Yes Master" I gasped out as my hips started to move against his thrust.
"Good, now answer my question. Is it purely the pain you get off on or does it help to enhance the orgasm?"
Even with the heat of little eddie sliding through my folds, I knew exactly what he wanted me to work on. It was the word enhance that brought the whole thing into focus. I had written that same word in my journal the morning after our last session. Master had pushed me further then he ever had before, it was like he was stepping up our game and taking me to a new level of tolerance. As I wrote I contemplated my response and subsequent enjoyment. The question I posed to myself was whether the pain enhanced my orgasm of if the orgasm grew out of the pain.
In either scenario - I was a masochist.
I don’t know why the title had startled me so much, after all I had known the effect pain had on me. Yet still it was like a slap in the face to a hysterical woman, a rude awakening that shook me from the foolish game of denial my mind was trying to play. Up until that very moment I had put on my blinders and blamed my inflamed desires on Edward.
It left me free to enjoy the pain, not because I asked for it but because he did it to me. Since that was the case, it wasn’t exactly something I had to justify about myself. Yet just as with everything else Master knew his girl better then she knew herself and he was forcing her to take a hard look in the proverbial mirror.
"Isabella..." his hand cupped the underside of my face "...look at me"
It was hard to stare into the intensity of his eyes while knowing he was seeing me laid bare before him. It was a raw emotion brewing inside me; admitting to him and myself that I was what everyone always accused me of - abnormal.
In those few seconds I began to question myself and most of those doubts centered around my life with James.
I knew the submissive in me was attracted to his dominating take charge personality. I had long since come to terms with that part of who we were together. What I was all of a sudden beginning to wonder about was a fear I had pushed to the back of my mind.
Ever since realizing the personality trait in myself, I had clung to the shameful thought that I had somehow secretly wanted James to treat me badly. Even after years of sitting through counseling sessions for both myself as well as my own clients, my nagging fears still went far beyond the typical ‘victims remorse’.
Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind was the the thought I stayed with James so long because my depraved desires found the abuse exciting. Was it possible that in my ‘fucked-up-ness’ I let off subliminal messages that James recognized and responded to. As sick as it may sound I wondered if subconsciously I had taken gratification in the violence. And there was a part of me that feared his abuse as nothing more then sadistic foreplay.
"Either way Isabella, there is nothing wrong with you"
Staring into the loving eyes of the man who brought all those desires out me without ever making me feel degraded or violated the answer became clearer.
No – None of that was true.
I had probably always had masochistic desires, it was just a part of who I was as a sexual being. But that didn’t give him or anyone else a green light to abuse me. The fear I carried of James saying I asked for and enjoyed the abuse he inflicted, was completely irrational. I didn’t have to keep denying the truth or feel ashamed because Master was right.
There was nothing wrong with me.
EPOV
I saw it in Bella’s eyes, the revaluation, the acceptance; it was almost as if some deep dark secret had been exposed. Something in her mind shifted, settled and freed itself; all that was left was the admittance.
"Which is it Isabella? Does the orgasm come from the pain or does the pain make the orgasm better?"
Closing her eyes Bella thrust her hips back against me and sucked in air through her teeth. Part of her reaction was from my dick hitting her clit but mostly it was from her butt cheeks coming in contact with my groin. In my attempt to help shed some light on the inner workings of Bella’s mind, I had given her bottom a sound spanking. By the time I was done, her lilly white butt cheeks were a deep shade of pink that would keep her from sitting comfortably for the rest of the day. So her response from hitting my pelvis didn’t surprise me and neither did her answer.
"The pain makes the orgasm better Master"
I knew that. However I wasn’t prepared for her next admission
"...your girl is a pain slut"
The tone of her mater of fact voice made me chuckle "No my girl is no such thing." wanting to assure her I added "But even if she was, there would be nothing wrong with her. Do you understand?"
The head of my dick was getting dangerously close to being engulf inside her. All I had to do was shift my hips and on the next stroke her warm soft walls parted for me. Stopping there I looked down into Bella’s eyes and waited for the answer.
Squeezing her internal muscles around the invasion Bella let out a small moan before saying "yessss"
I was freaking dying to get balls deep inside her but first I wanted her to fully come to terms with herself "Say it Isabella, say it out loud"
"This one likes pain and..." swallowing hard Bella admitted "...there’s nothing wrong with that"
"Again" I demanded as I slid further inside her.
After the third time I was fully sheathed within her and Isabella was practically chanting out her declaration. "This one has nothing to be ashamed of, because there is nothing wrong with her"
"Absolutely nothing" I assured her before taking a slow stoke and groaned at the feel of Bella’s muscles tightening around me when I slid back in.
That was what I was waiting for; only once before had she constricted around me until I released and I wanted to do it again. There was going to come a time when I’d have her sit on me and use only her muscles to bring me to completion, but like anything else that was something we’d have to work up to.
Propped on one arm, I stared down into the face of the woman I loved and started to move inside her. The desire in her eyes driving me on while my fingers once again began to circle her bundle of nerves. Bella let out a small moan and just for good measure I slapped the top of her exposed gland. As she absorbed the feel a small stuttering gasp escaped her mouth while her eyes closed and she tightened around my dick.
Forcing back a groan my hand came down on her tender flesh with a demand "Look at me!"
Fluttering eyes opened to mine at the same moment I thrust deep inside; watching the fire behind her gaze caused my own need to intensify.
"Keep watching me" I ordered as my hips began to move with more intent while my hand vacillated between pleasing and punishing her clit.
The eyes staring back at me reflected my own rising inferno and as my hand made contact with her flesh, the resounding slap paled in comparison to the words coming out of Bella. "Oh...harder...please"
Giving her what she wanted I marveled at the response I received from the well placed slaps against her exposed gland. Bella’s eyes darkened, her breaths came in ragged gasps and as she flinched against the impact her internal muscles constricted around me.
"Don’t you dare cum" the warning coming out through clinched teeth
"AHHHHH...."
Her gasping cry from me pushing deeper inside her while circling her clit with my fingers was louder then I was comfortable with. In an attempt to not disturb our house guest I smothered her mouth with my own. Swallowing her passionate cries in a deep kiss while still using my hand to bring both of us pleasure.
Each slap causing Bella to react by flexing her hips and rythmatically clamping around me. My own body responding to the movements along with the kiss until I was bretahlessly pulling away from her mouth.
And the begging began
"Oh Master...plea...please...let your slut...cum...please"
"Not yet ...Isabella" my tone not nearly as harsh as the slap.
Her beseeching eyes staring into mine while she breathlessly pleaded "Can’t...can’t...ho...ho..ho..ho..Hold...HOLD...PLEASE!"
My own body was wound so tightly I knew it wasn’t going to take me much longer but I needed to get Bella to focus. Staying away from the gland I repeatedly slapped at the puffy skin of her sex and ordered "Squeeze Isabella...tighter...Tighter..."
"Can’t" she cried and I put slightly more force into my hand "Yes you can!"
The repeated breathy mewls of "Mmaah...Mmaah" was all that came out of her mouth while Bella’s hips bucked against my hand as her internal muscles brought me to the brink. All I needed was just the slightest bit more pressure and that’s exactly what I got by using two fingers to rub the spot I had found the previous night.
Bella’s eyes widened and her body quivered as a steady cry of pure pleasure left her mouth. I spontaneously responded by thrusting deeper into her and as I bottomed out Bella’s muscles tighten around me with the perfect rhythm. It felt so good, I pressed impossibly deeper in her, tugged on her ear with my teeth and growled out "Now Cum"
The response of her body was exactly what I had hoped for, her pelvis seized around me and as the orgasm took hold, her internal walls pulsed against my dick. With a grunt, I dropped my arm, pulled Bella closer to me and with a primal groan, pumped cum deep inside her.
Lost in the bliss of not only my release but also being completely surround by Bella, every ounce of me felt spent. The euphoria was enhanced by the scent of her hair, along with the sweet smell of sweaty sex. I wanted nothing more then to just relish the feel of her in my arms matching her heavy breaths with my own. Remaining sheathed within the warmth of her body, I pulled the blankets back around us to enjoy a bit of after sex cuddling.
I wasn’t exactly sure when cuddling became part of the process, but it had. I wanted to hold her, I wanted to keep our connection for as long as possible. More important I wanted Bella to know that even in my role as her Master, I loved her.
Bella wiggled her back closer against my chest "Mmm..." she hummed in an erotically sated tone "Happy...Birthday Master"
It wasn’t that I had forgotten what day it was, it was more that up until that moment the fact hadn’t really crossed my mind. I thought back to all the other years that I woke up alone or with some nameless, faceless woman who meant nothing to me. And as I did everyday, thanked God for bringing my Bella to my life.
Squeezing her a little tighter I kissed her head "Best fucking birthday, ever"
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, all I wanted to do was hold my girl for a few minutes before administering aftercare for her bottom. However I must have either been tired from our late night or more relaxed from the early morning sex then I thought. Because the next thing I knew my eyes were staring at the red numbers on the clock that declared it to be nine twenty- seven.
OH Shit... I lost nearly two hours
Bella shifted in my arms making me aware that although little eddie wasn’t completely solid, he was still safely tucked away inside her. While my mind marveled over that revelation, Bella tugged against the restraints on her wrist with a small whimper.
"Hold still baby" I said quietly while reaching my arm over to unhook the clasp and effectively removing myself from her body along with what felt like all of the fluid I had deposited there.
"Ugh..." I groaned while Bella giggled "You think that’s bad? It’s worse when your walking and the giz is running down your leg"
"It must be tough being a woman"
"You don’t have to be a woman, just a ...wide receiver" giggling at her own joke while I added with a chuckle "Or a tight end"
Bella laughed harder and shook her head "Nah ah...if it’s tight it will all stay in...this one is just loosey goosey"
"I’ll give you loosy goosy..." I said before attacking her ribs with insistent fingers and tickling her until she was squirming underneath me.
Peals of laugher filled the room along with rather loud begging "Please...Please....gonna make ...stop...gonna pee..."
Stopping with the tickling I grinned and with one hand grasped the cuffs that still enclosed her wrist. Lifting them over Bella’s head I pressed them to the mattress effectively holding them in place before lowering my head and blowing raspberries on her belly.
Bella screeched in a giggling thrashy frenzy "Stop...Stop...Oh God...Stop"
Her wails of glee intermingled with my own laughter as I placed another raspberry against her belly. The excitment of our fooling around had gotten Seth’s attention as he was all of a sudden next to the bed. Standing on his hind legs with his paws on the mattress with a wagging tail he barked once.
Glancing at the dog, his eyes looking at a laughing naked Bella who was squirming around trying to get away. Pinning her with my legs and firmly holding her wrist I addressed our canine audience.
"I think mommy likes this boy, what do you think, should we do it again"
As if in agreement he barked and as my full attention returned to Bella her face turned as pleading as her voice "No...No...No...don’t"
"Ah...Isabella" I practically crooned "Don’t you know by now, every time you say No, all I hear is...Yes"
Chuckling wickedly I blew more vibrations on her stomach making her squirm in the most erotic way against my body. Seth’s barking drowned out the sound of Bella’s shrill cries and I figured before the whole house was knocking down our door I had better stop. Besides I still hadn’t checked her bottom from the spanking.
Releasing her hands I disconnected the rings that held her wrist together and had Bella roll onto her stomach. The pinkness that had been present was just about completely gone, there was only a few spots on the fullness of her cheeks that showed any sign of my attention. Even those were barely visible and I was sure the discoloration had more to do with all the squirming she had just done rather then contact from my hand, still I wasn’t taking any chances.
"Do you truly need to use the bathroom, or was that just a ruse in order to get away?"
Glancing over her shoulder I was given an innocent smile "No Sir...your slut, needs to pee"
"Go then" I said with a swat to the butt that made her flinch before she scowled at me over her shoulder while scampering off the bed.
Even in playful fun I couldn’t let the attitude go unnoticed "Watch yourself young lady or you’ll spend the morning standing in the corner."
The warning reminded me of the situation from the previous night that needed to be addressed. While Bella was using the bathroom I dressed in a pair of pajama pants and loose T-shirt, straightened the bed and waited for her return. When she came out in all her naked glory, I shamelessly eyed her up. My mind running through several possible scenes, one in particular standing out and as the idea for our next usual played out, I patted the bed for Bella to join me. My thoughts must have betrayed me because the prettiest warm flush broke out all over her face. The reaction of false innocence made me chuckle, the woman was a walking, talking contradictory of sexual exploration.
Joining me on the bed, I had Bella lie on her stomach facing away from me. Propped up on her elbows she glanced over her shoulder at me with an expression that set my pulse pounding. There was nothing lewd in the gesture, it was more the intensity of her gaze. My woman loved me and if we would have had time, she would have done everything she could have to prove it.
Seth’s sitting on the floor staring at us, reminded me that I had to get on with it. Picking up her journal off the nightstand I watched Bella’s eyes follow the motion of my hand as I placed in front of her on the bed. Explaining that I didn’t want to procrastinate with administering the punishment for not obeying Demetri in a timely manner, I told her what she had to do.
"Open your book to a fresh page..." as Bella complied I went on "....date it and then write ‘Master’s slut will always be aware of who is around her and she will immediately obey the instructions of anyone who He..." pausing to emphasis "...with a capital ‘H’...has previously determined to have proven themselves to be of the utmost charter and trustworthy enough to attend to His...again with a capital ‘H’... most prized procession"
Having her read it back to me, I was satisfied with both the wording as well as the length. Giving her the option to either write out the sentences in her journal or on separate pieces of paper, Bella as usual choose the later. While she got down to business I went about attending to the postponed aftercare.
Following the swirl of ink on her left cheek while my other hand mimicked the movement on her right, I rubbed a thin layer of lanolin over her skin. The little bit of pinkness that had been there began fading and Bella hummed in contentment. Seth on the other hand had reached his limit, sitting next to the bed he whined in protest.
"OK...boy."
Placing the lotion back in the drawer, leaning down I kissed the soft roundness of her bottom that had taken the most punishment "There, all better"
Getting to my feet had Seth running to the door but first I needed to take care a few things "Isabella look at me"
With her full attention on me I told her what else I expected her to do.
"Besides that writting assignment, you are to write a full page apology to Demetri. I expect it to be worded in proper submissive speech. In it you are to explain why you are apologizing along with what punishment you received. I also expect it to contain your sincere assurance that it will never happen again. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Master...ummm"
It seemed fairly self explanatory yet she definitely had a question "What is it?"
"Well...you didn’t tell your girl how many sentences she was to write"
Oh
The violation hadn’t exactly been severe yet the reminder was definitely necessary, in that instance it seemed logical to see what her thoughts were.
"Well since this exercise is more of an aid to remind you, why don’t you tell me how many it will take."
Scrunching up her face, Bella asked hopefully "Ummm...twenty...five?"
Nice try
"I think...my girl is a bit more thickheaded then that"
Biting her lip she looked at me through her lashes, batting her eyes bashfully "Fifty?"
Narrowing my eyes I contemplated for a long minute. Normally a higher count would be expected however she also had a letter to attend to along with a houseful of guest to greet so I was willing to be lenient .
"That sounds sufficient"
The poor dog was in such a hurry to he practically upended himself as he slipped on the wooden floor while rounding the bottom of the steps. Righting himself he quickly took off towards the sound of quiet talking coming from the kitchen. I hadn’t really heard anyone walking through the house so I was slightly surprised to find three people gathered around the island.
We exchanged the standard ‘good morning’ as I moved past them to let Seth out. It was a beautiful summer morning with a warm breeze blowing. Letting the door open I headed for the coffee pot wondering about the missing person. "Is Claire still sleeping?"
"Yeah" Quil answered as I joined them "It was a long day and she just wanted an extra half hour"
"Is Bella awake?" Seth asked in a tone that made me think there was a purpose behind the question
"She is"
"Is she showering?"
"Ummm..." staling by taking a drink "...she’s doing something at the moment"
My eyes flickering to the person who knew Bella was more then likely fulfilling her punishment yet Quil showed no uneasiness nor did he comment. Seth on the other hand seemed to have an agenda.
"Is it going to take her long?"
"It shouldn’t ...why do you need something?"
Bella had already seen to their bathroom being stocked with towels, she made sure there was a fresh bar of soap in the shower along with two packages of toilet paper under the sink. Unless they forgot something or Tracy needed some kind of feminine product - which knowing Bella those were probably in there too - I couldn’t imagine what was so important.
"Seth wants banana pancakes..." Tracy said in her shy voice "...I brought the bananas...but...do you think Bella will be mad if I made them? There’ll be enough for everyone..."
"That’s very nice of you offer but why would Bella be mad? Are you going to burn down the house?"
"Noooo..." she giggled while Seth threw his arm around the girls shoulder. Tugging her to his side and nearly pulling her off the stool in the process "Hell no, she’s a great cook. Last time...well Leah got all territorial..."
There was no reason for Seth to go on, I already knew Leah’s misconstrued opinion about her brothers relationship. "Go ahead, there’s eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage in the fridge ...knock yourself out, make a whole feast if you want to"
I didn’t realize the girl was going to take me so literally, however Tracy mixed, whipped and stirred to her hearts content. Fifteen minutes later she was tending to all four burners while softly singing along to the country music coming from the docking station. It felt all kinds of wrong to be sitting on my ass listening to Seth talk about their night while a teenage girl slaved away to make breakfast.
Attempting to be polite I asked a couple of times if she needed help, once when I got her the baking power - something I didn’t even know we had - and the other when I refilled my coffee. The second time, the girl kind of snarled at me so I figured it best to just back the fuck off and let her alone.
Once it seemed like Tracy had the food almost done, I did take it upon myself to get the table set. Stacking the dishes, glasses and utensil in front of Seth, he got the hint, I started a fresh pot of coffee and Quil made sure every condiment we could possibly need was on the table.
Except one
"Ah...can you grab the ketchup"
"For breakfast?"
Seth answered him with one word "Bella"
"Ohhhh...right."
Quil’s tone of voice made it sound like her ketchup fetish was something appalling so I set him straight. "I think it’s adorable"
The look of astonishment I got was upstaged by Seth’s declaration "Obviously you never seen her put ketchup in Chicken Soup"
"No...I missed that one"
"Bella puts ketchup in soup?" Tracy’s astonished voice coming from behind us.
"She puts ketchup on everything"
Not really everything, but a lot of stuff, and I remembered Bella telling me about how her mother wasn’t a very good cook. How she often made concoctions, necessitating the need for ketchup to make it editable. Much like the time she requested the condiment for the pâté
covered crackers I forced her to eat, she must have needed it to dress up the soup.
Seth practically confirmed my suspicion "Charlie was so embarassed...we went to Tacoma to visit his...eighty year old aunt or something. She made us soup with these big ass balls of hard dough in it, and Bells is...squeezing..."laughing as he added the imitating hand motions "...a load...of ketchup...into it."
Admittedly I chuckled along with the him and Quil, in part due to the way Seth was telling the story. But on a larger scale because it was a selfless act that was so completely in tune with Bella’s personality. Charlie was embarrassed because he saw his daughters actions as insulting to his aunt when in actuality they were completely the opposite. Rather then hurt the old woman’s feelings by admitting her soup sucked, Bella took it upon herself to doctor it up enough that she could eat it.
"That’s my girl" I said proudly
Bella and Claire came into the kitchen, giggling like adolescence, dressed much the same way as Tracy in baggy sweats. The two woman said their good mornings a moment before appraising what was happening. Bella took in the fully set table, the girl by the stove plating food she had obviously cooked, along with the three of us standing around laughing and came to her own conclusion.
"Tracy cooked?" The glare I was getting was one thing but the tone of voice Bella used had immediately on the defense "Ummm...yeah?"
"Wa...was that ok?" Tracy asked tentatively as she appeared at Seth’s side with a plate full of breakfast meat. "Ed...Edward said you wouldn’t mind"
Bella’s eyes narrowed at me before shrugging "No..." seeing the girls face fall Bella quickly amended "I mean...no, why would I mind? It’s just that they..." pointing her finger at the three of us "shouldn’t have made you cook everything by yourself"
"I don’t mind...I really like to cook and I made enough for everyone"
"Well Thank You, that was very considerate..." Once again Bella’s eyes shifted to mine as she grinned "...but Edward and I are having Fruity Pebbles"
UGH... with all the delicious aromas floating around, the last thing I wanted to eat was sugar coated cardboard. But a deal was a deal, I just hoped it would be a small bowl so I’d have room left for some real food.
Since Tracy had indeed done all the work in preparing the food, the least we males could do was carry it to the table. While we did that the girls got themselves coffee, joining us Bella proudly set the box of cereal on the table along with a bowl in front of me and as she sat down my eyes honed in on what was taking up her place setting.
Sitting there, nearly covering the whole place mat, was the biggest mother fucking bowl we owned. It was one of those clear glass things that’s used to make cookie dough and sitting alongside it was a huge silver mixing spoon.
All I could do was stare at what I couldn’t believe I seeing while Bella was like a kid on Christmas morning. Bouncing in her seat, seeming oblivious to the fact everyone was watching her while she ripped open the top of the red box.
"Ummmm....are you hungry Bella?"
Seth’s sarcasm coming out loud and clear however I was still fixated on what was happening right in front of me.
"Yes...I’m starrrrrving" drawing out the word with exaggerated slowness while ripping open the plastic interior bag and sending several little pieces of cereal flying onto the table.
She was practically humming with anticipation when her eyes finally met mine and she had the audacity to look shocked "What? "
Was she fucking kidding me?
At a complete loss on what to do my gaze flickering from the humongous bowl back Bella’s eyes watching her mouth form the words "We said on one bowl..."
Nodding in agreement, my eyes narrowed as Bella smiled around the words "...but we never said how big that bowl could be"
I could feel my eyes grow wider as a barrage of emotions ran through me, shock, uncertainty, frustration then finally exasperation. I was a hairs breath away from snatching that damn box out of her hands and throwing it away when Bella pointed a triumphant finger at me "Got Ya!"
I heard the snickers along with the high pitch tinkle of female giggles but all I could focus on was Bella’s fit of hysticial laughter. While I was still processing the fact that I had just been ‘Punked’, Bella produced a regular size bowl from the front of her hoodie along with a regular spoon she had tucked in the front pocket.
"What the hell is going on?"
Appartenly Seth wasn’t in on the joke either, Tracy on the other hand was laughing right along with the other two woman.
They must have clued her in while congregating around the coffee pot.
That was ok, I could take a joke.
Shifting my eyes towards Seth I filled him in "Your sister thinks she’s funny"
Bella was laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes "Oh my god...that was too funny Edward....you should have seen your face"
And then to top it all off, my conniving little angel looked diagonally across the table to her friend "Did you get it?"
Claire giggled "I did...it’s already sent to your phone"
Looking around the table it dawned on me that Claire was statically placed at the of the table between Seth and Quil, while Tracy sat opposite her next to Bella.
They had set me up, all of them, even the young one was in on the act.
The main accomplice must have played her part well because my man Quil picked up his woman’s phone and chuckled "Damn Edward...you have the same look on your face as Emery did when Douglas attacked him"
Seth was once again at a loss "Who’s Douglas and what did he do to Emery?"
Ignoring her brother Bella held out her hand for the phone "Let me see"
Holding it between her and Tracy the two of them once again started laughing "That’s a good one"
Tracy nodded at Bella’s assessment adding confidently "Blackmail material"
"No...no...no....I have special plans for this" Bella admitted before handing me the phone with a sly grin.
I was kind of worried about what she had in mind as I took in my captured expression. Laughing inspite of myself because Claire truly did catch me at a moment that rivaled Emery’s shocked face.
"You’re much prettier then Emery" Bella said as she leaned over to kiss my cheek.
"Don’t be trying to suck up to me now woman....just remember what you told Douglas last night." Narrowing her eyes at me I reminded her "Paybacks are a Bitch"
Waggling her eyebrows Bella challenged "Bring it Big Boy!"
Oh, I’d be bringing it alright
Gagging sounds came from Seth "I’m trying to eat here...and will someone please tell me who the fuck this Douglas is."
"Hey, no cursing at the table!" Bella admonished her brother.
"Whatever" he muttered turning his attention to me awaiting an answer, that came from the woman next to him "He’s Bella’s new best friend"
"I don’t know about that, I’m still mad at him" Bella said handing me the carton of milk
"How can you be mad at him, he’s like a....little puppy...all cute and cuddly"
"After what he did to me last night?" Bella’s aghast tone had Seth on alert "What did he do?"
Realizing she said to much Bella replied flippantly "Nothing...he just...thinks he so smart"
Claire laughed "You beat him at his own game, so how can you be mad?"
"She’s not really mad at him"
Hearing my comment, Bella halted the progress of the spoon going to her mouth "OH Yes I Am"
Refusing to acknowledge the petulant tone I thought it best to just move along "Eat your cereal Bella"
"I think I will" She said smugly before taking the first spoonful of her beloved Fruity Pebbles.
I watched with ramp fascination as her lips closed around the withdrawing utensil. Closing her eyes, Bella savored the flavor on her palate as if it was a fine wine before she started chewing.
And then she fucking moaned.
Not a quiet little ‘mmmm’, of happiness, no my girl heaved out a primal groan of oral satisfaction so loud that my dick was instantly standing at attention. Everyone stared at Bella as her face took on the scerene expression of sexual release while another moan excaped before her eyes fluttered open. Seeing she had become the center of attention, Bella’s face flushed red with embarrassment as she swallowed.
"What did Demetri put in those?" Quil’s question had Claire responding with one of her own "I don’t know, but, can I have some?"
Our laughter causing Belling to give a disparaging look "What’s so funny?"
"You’re kind of loud there babe"
"Not as loud as this morning, you woke me up..." Seth leveled a glare at his sister "Thank you very much"
"It wasn’t my fault, Edward was tickling me" she said picking up her fork and reaching over the table to take a bite of his pancake.
"Hey!" Seth complained "....I thought you were having cereal"
"I am....I just wanted a bite" she hummed again at the taste "mmm...those are really good"
"I know, Tracy makes them better than mom"
Bella chuckled dryly "Don’t let Sue hear you say that"
"It’s the truth"
While the exchange was going on I was preparing a scrumptious bowl of Fruity Pebbles however I looked up to put the milk down just in time to see the smile that formed on Tracy’s face in response to Seth’s praise.
"It’s Sue’s recipe, I just played around the spices until Seth liked it"
"You’re spoiled" Bella accused however Seth took it in stride by leaning back in the chair and patting his chest "I am the only son, that makes me king"
Bella must not agreed with his declaration as she picked up a sausage link and threw it at his head.
"Hey!" Seth complained rubbing his forehead where the piece of meat hit him "Watch it, that could have poked me in the eye"
Everyone burst out laughing and it only got worse when Seth grumbled "It’s not funny, you could have blinded me for life or something"
Bella’s attention turned to me as I took my first spoonful of cereal, her eyes watching me, waiting for some kind of a reaction. Of course it wasn’t the first time I had them, after all I was a child once, I just didn’t have the same attachment to them as Bella did. In fact it baffled me where the Fruity part of their name came from because all I could taste was sugar. Yet they were definitely crunchy and as I chew Bella kept watching, waiting.
Not wanting to disappoint her I imitated her moan with one of my own "MMMMMMM"
My actions brought more laughter along with a blush from Bella and Claire’s declaration "Next time you see Demetri tell him to get me some of those"
"Who’s this Demerti person?" Seth’s question was answered with a chuckle from Quil "Bella’s uncle"
"You have an uncle?"
"Noooo...he’s a...friend...of Edward’s"
"Of ours..."
I corrected before continuing to eat, albeit reluctantly, because although the cereal didn’t taste bad, they left a filmy, greasy coating in my mouth that I found distasteful. It wasn’t very appetizing and I wondered how Bella could harbor such an addiction to them. In any case I was more then happy to be finished and was fairly sure there wouldn’t be a second helping - ever. Instead I made up a plate of the pancakes everyone seemed to be raving about along with a scoop of eggs and a few stripes of bacon.
Reaching for the plate Bella moved to stand "I’ll heat that up for you"
"I got it..." just as I took the plate from out of her hand, the door bell rang and glancing over to the clock Bella mumbled "That’ll be Dougie"
Of course Bella was right, opening the door for him I was greeted with a hearty "Good morning Master Edward" before his face became solemn as he took on the same stance Bella does when she’s been inattentive.
"Master Edward, I have something to tell you, something bad that I did, but, well can I first talk to Bells?"
"Why?"
His calm demeanor slipped "Well...ummmm...well..." sighing Douglas just spit it out "I just want to let Bells know something..."
"In other words you want to make sure Isabella is aware your going to confess so she’s not blind sided when I confront her"
"Ummmm..." narrowing his eyes Dougie tilted his head and gave me a knowing smile "You already know, don’t you Master Edward?"
"Yes I do"
Douglas chuckled nervously "It was kind of funny wasn’t it Master Edward, what we did..." he forced out a laugh "...I mean we weren’t really bad or anything...it was just...we kinda played a trick on you..." the smile disappeared as he tilted his head "...don’t you think so?"
When I didn’t make any kind of attempt to reply Douglas’s face fell "Is Bells in lots of trouble?"
I figured since he was part of Bella’s plan to - hypothetically - make me sweat, I would return the favor and let him continue wondering until the two of them could have alone time to talk. "Why don’t you ask her."
"Ok, Master Edward I will, oh and Daddy wants to talk to you. He said it was very important and you are to call him right away."
I was slightly intrigued as to what Riley wanted, telling Douglas he should join everyone in the kitchen I depart from him and made my way upstairs to get my phone. Closing the door, I sat on the edge of the bed, hit my contact list and listened as the connection took hold.
Riley answered almost immediately, we had a brief conversation in which he told me what I already knew. He had forced Douglas to tell him about his part in playing a ‘trick’ on me. From what I had gathered Douglas didn’t break as easily as Bella did. Then again I suppose that the interrogation process was probably part of their play.
"Listen Edward, I wanted to tell you last night about Eleazar"
"What about him?"
"He has some...information you’d be interested in. He wanted to call you himself, but I wasn’t comfortable giving out your number. He suggested this route, leaving the decision to speak with him in your hands. He knew Douglas would be arriving at your home this morning, so he’s expecting your call"
"Do you know what it’s in reference to?"
The only thing I equated Eleazar with was Tanya and I had absolutely nothing to do or say about her.
"He mentioned something about the mess with Caius." he sighed heavily in the phone "I really don’t want to be involved and I would appreciate it if my son was not privy to all the nasty business either. He had enough hardships in his life and with his attachment with Isabella...well it would cause him needless worry."
I couldn’t fault Riley for wanting to protect the person he loved, however Douglas wasn’t exactly ignorant.
"He already knows Isabella is not to speak to Cauis"
"Yes and for his protection from a man who I consider to be less then honorable I will be issuing the same order. That alone will spike Douglas’s curiosity, however it’s not the first time I kept him from certain people for his own good. I only ask that my boy not be in the know of all the details as I don’t want to be fully informed myself. It’s nothing personal Edward, just a preempted measure to ensure my son remains as carefree and impartial as possible."
The impartial part threw me off as I wondered what Riley could have meant, still I agreed with his condition. Jotted down the number, we said our good byes and I wasted no time in calling Eleazar.
Personally I never had a problem with the man, then again, except for a few recent events our only contact had been a passing hello. As far as I knew, he was honorable, his one and only weakness being that of spoiling his wife. Whether it was guilt for taking her to some godforsaken frozen tundra or just simply through indulgence, Eleazar saw to it that Carman was kept happy by providing her with everything she wanted.
That included Tanya.
After my dismissal, she almost immediately joined their happy little threesome. Hell, for all I knew she might have been with them while still wearing my collar. I never cared enough to actually ask, then again I doubted Tanya would have told me truth even if i had. It didn’t really mater, either way, Eleazar never approached me about the circumstances surrounding her removal and I never offered any.
As far as I was concerned the relationship with Tanya was a closed chapter in the book of life. In all honesty it was one I wished could have been paged through or better yet skipped entirely. From the very beginning of our liaison, I knew it was a mistake. She was always way more demanding of my time then I was comfortable with, she played little mind fuck games that drove me completely insane and she lied to my face which such sincerity that I didn’t believe a word the woman said.
In my lust to play with her body, I had assumed - bad mistake - that time would make everything better. Thinking all she needed was to have more trust in me and understand that I am a man of my word. Yet every time we’d be together the situation just became more unbearable. It got to the point where I actually dreaded her appearance at my door and on occasion sent her text messages informing her not to come at all.
Knowing I made a mistake and doing something about it was two different things. At first I attempted to talk to Tanya about the problems we were having. When that had no effect on her behavior, I resorted to punishments. Those just seemed to have the adverse effect, rather then change her actions to remain obedient, she became more defiant. It was almost as if she enjoyed my loss of temper and she’d push me to loose control at every turn.
It was all so very frustrating and yet due to my own chauvinism I postponed the inevitable. Allowing the misery to hang on for months because it embarrassed me to admit I’d been wrong. Plus I didn’t want to be known as one of "those" kind of Dominants. The ones who act like collaring a submissive is nothing more then having your high school sweetheart wear your class ring. Give it to her today, snatch it back tomorrow and the next day bestow it to someone new.
There’s no commitment to the relationship, no mutual trust, respect or pleasure. I had already had a collared submissive with Irena. And even though we had parted on good terms because her needs had changed, it still stuck with me and I didn’t want to be viewed as a ‘Revolving Door Dom’ - A player at the lifestyle.
I wanted to be taken seriously and because I was more concerned with how my peers would view me rather then what was the best thing to do, I kept Tanya a lot longer then I should have. Then once she was gone, it was such a relief that I never looked back and of course I never collared another submissive, until Bella.
She was the only reason for my change of heart, of course that’s because she is my heart, I’d do anything for that woman’s safety including conversing with the one person who had the ability to usher Tanya back into my world.
The phone rang four times before a masculine Spanish accent answered with a hearty "Hello"
"Good morning Eleazar. This is Edward Cullen, I was told you would be expecting my call"
"Ah, yes I was, would you give me a moment please"
"Certainly"
There was some sort of hushed conversation on his end and then the unmistakable sound of a door closing before he came back on the line "I’m sorry Edward, I wanted to come to my office so we wouldn’t be interrupted."
"That’s fine, I didn’t mean to disturb your Saturday morning"
"No, that’s quite alright, I was the one who proposed this call in the first place. I trust you are well"
"Very well actually"
All the typical standard polite greeting bullshit was making me edgy, I wanted to just drop all the pretenses and just get to the point.
Instead I got more rhetoric "And how is your Isabella this morning?"
"She’s a bit busy, we’re entertaining a houseful of guest all weekend, so she’s occupied with being the perfect hostess and making sure they are taken care of"
It was more information then he needed but I thought my full explanation would keep him from asking anymore mundane questions.
"Yes" he chuckled dryly "When we have company, Carman drives me insane making sure everything is just so." Pausing for a moment he added "I had the privledge of speaking with your Isabella, twice now."
I didn’t know why he felt the need to keep track of his conversations with Bella, but I let it go as he went on.
"She’s a charming young woman that reminds me a bit of my Carman. There’s....an ingrain goodness, almost a tenderness to her.... sometimes my Carman is too compassionate for her own good. I can sort of see that in your Isabella as well."
"That’s Isabella, she holds nothing back from the people she cares about"
"I could tell by the way she responded to Douglas, and I must say, she speaks very highly of you and not just with words."
I understood he was referring to how Bella’s actions reflected back to me.
His next sigh irritated me because - like with Bella - I couldn’t decipher its meaning and out of frustration I spoke harsher then intended "Riley inferred you had something to tell me about Caius,"
He became just as clip "Yes...Im not sure how you conduct business in your household..."
Thinking he was going to call me out for being rude I was pleased that Eleazar finally got the point that I didn’t want to sit around and shoot the shit with him.
"...here in my home I make it a habit of monitoring all computer activity that occurs. Mostly to make sure that personal information is kept safe but also to see that no one is engaging in an activity they shouldn’t be. I’m fairly well versed with technology but just to be on the safe side I routinely have an IT man go through them also."
It didn’t sound too outlandish, security would be a very important aspect for a man who owns the largest internal shipping export company in the northwest.
"I wont bore you with all the details other then to say earlier this week it was brought to my attention there was something out of the ordinary. A few weeks before we arrived back in Seattle there has been an excessive amount of activity on a newly acquired email account. Now I have qualms about anyone in my home communicating with outsiders or playing around on the so called social networks. Particularly since we spend so much time isolated from the world. However I do require knowledge, along with password access to each account"
Pausing to justify himeslf "Don’t think me an intrusive, it’s more precautionary then anything else."
What did I care how the man ran his household?
"You have to do whatever you see fit"
"Yes, and up until the discovery of the new account there hadn’t been a problem. So of course, because of the attempt to hide the account from me, I was even more interested in what was occurring. And I had my expert go through the hard drive with a fine tooth comb, pulling out every piece of information he could."
A sick feeling of nausea gripped my stomach and I braced myself for what was coming.
"It would appear my wife’s pet doesn’t have enough things to occupy herself with..."
Oh my fucking god - Tanya
"...and she has insinuated herself into a matter she has no business being involved in."
"What did she do?" even to myself my voice sounded...empty
Taking a deep breath Eleazar sounded like a man making his last confession "There are emails and instant message conversations dating back to the beginning of May, all of which mention you or Isabella in one form or another."
There was only one question I had "And who was she talking with?"
"Oh...several people really, however the majority of them were from Miss Stanley, Mr Newton, Caius Salvator..."
With each name the anxiety in the pit of my stomach grew until he said the last one.
"... and two unanswered emails to someone by the name of James Cummings."
And I lost it
"Are you fucking kidding me!" looking at the phone as I roared and jumped to my feet "What reason would Tanya Denali have for fucking emailing Bella’s ex-husband"
"Ahhh...I didn’t realize that was Isabella’s ex and when I asked the girl who he was, I was told she didn’t know."
"That Fucking Lying Bitch!"
I needed to calm the fuck down so I could think rationally.
Taking a few deep breaths I was able to continue in a reasonable tone "If Tanya didn’t know who he was, what reason would she have to contact him?"
My voice might have calmed down but my body was on high alert so rather then sit back down, I paced, and listened, as Eleazar pieced it all together. Apparently Tanya had heard through the grape vine about Bella and she set up the new account thinking she was being stealth. What she couldn’t have known was that Eleazer was not a stupid man. He had a program installed on all his computers that doesn’t allow anything to be permanently deleted.
Eleazar had copies of everything that had conspired, Newton filling Tanya in on who Bella was, where she came from and how he knew so much. Jessicia and Lauren related even more information about Bella, catty high school things like how she was dressed or wearing her hair that night. There was a long IM from Jessica about the night that ultimatly caused her to be band from New Moon. In it she admits to breaking into my house, saying ‘Mike was screaming at me for not doing what he sent me to do and really mad because Caius was expecting that stuff’
Tanya asked Jessica a lot of questions about why Caius wanted some of Bella’s personal items. When she wasn’t given a sufficient enough answer Tanya asked Newton. He didn’t have specifics either, however he did at least have a reason for working with Caius in the first place.
"It would seem Mr Newton was in need of a zoning varience that Caius was going to have one of his friends on the city council help him with. There was also mention of Caius having knowledge of some illege activty Mr Newton was involved in. He said at one point...hold on, let me find it..."
While Eleazar searched I already figured there were two possibilities, either Cauis knew about Newton’s after hours club or else he knew about the stolen alcohol.
"...Mr Newton says, and I quote ‘If I don’t do what Caius wants he has proof of things I did that he said he’ll show to Aro"
Jesus Christ
The whole fucking thing was just getting to be too much. How in the hell did Caius know about Newton stealing?
That was a question for another time because the one thing I really wanted to know still hadn’t been answered.
"So how exactly does all that lead up to Tanya emailing James?"
"Well it seems Mr Newton started to get cold feet, he writes to the girl ‘It’s just not worth it, besides I can’t let Jim..." pausing Eleazar commented "...I’m assuming that’s short for James"
"Yeah" it was the only word that would come out as the bile rose in my stomach while Eleazar cleared his own throat and kept reading "...I can’t let Jim be anywhere around Karen. She wouldn’t be able to handle it, he scares her too much"
Maybe Newton does really care about Karen
"Who is Karen?"
Suddenly feeling exhausted I sat on the bed, hung my head and rubbed the back of my neck with my hand and sighed "Its a long complicated story, but basically she’s Newton’s girlfriend who just happens to hail from Bella’s home town"
"And she would have reason to be fearful of this Jim...James person"
He wasn’t asking because the answer was clear, still I replied simply "Yes"
"Because James is not a nice person"
Again it wasn’t a question however I answered "No he’s not"
Neither of us said anything for a long moment before I finally broke the silence
"I’m sorry but is there any explanation as to how Tanya went from hearing Newton refer to someone name Jim to knowing his full name is James Cummings. And then why in the hell, Tanya took it upon herself, to send him not one, but Two, God Damn E-Mails." My tone becoming harsher with each word until there was nothing but seething anger "Which by the way, what the Fuck would Tanya even say to him?"
"There were only two, both of them basic inquiries as to more of Isabella’s personal information. Plus..." the pause had me bracing myself "...your home address and she made an allusion to a possability of being paid for his help"
"Are you fucking kidding me? Why in gods name would she do that? She is basically offering James money to come fuck with my life. Why?"
"Both you and I know exactly why the little bitch did it." Eleazar wasn’t any happier about the situation then I was "The only condolence I can offer you is that it doesn’t appear like her request were answered."
"But how did she even get his real name?"
"That information was furnished by Caius. I’ve come to realize he is a spineless excuss for a man. He sent long involved emails to ‘the girl’, spilling out his distain, which in all actuality ammonts to nothing but jealousy towards Aro. He speaks about his desire to have your Isabella, the lengths he went through to get to her and why."
"Why? Because of stocks?" It seemed ridiculous to exert so much energy for something that he would never ha
"Stocks? I didn’t see anything about stocks."
"Yes in a radio station. That’s what Isabella has that he wants so badly. The stocks"
"No, he makes mention of saying Isabella had something he would like but his main reason is because she has money owed to him is from an estate."
I was totally confused, the only estate Bella had was from her mother "What would Caius have to do with Isabella’s mother?"
"Mother? No, he told ‘the girl’ it was from his brother"
His brother?
"I...I...I..." there were no words forming in my head and at my befuddled rambling Eleazar had me even more at a loss by saying "Isabella got over three quarters of a million in a trust fund from Caius’s brother, and he would like that back"
"Wh..who...who’s..." I was sounding like a fucking idiot, shaking my head to clear it I tried again "Does he say who is brother is?"
The only money Bella received was from her mother and Phil...
"No. He only says he wanted a DNA sample from Isabella to learn her true paternity. Apparently there is a question as to who her true father is"
Laughing humorlessly I assured him "Isabella knows who her father is and it’s no one related to Caius Salvator"
"Then why would his brother leave her all his worldly goods?"
I was still at a loss but at least I could speak coherently "I have no fucking idea, Isabella’s mother and step father, were killed in an accident when she was young. That is the only estate she received."
"Are you sure?"
I wasn’t sure of anything at the moment, however I knew without a doubt Bella hadn’t lied "Absolutely"
At least the fucking sigh he made was understandable "Then I’m at a loss because Caius was very adamant when he wrote ‘The little whore thinks she can keep what doesn’t belong to her, money my father paid to keep his dirty little secret quiet. She doesn’t deserve it, and I want it back’...does any of that make sense to you Edward?"
Swallowing hard to contain the anger raising from the vile accusations I was able to speak and think rationally "No...but I’ll find out. Does he say why James had to be brought into all this?"
"I believe it was a threat to keep Mr Newton in line, or perhaps...and this is only my own thoughts but maybe it was an attempt to gain a perspective on how to proceed against Isabella"
I wasn’t really following him so I was glad he explained "If he has any chance at all of contesting a will, which I assume was probated many years ago, then his only chance is to prove it or the beneficiary of it...fraudulent. For that purpose he would need as much...dirt as he could dig up and who better then to get that from then an ex, who might have an ax to grind"
The whole thing was so fucking unbelievable
"Edward? Are you still there?"
"Yes...sorry...I’m just...I don’t even fucking know what I am."
"Well, I’m sorry for the girls part in all this..."
"You know acully" laughing humorlessly "as messed up as it sounds, I’m kind of glad. At least this way..."
"You can prepared yourself?"
"Yes"
And maybe it was time to take Emmett and Bella’s advice and get a little proactive. With that thought in mind I wondered "Is there anything else"
"Well Riley told me you were on the look out for Mr. Newton and as of two days ago he was staying by the airport at the Sea-Tec Value Inn...if that is any help to you"
A true smile formed on my face "Actually, this whole call has been of a great help to us. Thank you"
"You’re welcome, again I’m sorry and I want you to know my wife’s pet has lost all computer privilege. However the accounts will remain open and I’ll be monitoring them so I’ll inform you of anymore activity on them."
"I’d appreciate that and again thank you"
"You take care of that girl of yours Edward, like I said she reminds me of my Carman and those kind of woman are a rare treasure."
We parted with a mutual ‘goodbye’ not exactly friends yet certainly with more respect for each other then we previously had - at least on my end. After hanging up I made two more phone calls.
The first one to Weiss, his went to voice mail so I left a brief message "This is Edward Cullen, I’m going to need you to get me all the information you can on Isabella’s step-father. His family, his childhood, anything and everything you can find and I need it as soon as possible"
The second one was answered by a stern voice who seemed pleasantly surprised to hear from me "Good morning officer Hawk, this is Edward Cullen, I believe I know where Michael Newton is"
BPOV
I was dreaming, I had to be because gram’s kitchen was no longer someplace I could physically be. She’d been dead and in the ground for more than ten years and my mother much longer. So I knew their voices calling out a warning in the darkness wasn’t real.
As the nothingness turned to brightness a warm tingly feeling spread through me. My body shifted, rolled sideways and the tugging on my arms pulled me the rest of the way until I was propped on one hip. Trying to tuck my hands under my chin was futile as my wrist refused to be moved. Wanting to continue sleeping I bent one leg and stretched out the best I could.
Still halfway between sleep and alertness the presence of the person rearranging me became clearer.
"Mmmm. .eddd"
"Shhhh..." warm hands cupped my breast as his hush against my ear set shivers down my spine "...stay quiet now and don’t speak until I tell you. Do you understand?"
Nodding my head ‘yes’ he kissed my cheek "Good girl...for now, I want you to just feel ...and think"
Think?
Think about what?
The grogginess dissipated and I started to wonder if I was suppose to think about the weight of his firm chest pressed against my back or the thrill of his arms encircling me. Maybe he meant how his hands felt against my breast and the twinge of warmth radiating through me from the tug of my nipple. Or possibly it was the way my body responded to allow his hand to slide between my hip and the bed to settle in the junction between my thighs. It could have been the sound of my increased breathing from the trail of kisses he placed against my neck while long talented fingers skimmed over my lower lips.
Was that what I was to think about?
Or was that what I was suppose to feel?
Edward’s nose tailed up the length of my neck and his warm breath sounded in my ear "I discovered something last night Isabella"
Ahhhh...last night
I had discovered something too; Edward’s hands weren’t the only talented part of him. What that man did with his mouth was – unworldly. Pussy worship was a glorious sacrament and if it meant I’d get to experience that again, I’d set up an alter between my legs and keep the eternal flame burning brightly.
My thoughts came back to Edward’s fingers moving between my folds, sliding in the wetness and circling softly around my clit. My body responding to the pleasure and my hips moved against his hand while he spoke gently "You have a spot...right...about...."
Stopping at the top left side of the gland he used one finger to lightly rub an area I didn’t know existed "....here"
My body stiffened and I sucked in a gasp as pure unadulterated pleasure shot through me. That small area taking on a mind of its own and demanding more pressure until I found myself unwittingly pressing against his hand. Between that and the fingers tweaking my nipple, I was suddenly shaking with an orgasm that I wasn’t going to be able to stop.
Edward’s dark chuckle sounded in my ear "Oh yes nâhtötse...that’s going to be fun to explore"
To both my regret and relief his hand moved. "But for now..."
My body longed for the denied release as Edward slid two fingers on either side of my clit, capturing the gland between them. Slowly wiggling his fingers had me once again totally focused on the sensations cursing through me. He kept just enough pressure on the bundle of nerves to make me suck in a breath yet not undo my control. It felt good, but wasn’t quite enough and I wanted so desperately to wiggle against his hand, so I could gain just the tiniest bit more pressure.
"...we have something else to work on."
Oh Jesus...
Those words brought me back to reality.
Working on something was Master’s code name for ‘time to learn a lesson.’
Once that realization hit me all thoughts of sexual release were gone as I tried hard to think of something I did, said, wrote, thought or implied that would warrant ‘working on.’
The only event that came to mind was the episode with Demetri.
The previous night, Master had made it very clear that we would be finishing that discussion in the morning. However it didn’t make any sense that Edward would combine a punishment with a lesson. They were two totally different things, and as the pressure along with the quickness of his fingers moving over my clit increased so did the grip on my nipple.
The building tightness in my belly had me letting out a deep moan "ohhhhh"
Removing his hand from my breast Edward quickly brought it down on the side of my butt cheek with a stern "Quiet!"
The unexpected flash of pain spontaneously sent my hips forward and I found that I had been correct, the added pressure was exquisite and I began grinding against his hand. Biting my lip didn’t help stop the small whimper from me or another correlating swat on my behind.
"You like that Isabella"
The statement of fact didn’t warrant a response however the two quick slaps that came down on my butt did. Moaning into the pillow my hips once again thrust against Master’s hand. The added pressure on his wiggling digits brought another low whimper from me and two more swats from him.
Lips kissed my bare shoulder and my bottom lifted to greet Master’s hand as he softly rubbed my warmed cheeks.
"It’s ok to like the pain Isabella, but you already know that..." three kisses trailed up my neck "...after all you wrote a whole book on the normalcy of personal needs"
The soft soothing hands started to lightly knead my flesh "Yet after reading your journal I saw there was a lingering question in your mind."
"So let’s try to help you figure it out" and with that, the true spanking begun.
Edward’s hand rained down on my bottom, moving around the flesh as if he was following a road map. The slapping sound filled the room and each time Master made contact my hips jetted forward against the firmness of his fingers. I couldn’t stop the pressure in my belly from coming out in the form of moans and as the swats started to become harder, my wanton cries grew.
The fire in me was growing, my blood was boiling and the more I pulled on my restrained wrist the faster my heart beat. My body was on the verge, my head was swimming and I wanted so desperately to retreat into myself, to let go of reality and let the pain take me away.
But there wasn’t enough of a consistent rhythm to get lost in so all I could do was plead "Please Master...please..."
"Please what? Tell me what you need Isabella!"
"Mor...Mor...MORE! Please MORE!" it was all I could get out as the pain from the spanking started to edge into excruciating pleasure.
"More what Isabella? What is it you want more of?"
I didn’t exactly know.
Logically I should want the pain to stop, but each time Master’s hand landed, the hot sting sent my hips forwards into his waiting fingers and set my body ablaze with gratification.
"Is it the pain Isabella?"
The intensity of his question reaching my mottled brain and when I didn’t answer Master’s voice became forceful "Does the pain drive you?"
I couldn’t think about anything but what was happening in my body, I was teetering on the edge, with not enough pain to hit subspace and not enough pleasure to gain release. I was in a type of sexual purgatory, trapped in an abyss of desire that I didn’t know how to escape from.
"Isabella!" Master’s harsh voice breaking through my delirium "Answer me! Is it the pain?"
A hard slap to the top of my thigh had me crying out "Yes!"
"Yes What!"
Another loud slap had me yelling into the pillow "Yes Master!"
"Answer the question...do you enjoy the pain!"
"Ye..yes...yes...it feels..."
"Are you sure?" His tone gentler yet still authoritative enough to keep my attention
"Or would you prefer only this..."
The spanking ended and the fingers that had been teasing my clit became more determined as they quickly started to rub over the top of the gland.
My butt lifted off the bed as I sucked in a breath while my body spasmed out of control. After the pain of the spanking, it felt so good that my toes curled as I used them to hold my elevated body off the bed. My new position gave Master better access and he took advantage of it by rubbing faster.
I couldn’t move, I was afraid to breathe and my body shook uncontrollably as I struggled to hold onto the pressure in my belly. All I could focus on was the drumming of my own heart in my ear and the violent force in the pit of my stomach that was going to erupt.
I was in my own personal hell with no one to pray to and then somehow in the recesses of my mind I heard Master’s demanding voice say "Cum Isabella"
And I did
Every muscle in my body seemed to tighten as I screamed out my release into the pillow until I was weaken to the point of dizziness. Sucking in a much needed breath sent the hot tingle of my orgasm racing through me and every nerve ending in my body exploded with euphoric pleasure.
Enjoying the after shocks I once again felt myself being rearranged onto my side but was too busy gasping for breath to care. Master moved in behind me, his hand clasping my leg and lifting it over his thigh. The length of his dick sliding through the slickness of my sex, teasing my entrance and making me whimper when it brush against the sensitive gland.
"Shhhh..." he hushed while brushing the hair from my face "...are you able to think now Isabella?"
"Yes Master" I gasped out as my hips started to move against his thrust.
"Good, now answer my question. Is it purely the pain you get off on or does it help to enhance the orgasm?"
Even with the heat of little eddie sliding through my folds, I knew exactly what he wanted me to work on. It was the word enhance that brought the whole thing into focus. I had written that same word in my journal the morning after our last session. Master had pushed me further then he ever had before, it was like he was stepping up our game and taking me to a new level of tolerance. As I wrote I contemplated my response and subsequent enjoyment. The question I posed to myself was whether the pain enhanced my orgasm of if the orgasm grew out of the pain.
In either scenario - I was a masochist.
I don’t know why the title had startled me so much, after all I had known the effect pain had on me. Yet still it was like a slap in the face to a hysterical woman, a rude awakening that shook me from the foolish game of denial my mind was trying to play. Up until that very moment I had put on my blinders and blamed my inflamed desires on Edward.
It left me free to enjoy the pain, not because I asked for it but because he did it to me. Since that was the case, it wasn’t exactly something I had to justify about myself. Yet just as with everything else Master knew his girl better then she knew herself and he was forcing her to take a hard look in the proverbial mirror.
"Isabella..." his hand cupped the underside of my face "...look at me"
It was hard to stare into the intensity of his eyes while knowing he was seeing me laid bare before him. It was a raw emotion brewing inside me; admitting to him and myself that I was what everyone always accused me of - abnormal.
In those few seconds I began to question myself and most of those doubts centered around my life with James.
I knew the submissive in me was attracted to his dominating take charge personality. I had long since come to terms with that part of who we were together. What I was all of a sudden beginning to wonder about was a fear I had pushed to the back of my mind.
Ever since realizing the personality trait in myself, I had clung to the shameful thought that I had somehow secretly wanted James to treat me badly. Even after years of sitting through counseling sessions for both myself as well as my own clients, my nagging fears still went far beyond the typical ‘victims remorse’.
Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind was the the thought I stayed with James so long because my depraved desires found the abuse exciting. Was it possible that in my ‘fucked-up-ness’ I let off subliminal messages that James recognized and responded to. As sick as it may sound I wondered if subconsciously I had taken gratification in the violence. And there was a part of me that feared his abuse as nothing more then sadistic foreplay.
"Either way Isabella, there is nothing wrong with you"
Staring into the loving eyes of the man who brought all those desires out me without ever making me feel degraded or violated the answer became clearer.
No – None of that was true.
I had probably always had masochistic desires, it was just a part of who I was as a sexual being. But that didn’t give him or anyone else a green light to abuse me. The fear I carried of James saying I asked for and enjoyed the abuse he inflicted, was completely irrational. I didn’t have to keep denying the truth or feel ashamed because Master was right.
There was nothing wrong with me.
EPOV
I saw it in Bella’s eyes, the revaluation, the acceptance; it was almost as if some deep dark secret had been exposed. Something in her mind shifted, settled and freed itself; all that was left was the admittance.
"Which is it Isabella? Does the orgasm come from the pain or does the pain make the orgasm better?"
Closing her eyes Bella thrust her hips back against me and sucked in air through her teeth. Part of her reaction was from my dick hitting her clit but mostly it was from her butt cheeks coming in contact with my groin. In my attempt to help shed some light on the inner workings of Bella’s mind, I had given her bottom a sound spanking. By the time I was done, her lilly white butt cheeks were a deep shade of pink that would keep her from sitting comfortably for the rest of the day. So her response from hitting my pelvis didn’t surprise me and neither did her answer.
"The pain makes the orgasm better Master"
I knew that. However I wasn’t prepared for her next admission
"...your girl is a pain slut"
The tone of her mater of fact voice made me chuckle "No my girl is no such thing." wanting to assure her I added "But even if she was, there would be nothing wrong with her. Do you understand?"
The head of my dick was getting dangerously close to being engulf inside her. All I had to do was shift my hips and on the next stroke her warm soft walls parted for me. Stopping there I looked down into Bella’s eyes and waited for the answer.
Squeezing her internal muscles around the invasion Bella let out a small moan before saying "yessss"
I was freaking dying to get balls deep inside her but first I wanted her to fully come to terms with herself "Say it Isabella, say it out loud"
"This one likes pain and..." swallowing hard Bella admitted "...there’s nothing wrong with that"
"Again" I demanded as I slid further inside her.
After the third time I was fully sheathed within her and Isabella was practically chanting out her declaration. "This one has nothing to be ashamed of, because there is nothing wrong with her"
"Absolutely nothing" I assured her before taking a slow stoke and groaned at the feel of Bella’s muscles tightening around me when I slid back in.
That was what I was waiting for; only once before had she constricted around me until I released and I wanted to do it again. There was going to come a time when I’d have her sit on me and use only her muscles to bring me to completion, but like anything else that was something we’d have to work up to.
Propped on one arm, I stared down into the face of the woman I loved and started to move inside her. The desire in her eyes driving me on while my fingers once again began to circle her bundle of nerves. Bella let out a small moan and just for good measure I slapped the top of her exposed gland. As she absorbed the feel a small stuttering gasp escaped her mouth while her eyes closed and she tightened around my dick.
Forcing back a groan my hand came down on her tender flesh with a demand "Look at me!"
Fluttering eyes opened to mine at the same moment I thrust deep inside; watching the fire behind her gaze caused my own need to intensify.
"Keep watching me" I ordered as my hips began to move with more intent while my hand vacillated between pleasing and punishing her clit.
The eyes staring back at me reflected my own rising inferno and as my hand made contact with her flesh, the resounding slap paled in comparison to the words coming out of Bella. "Oh...harder...please"
Giving her what she wanted I marveled at the response I received from the well placed slaps against her exposed gland. Bella’s eyes darkened, her breaths came in ragged gasps and as she flinched against the impact her internal muscles constricted around me.
"Don’t you dare cum" the warning coming out through clinched teeth
"AHHHHH...."
Her gasping cry from me pushing deeper inside her while circling her clit with my fingers was louder then I was comfortable with. In an attempt to not disturb our house guest I smothered her mouth with my own. Swallowing her passionate cries in a deep kiss while still using my hand to bring both of us pleasure.
Each slap causing Bella to react by flexing her hips and rythmatically clamping around me. My own body responding to the movements along with the kiss until I was bretahlessly pulling away from her mouth.
And the begging began
"Oh Master...plea...please...let your slut...cum...please"
"Not yet ...Isabella" my tone not nearly as harsh as the slap.
Her beseeching eyes staring into mine while she breathlessly pleaded "Can’t...can’t...ho...ho..ho..ho..Hold...HOLD...PLEASE!"
My own body was wound so tightly I knew it wasn’t going to take me much longer but I needed to get Bella to focus. Staying away from the gland I repeatedly slapped at the puffy skin of her sex and ordered "Squeeze Isabella...tighter...Tighter..."
"Can’t" she cried and I put slightly more force into my hand "Yes you can!"
The repeated breathy mewls of "Mmaah...Mmaah" was all that came out of her mouth while Bella’s hips bucked against my hand as her internal muscles brought me to the brink. All I needed was just the slightest bit more pressure and that’s exactly what I got by using two fingers to rub the spot I had found the previous night.
Bella’s eyes widened and her body quivered as a steady cry of pure pleasure left her mouth. I spontaneously responded by thrusting deeper into her and as I bottomed out Bella’s muscles tighten around me with the perfect rhythm. It felt so good, I pressed impossibly deeper in her, tugged on her ear with my teeth and growled out "Now Cum"
The response of her body was exactly what I had hoped for, her pelvis seized around me and as the orgasm took hold, her internal walls pulsed against my dick. With a grunt, I dropped my arm, pulled Bella closer to me and with a primal groan, pumped cum deep inside her.
Lost in the bliss of not only my release but also being completely surround by Bella, every ounce of me felt spent. The euphoria was enhanced by the scent of her hair, along with the sweet smell of sweaty sex. I wanted nothing more then to just relish the feel of her in my arms matching her heavy breaths with my own. Remaining sheathed within the warmth of her body, I pulled the blankets back around us to enjoy a bit of after sex cuddling.
I wasn’t exactly sure when cuddling became part of the process, but it had. I wanted to hold her, I wanted to keep our connection for as long as possible. More important I wanted Bella to know that even in my role as her Master, I loved her.
Bella wiggled her back closer against my chest "Mmm..." she hummed in an erotically sated tone "Happy...Birthday Master"
It wasn’t that I had forgotten what day it was, it was more that up until that moment the fact hadn’t really crossed my mind. I thought back to all the other years that I woke up alone or with some nameless, faceless woman who meant nothing to me. And as I did everyday, thanked God for bringing my Bella to my life.
Squeezing her a little tighter I kissed her head "Best fucking birthday, ever"
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, all I wanted to do was hold my girl for a few minutes before administering aftercare for her bottom. However I must have either been tired from our late night or more relaxed from the early morning sex then I thought. Because the next thing I knew my eyes were staring at the red numbers on the clock that declared it to be nine twenty- seven.
OH Shit... I lost nearly two hours
Bella shifted in my arms making me aware that although little eddie wasn’t completely solid, he was still safely tucked away inside her. While my mind marveled over that revelation, Bella tugged against the restraints on her wrist with a small whimper.
"Hold still baby" I said quietly while reaching my arm over to unhook the clasp and effectively removing myself from her body along with what felt like all of the fluid I had deposited there.
"Ugh..." I groaned while Bella giggled "You think that’s bad? It’s worse when your walking and the giz is running down your leg"
"It must be tough being a woman"
"You don’t have to be a woman, just a ...wide receiver" giggling at her own joke while I added with a chuckle "Or a tight end"
Bella laughed harder and shook her head "Nah ah...if it’s tight it will all stay in...this one is just loosey goosey"
"I’ll give you loosy goosy..." I said before attacking her ribs with insistent fingers and tickling her until she was squirming underneath me.
Peals of laugher filled the room along with rather loud begging "Please...Please....gonna make ...stop...gonna pee..."
Stopping with the tickling I grinned and with one hand grasped the cuffs that still enclosed her wrist. Lifting them over Bella’s head I pressed them to the mattress effectively holding them in place before lowering my head and blowing raspberries on her belly.
Bella screeched in a giggling thrashy frenzy "Stop...Stop...Oh God...Stop"
Her wails of glee intermingled with my own laughter as I placed another raspberry against her belly. The excitment of our fooling around had gotten Seth’s attention as he was all of a sudden next to the bed. Standing on his hind legs with his paws on the mattress with a wagging tail he barked once.
Glancing at the dog, his eyes looking at a laughing naked Bella who was squirming around trying to get away. Pinning her with my legs and firmly holding her wrist I addressed our canine audience.
"I think mommy likes this boy, what do you think, should we do it again"
As if in agreement he barked and as my full attention returned to Bella her face turned as pleading as her voice "No...No...No...don’t"
"Ah...Isabella" I practically crooned "Don’t you know by now, every time you say No, all I hear is...Yes"
Chuckling wickedly I blew more vibrations on her stomach making her squirm in the most erotic way against my body. Seth’s barking drowned out the sound of Bella’s shrill cries and I figured before the whole house was knocking down our door I had better stop. Besides I still hadn’t checked her bottom from the spanking.
Releasing her hands I disconnected the rings that held her wrist together and had Bella roll onto her stomach. The pinkness that had been present was just about completely gone, there was only a few spots on the fullness of her cheeks that showed any sign of my attention. Even those were barely visible and I was sure the discoloration had more to do with all the squirming she had just done rather then contact from my hand, still I wasn’t taking any chances.
"Do you truly need to use the bathroom, or was that just a ruse in order to get away?"
Glancing over her shoulder I was given an innocent smile "No Sir...your slut, needs to pee"
"Go then" I said with a swat to the butt that made her flinch before she scowled at me over her shoulder while scampering off the bed.
Even in playful fun I couldn’t let the attitude go unnoticed "Watch yourself young lady or you’ll spend the morning standing in the corner."
The warning reminded me of the situation from the previous night that needed to be addressed. While Bella was using the bathroom I dressed in a pair of pajama pants and loose T-shirt, straightened the bed and waited for her return. When she came out in all her naked glory, I shamelessly eyed her up. My mind running through several possible scenes, one in particular standing out and as the idea for our next usual played out, I patted the bed for Bella to join me. My thoughts must have betrayed me because the prettiest warm flush broke out all over her face. The reaction of false innocence made me chuckle, the woman was a walking, talking contradictory of sexual exploration.
Joining me on the bed, I had Bella lie on her stomach facing away from me. Propped up on her elbows she glanced over her shoulder at me with an expression that set my pulse pounding. There was nothing lewd in the gesture, it was more the intensity of her gaze. My woman loved me and if we would have had time, she would have done everything she could have to prove it.
Seth’s sitting on the floor staring at us, reminded me that I had to get on with it. Picking up her journal off the nightstand I watched Bella’s eyes follow the motion of my hand as I placed in front of her on the bed. Explaining that I didn’t want to procrastinate with administering the punishment for not obeying Demetri in a timely manner, I told her what she had to do.
"Open your book to a fresh page..." as Bella complied I went on "....date it and then write ‘Master’s slut will always be aware of who is around her and she will immediately obey the instructions of anyone who He..." pausing to emphasis "...with a capital ‘H’...has previously determined to have proven themselves to be of the utmost charter and trustworthy enough to attend to His...again with a capital ‘H’... most prized procession"
Having her read it back to me, I was satisfied with both the wording as well as the length. Giving her the option to either write out the sentences in her journal or on separate pieces of paper, Bella as usual choose the later. While she got down to business I went about attending to the postponed aftercare.
Following the swirl of ink on her left cheek while my other hand mimicked the movement on her right, I rubbed a thin layer of lanolin over her skin. The little bit of pinkness that had been there began fading and Bella hummed in contentment. Seth on the other hand had reached his limit, sitting next to the bed he whined in protest.
"OK...boy."
Placing the lotion back in the drawer, leaning down I kissed the soft roundness of her bottom that had taken the most punishment "There, all better"
Getting to my feet had Seth running to the door but first I needed to take care a few things "Isabella look at me"
With her full attention on me I told her what else I expected her to do.
"Besides that writting assignment, you are to write a full page apology to Demetri. I expect it to be worded in proper submissive speech. In it you are to explain why you are apologizing along with what punishment you received. I also expect it to contain your sincere assurance that it will never happen again. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Master...ummm"
It seemed fairly self explanatory yet she definitely had a question "What is it?"
"Well...you didn’t tell your girl how many sentences she was to write"
Oh
The violation hadn’t exactly been severe yet the reminder was definitely necessary, in that instance it seemed logical to see what her thoughts were.
"Well since this exercise is more of an aid to remind you, why don’t you tell me how many it will take."
Scrunching up her face, Bella asked hopefully "Ummm...twenty...five?"
Nice try
"I think...my girl is a bit more thickheaded then that"
Biting her lip she looked at me through her lashes, batting her eyes bashfully "Fifty?"
Narrowing my eyes I contemplated for a long minute. Normally a higher count would be expected however she also had a letter to attend to along with a houseful of guest to greet so I was willing to be lenient .
"That sounds sufficient"
The poor dog was in such a hurry to he practically upended himself as he slipped on the wooden floor while rounding the bottom of the steps. Righting himself he quickly took off towards the sound of quiet talking coming from the kitchen. I hadn’t really heard anyone walking through the house so I was slightly surprised to find three people gathered around the island.
We exchanged the standard ‘good morning’ as I moved past them to let Seth out. It was a beautiful summer morning with a warm breeze blowing. Letting the door open I headed for the coffee pot wondering about the missing person. "Is Claire still sleeping?"
"Yeah" Quil answered as I joined them "It was a long day and she just wanted an extra half hour"
"Is Bella awake?" Seth asked in a tone that made me think there was a purpose behind the question
"She is"
"Is she showering?"
"Ummm..." staling by taking a drink "...she’s doing something at the moment"
My eyes flickering to the person who knew Bella was more then likely fulfilling her punishment yet Quil showed no uneasiness nor did he comment. Seth on the other hand seemed to have an agenda.
"Is it going to take her long?"
"It shouldn’t ...why do you need something?"
Bella had already seen to their bathroom being stocked with towels, she made sure there was a fresh bar of soap in the shower along with two packages of toilet paper under the sink. Unless they forgot something or Tracy needed some kind of feminine product - which knowing Bella those were probably in there too - I couldn’t imagine what was so important.
"Seth wants banana pancakes..." Tracy said in her shy voice "...I brought the bananas...but...do you think Bella will be mad if I made them? There’ll be enough for everyone..."
"That’s very nice of you offer but why would Bella be mad? Are you going to burn down the house?"
"Noooo..." she giggled while Seth threw his arm around the girls shoulder. Tugging her to his side and nearly pulling her off the stool in the process "Hell no, she’s a great cook. Last time...well Leah got all territorial..."
There was no reason for Seth to go on, I already knew Leah’s misconstrued opinion about her brothers relationship. "Go ahead, there’s eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage in the fridge ...knock yourself out, make a whole feast if you want to"
I didn’t realize the girl was going to take me so literally, however Tracy mixed, whipped and stirred to her hearts content. Fifteen minutes later she was tending to all four burners while softly singing along to the country music coming from the docking station. It felt all kinds of wrong to be sitting on my ass listening to Seth talk about their night while a teenage girl slaved away to make breakfast.
Attempting to be polite I asked a couple of times if she needed help, once when I got her the baking power - something I didn’t even know we had - and the other when I refilled my coffee. The second time, the girl kind of snarled at me so I figured it best to just back the fuck off and let her alone.
Once it seemed like Tracy had the food almost done, I did take it upon myself to get the table set. Stacking the dishes, glasses and utensil in front of Seth, he got the hint, I started a fresh pot of coffee and Quil made sure every condiment we could possibly need was on the table.
Except one
"Ah...can you grab the ketchup"
"For breakfast?"
Seth answered him with one word "Bella"
"Ohhhh...right."
Quil’s tone of voice made it sound like her ketchup fetish was something appalling so I set him straight. "I think it’s adorable"
The look of astonishment I got was upstaged by Seth’s declaration "Obviously you never seen her put ketchup in Chicken Soup"
"No...I missed that one"
"Bella puts ketchup in soup?" Tracy’s astonished voice coming from behind us.
"She puts ketchup on everything"
Not really everything, but a lot of stuff, and I remembered Bella telling me about how her mother wasn’t a very good cook. How she often made concoctions, necessitating the need for ketchup to make it editable. Much like the time she requested the condiment for the pâté
covered crackers I forced her to eat, she must have needed it to dress up the soup.
Seth practically confirmed my suspicion "Charlie was so embarassed...we went to Tacoma to visit his...eighty year old aunt or something. She made us soup with these big ass balls of hard dough in it, and Bells is...squeezing..."laughing as he added the imitating hand motions "...a load...of ketchup...into it."
Admittedly I chuckled along with the him and Quil, in part due to the way Seth was telling the story. But on a larger scale because it was a selfless act that was so completely in tune with Bella’s personality. Charlie was embarrassed because he saw his daughters actions as insulting to his aunt when in actuality they were completely the opposite. Rather then hurt the old woman’s feelings by admitting her soup sucked, Bella took it upon herself to doctor it up enough that she could eat it.
"That’s my girl" I said proudly
Bella and Claire came into the kitchen, giggling like adolescence, dressed much the same way as Tracy in baggy sweats. The two woman said their good mornings a moment before appraising what was happening. Bella took in the fully set table, the girl by the stove plating food she had obviously cooked, along with the three of us standing around laughing and came to her own conclusion.
"Tracy cooked?" The glare I was getting was one thing but the tone of voice Bella used had immediately on the defense "Ummm...yeah?"
"Wa...was that ok?" Tracy asked tentatively as she appeared at Seth’s side with a plate full of breakfast meat. "Ed...Edward said you wouldn’t mind"
Bella’s eyes narrowed at me before shrugging "No..." seeing the girls face fall Bella quickly amended "I mean...no, why would I mind? It’s just that they..." pointing her finger at the three of us "shouldn’t have made you cook everything by yourself"
"I don’t mind...I really like to cook and I made enough for everyone"
"Well Thank You, that was very considerate..." Once again Bella’s eyes shifted to mine as she grinned "...but Edward and I are having Fruity Pebbles"
UGH... with all the delicious aromas floating around, the last thing I wanted to eat was sugar coated cardboard. But a deal was a deal, I just hoped it would be a small bowl so I’d have room left for some real food.
Since Tracy had indeed done all the work in preparing the food, the least we males could do was carry it to the table. While we did that the girls got themselves coffee, joining us Bella proudly set the box of cereal on the table along with a bowl in front of me and as she sat down my eyes honed in on what was taking up her place setting.
Sitting there, nearly covering the whole place mat, was the biggest mother fucking bowl we owned. It was one of those clear glass things that’s used to make cookie dough and sitting alongside it was a huge silver mixing spoon.
All I could do was stare at what I couldn’t believe I seeing while Bella was like a kid on Christmas morning. Bouncing in her seat, seeming oblivious to the fact everyone was watching her while she ripped open the top of the red box.
"Ummmm....are you hungry Bella?"
Seth’s sarcasm coming out loud and clear however I was still fixated on what was happening right in front of me.
"Yes...I’m starrrrrving" drawing out the word with exaggerated slowness while ripping open the plastic interior bag and sending several little pieces of cereal flying onto the table.
She was practically humming with anticipation when her eyes finally met mine and she had the audacity to look shocked "What? "
Was she fucking kidding me?
At a complete loss on what to do my gaze flickering from the humongous bowl back Bella’s eyes watching her mouth form the words "We said on one bowl..."
Nodding in agreement, my eyes narrowed as Bella smiled around the words "...but we never said how big that bowl could be"
I could feel my eyes grow wider as a barrage of emotions ran through me, shock, uncertainty, frustration then finally exasperation. I was a hairs breath away from snatching that damn box out of her hands and throwing it away when Bella pointed a triumphant finger at me "Got Ya!"
I heard the snickers along with the high pitch tinkle of female giggles but all I could focus on was Bella’s fit of hysticial laughter. While I was still processing the fact that I had just been ‘Punked’, Bella produced a regular size bowl from the front of her hoodie along with a regular spoon she had tucked in the front pocket.
"What the hell is going on?"
Appartenly Seth wasn’t in on the joke either, Tracy on the other hand was laughing right along with the other two woman.
They must have clued her in while congregating around the coffee pot.
That was ok, I could take a joke.
Shifting my eyes towards Seth I filled him in "Your sister thinks she’s funny"
Bella was laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes "Oh my god...that was too funny Edward....you should have seen your face"
And then to top it all off, my conniving little angel looked diagonally across the table to her friend "Did you get it?"
Claire giggled "I did...it’s already sent to your phone"
Looking around the table it dawned on me that Claire was statically placed at the of the table between Seth and Quil, while Tracy sat opposite her next to Bella.
They had set me up, all of them, even the young one was in on the act.
The main accomplice must have played her part well because my man Quil picked up his woman’s phone and chuckled "Damn Edward...you have the same look on your face as Emery did when Douglas attacked him"
Seth was once again at a loss "Who’s Douglas and what did he do to Emery?"
Ignoring her brother Bella held out her hand for the phone "Let me see"
Holding it between her and Tracy the two of them once again started laughing "That’s a good one"
Tracy nodded at Bella’s assessment adding confidently "Blackmail material"
"No...no...no....I have special plans for this" Bella admitted before handing me the phone with a sly grin.
I was kind of worried about what she had in mind as I took in my captured expression. Laughing inspite of myself because Claire truly did catch me at a moment that rivaled Emery’s shocked face.
"You’re much prettier then Emery" Bella said as she leaned over to kiss my cheek.
"Don’t be trying to suck up to me now woman....just remember what you told Douglas last night." Narrowing her eyes at me I reminded her "Paybacks are a Bitch"
Waggling her eyebrows Bella challenged "Bring it Big Boy!"
Oh, I’d be bringing it alright
Gagging sounds came from Seth "I’m trying to eat here...and will someone please tell me who the fuck this Douglas is."
"Hey, no cursing at the table!" Bella admonished her brother.
"Whatever" he muttered turning his attention to me awaiting an answer, that came from the woman next to him "He’s Bella’s new best friend"
"I don’t know about that, I’m still mad at him" Bella said handing me the carton of milk
"How can you be mad at him, he’s like a....little puppy...all cute and cuddly"
"After what he did to me last night?" Bella’s aghast tone had Seth on alert "What did he do?"
Realizing she said to much Bella replied flippantly "Nothing...he just...thinks he so smart"
Claire laughed "You beat him at his own game, so how can you be mad?"
"She’s not really mad at him"
Hearing my comment, Bella halted the progress of the spoon going to her mouth "OH Yes I Am"
Refusing to acknowledge the petulant tone I thought it best to just move along "Eat your cereal Bella"
"I think I will" She said smugly before taking the first spoonful of her beloved Fruity Pebbles.
I watched with ramp fascination as her lips closed around the withdrawing utensil. Closing her eyes, Bella savored the flavor on her palate as if it was a fine wine before she started chewing.
And then she fucking moaned.
Not a quiet little ‘mmmm’, of happiness, no my girl heaved out a primal groan of oral satisfaction so loud that my dick was instantly standing at attention. Everyone stared at Bella as her face took on the scerene expression of sexual release while another moan excaped before her eyes fluttered open. Seeing she had become the center of attention, Bella’s face flushed red with embarrassment as she swallowed.
"What did Demetri put in those?" Quil’s question had Claire responding with one of her own "I don’t know, but, can I have some?"
Our laughter causing Belling to give a disparaging look "What’s so funny?"
"You’re kind of loud there babe"
"Not as loud as this morning, you woke me up..." Seth leveled a glare at his sister "Thank you very much"
"It wasn’t my fault, Edward was tickling me" she said picking up her fork and reaching over the table to take a bite of his pancake.
"Hey!" Seth complained "....I thought you were having cereal"
"I am....I just wanted a bite" she hummed again at the taste "mmm...those are really good"
"I know, Tracy makes them better than mom"
Bella chuckled dryly "Don’t let Sue hear you say that"
"It’s the truth"
While the exchange was going on I was preparing a scrumptious bowl of Fruity Pebbles however I looked up to put the milk down just in time to see the smile that formed on Tracy’s face in response to Seth’s praise.
"It’s Sue’s recipe, I just played around the spices until Seth liked it"
"You’re spoiled" Bella accused however Seth took it in stride by leaning back in the chair and patting his chest "I am the only son, that makes me king"
Bella must not agreed with his declaration as she picked up a sausage link and threw it at his head.
"Hey!" Seth complained rubbing his forehead where the piece of meat hit him "Watch it, that could have poked me in the eye"
Everyone burst out laughing and it only got worse when Seth grumbled "It’s not funny, you could have blinded me for life or something"
Bella’s attention turned to me as I took my first spoonful of cereal, her eyes watching me, waiting for some kind of a reaction. Of course it wasn’t the first time I had them, after all I was a child once, I just didn’t have the same attachment to them as Bella did. In fact it baffled me where the Fruity part of their name came from because all I could taste was sugar. Yet they were definitely crunchy and as I chew Bella kept watching, waiting.
Not wanting to disappoint her I imitated her moan with one of my own "MMMMMMM"
My actions brought more laughter along with a blush from Bella and Claire’s declaration "Next time you see Demetri tell him to get me some of those"
"Who’s this Demerti person?" Seth’s question was answered with a chuckle from Quil "Bella’s uncle"
"You have an uncle?"
"Noooo...he’s a...friend...of Edward’s"
"Of ours..."
I corrected before continuing to eat, albeit reluctantly, because although the cereal didn’t taste bad, they left a filmy, greasy coating in my mouth that I found distasteful. It wasn’t very appetizing and I wondered how Bella could harbor such an addiction to them. In any case I was more then happy to be finished and was fairly sure there wouldn’t be a second helping - ever. Instead I made up a plate of the pancakes everyone seemed to be raving about along with a scoop of eggs and a few stripes of bacon.
Reaching for the plate Bella moved to stand "I’ll heat that up for you"
"I got it..." just as I took the plate from out of her hand, the door bell rang and glancing over to the clock Bella mumbled "That’ll be Dougie"
Of course Bella was right, opening the door for him I was greeted with a hearty "Good morning Master Edward" before his face became solemn as he took on the same stance Bella does when she’s been inattentive.
"Master Edward, I have something to tell you, something bad that I did, but, well can I first talk to Bells?"
"Why?"
His calm demeanor slipped "Well...ummmm...well..." sighing Douglas just spit it out "I just want to let Bells know something..."
"In other words you want to make sure Isabella is aware your going to confess so she’s not blind sided when I confront her"
"Ummmm..." narrowing his eyes Dougie tilted his head and gave me a knowing smile "You already know, don’t you Master Edward?"
"Yes I do"
Douglas chuckled nervously "It was kind of funny wasn’t it Master Edward, what we did..." he forced out a laugh "...I mean we weren’t really bad or anything...it was just...we kinda played a trick on you..." the smile disappeared as he tilted his head "...don’t you think so?"
When I didn’t make any kind of attempt to reply Douglas’s face fell "Is Bells in lots of trouble?"
I figured since he was part of Bella’s plan to - hypothetically - make me sweat, I would return the favor and let him continue wondering until the two of them could have alone time to talk. "Why don’t you ask her."
"Ok, Master Edward I will, oh and Daddy wants to talk to you. He said it was very important and you are to call him right away."
I was slightly intrigued as to what Riley wanted, telling Douglas he should join everyone in the kitchen I depart from him and made my way upstairs to get my phone. Closing the door, I sat on the edge of the bed, hit my contact list and listened as the connection took hold.
Riley answered almost immediately, we had a brief conversation in which he told me what I already knew. He had forced Douglas to tell him about his part in playing a ‘trick’ on me. From what I had gathered Douglas didn’t break as easily as Bella did. Then again I suppose that the interrogation process was probably part of their play.
"Listen Edward, I wanted to tell you last night about Eleazar"
"What about him?"
"He has some...information you’d be interested in. He wanted to call you himself, but I wasn’t comfortable giving out your number. He suggested this route, leaving the decision to speak with him in your hands. He knew Douglas would be arriving at your home this morning, so he’s expecting your call"
"Do you know what it’s in reference to?"
The only thing I equated Eleazar with was Tanya and I had absolutely nothing to do or say about her.
"He mentioned something about the mess with Caius." he sighed heavily in the phone "I really don’t want to be involved and I would appreciate it if my son was not privy to all the nasty business either. He had enough hardships in his life and with his attachment with Isabella...well it would cause him needless worry."
I couldn’t fault Riley for wanting to protect the person he loved, however Douglas wasn’t exactly ignorant.
"He already knows Isabella is not to speak to Cauis"
"Yes and for his protection from a man who I consider to be less then honorable I will be issuing the same order. That alone will spike Douglas’s curiosity, however it’s not the first time I kept him from certain people for his own good. I only ask that my boy not be in the know of all the details as I don’t want to be fully informed myself. It’s nothing personal Edward, just a preempted measure to ensure my son remains as carefree and impartial as possible."
The impartial part threw me off as I wondered what Riley could have meant, still I agreed with his condition. Jotted down the number, we said our good byes and I wasted no time in calling Eleazar.
Personally I never had a problem with the man, then again, except for a few recent events our only contact had been a passing hello. As far as I knew, he was honorable, his one and only weakness being that of spoiling his wife. Whether it was guilt for taking her to some godforsaken frozen tundra or just simply through indulgence, Eleazar saw to it that Carman was kept happy by providing her with everything she wanted.
That included Tanya.
After my dismissal, she almost immediately joined their happy little threesome. Hell, for all I knew she might have been with them while still wearing my collar. I never cared enough to actually ask, then again I doubted Tanya would have told me truth even if i had. It didn’t really mater, either way, Eleazar never approached me about the circumstances surrounding her removal and I never offered any.
As far as I was concerned the relationship with Tanya was a closed chapter in the book of life. In all honesty it was one I wished could have been paged through or better yet skipped entirely. From the very beginning of our liaison, I knew it was a mistake. She was always way more demanding of my time then I was comfortable with, she played little mind fuck games that drove me completely insane and she lied to my face which such sincerity that I didn’t believe a word the woman said.
In my lust to play with her body, I had assumed - bad mistake - that time would make everything better. Thinking all she needed was to have more trust in me and understand that I am a man of my word. Yet every time we’d be together the situation just became more unbearable. It got to the point where I actually dreaded her appearance at my door and on occasion sent her text messages informing her not to come at all.
Knowing I made a mistake and doing something about it was two different things. At first I attempted to talk to Tanya about the problems we were having. When that had no effect on her behavior, I resorted to punishments. Those just seemed to have the adverse effect, rather then change her actions to remain obedient, she became more defiant. It was almost as if she enjoyed my loss of temper and she’d push me to loose control at every turn.
It was all so very frustrating and yet due to my own chauvinism I postponed the inevitable. Allowing the misery to hang on for months because it embarrassed me to admit I’d been wrong. Plus I didn’t want to be known as one of "those" kind of Dominants. The ones who act like collaring a submissive is nothing more then having your high school sweetheart wear your class ring. Give it to her today, snatch it back tomorrow and the next day bestow it to someone new.
There’s no commitment to the relationship, no mutual trust, respect or pleasure. I had already had a collared submissive with Irena. And even though we had parted on good terms because her needs had changed, it still stuck with me and I didn’t want to be viewed as a ‘Revolving Door Dom’ - A player at the lifestyle.
I wanted to be taken seriously and because I was more concerned with how my peers would view me rather then what was the best thing to do, I kept Tanya a lot longer then I should have. Then once she was gone, it was such a relief that I never looked back and of course I never collared another submissive, until Bella.
She was the only reason for my change of heart, of course that’s because she is my heart, I’d do anything for that woman’s safety including conversing with the one person who had the ability to usher Tanya back into my world.
The phone rang four times before a masculine Spanish accent answered with a hearty "Hello"
"Good morning Eleazar. This is Edward Cullen, I was told you would be expecting my call"
"Ah, yes I was, would you give me a moment please"
"Certainly"
There was some sort of hushed conversation on his end and then the unmistakable sound of a door closing before he came back on the line "I’m sorry Edward, I wanted to come to my office so we wouldn’t be interrupted."
"That’s fine, I didn’t mean to disturb your Saturday morning"
"No, that’s quite alright, I was the one who proposed this call in the first place. I trust you are well"
"Very well actually"
All the typical standard polite greeting bullshit was making me edgy, I wanted to just drop all the pretenses and just get to the point.
Instead I got more rhetoric "And how is your Isabella this morning?"
"She’s a bit busy, we’re entertaining a houseful of guest all weekend, so she’s occupied with being the perfect hostess and making sure they are taken care of"
It was more information then he needed but I thought my full explanation would keep him from asking anymore mundane questions.
"Yes" he chuckled dryly "When we have company, Carman drives me insane making sure everything is just so." Pausing for a moment he added "I had the privledge of speaking with your Isabella, twice now."
I didn’t know why he felt the need to keep track of his conversations with Bella, but I let it go as he went on.
"She’s a charming young woman that reminds me a bit of my Carman. There’s....an ingrain goodness, almost a tenderness to her.... sometimes my Carman is too compassionate for her own good. I can sort of see that in your Isabella as well."
"That’s Isabella, she holds nothing back from the people she cares about"
"I could tell by the way she responded to Douglas, and I must say, she speaks very highly of you and not just with words."
I understood he was referring to how Bella’s actions reflected back to me.
His next sigh irritated me because - like with Bella - I couldn’t decipher its meaning and out of frustration I spoke harsher then intended "Riley inferred you had something to tell me about Caius,"
He became just as clip "Yes...Im not sure how you conduct business in your household..."
Thinking he was going to call me out for being rude I was pleased that Eleazar finally got the point that I didn’t want to sit around and shoot the shit with him.
"...here in my home I make it a habit of monitoring all computer activity that occurs. Mostly to make sure that personal information is kept safe but also to see that no one is engaging in an activity they shouldn’t be. I’m fairly well versed with technology but just to be on the safe side I routinely have an IT man go through them also."
It didn’t sound too outlandish, security would be a very important aspect for a man who owns the largest internal shipping export company in the northwest.
"I wont bore you with all the details other then to say earlier this week it was brought to my attention there was something out of the ordinary. A few weeks before we arrived back in Seattle there has been an excessive amount of activity on a newly acquired email account. Now I have qualms about anyone in my home communicating with outsiders or playing around on the so called social networks. Particularly since we spend so much time isolated from the world. However I do require knowledge, along with password access to each account"
Pausing to justify himeslf "Don’t think me an intrusive, it’s more precautionary then anything else."
What did I care how the man ran his household?
"You have to do whatever you see fit"
"Yes, and up until the discovery of the new account there hadn’t been a problem. So of course, because of the attempt to hide the account from me, I was even more interested in what was occurring. And I had my expert go through the hard drive with a fine tooth comb, pulling out every piece of information he could."
A sick feeling of nausea gripped my stomach and I braced myself for what was coming.
"It would appear my wife’s pet doesn’t have enough things to occupy herself with..."
Oh my fucking god - Tanya
"...and she has insinuated herself into a matter she has no business being involved in."
"What did she do?" even to myself my voice sounded...empty
Taking a deep breath Eleazar sounded like a man making his last confession "There are emails and instant message conversations dating back to the beginning of May, all of which mention you or Isabella in one form or another."
There was only one question I had "And who was she talking with?"
"Oh...several people really, however the majority of them were from Miss Stanley, Mr Newton, Caius Salvator..."
With each name the anxiety in the pit of my stomach grew until he said the last one.
"... and two unanswered emails to someone by the name of James Cummings."
And I lost it
"Are you fucking kidding me!" looking at the phone as I roared and jumped to my feet "What reason would Tanya Denali have for fucking emailing Bella’s ex-husband"
"Ahhh...I didn’t realize that was Isabella’s ex and when I asked the girl who he was, I was told she didn’t know."
"That Fucking Lying Bitch!"
I needed to calm the fuck down so I could think rationally.
Taking a few deep breaths I was able to continue in a reasonable tone "If Tanya didn’t know who he was, what reason would she have to contact him?"
My voice might have calmed down but my body was on high alert so rather then sit back down, I paced, and listened, as Eleazar pieced it all together. Apparently Tanya had heard through the grape vine about Bella and she set up the new account thinking she was being stealth. What she couldn’t have known was that Eleazer was not a stupid man. He had a program installed on all his computers that doesn’t allow anything to be permanently deleted.
Eleazar had copies of everything that had conspired, Newton filling Tanya in on who Bella was, where she came from and how he knew so much. Jessicia and Lauren related even more information about Bella, catty high school things like how she was dressed or wearing her hair that night. There was a long IM from Jessica about the night that ultimatly caused her to be band from New Moon. In it she admits to breaking into my house, saying ‘Mike was screaming at me for not doing what he sent me to do and really mad because Caius was expecting that stuff’
Tanya asked Jessica a lot of questions about why Caius wanted some of Bella’s personal items. When she wasn’t given a sufficient enough answer Tanya asked Newton. He didn’t have specifics either, however he did at least have a reason for working with Caius in the first place.
"It would seem Mr Newton was in need of a zoning varience that Caius was going to have one of his friends on the city council help him with. There was also mention of Caius having knowledge of some illege activty Mr Newton was involved in. He said at one point...hold on, let me find it..."
While Eleazar searched I already figured there were two possibilities, either Cauis knew about Newton’s after hours club or else he knew about the stolen alcohol.
"...Mr Newton says, and I quote ‘If I don’t do what Caius wants he has proof of things I did that he said he’ll show to Aro"
Jesus Christ
The whole fucking thing was just getting to be too much. How in the hell did Caius know about Newton stealing?
That was a question for another time because the one thing I really wanted to know still hadn’t been answered.
"So how exactly does all that lead up to Tanya emailing James?"
"Well it seems Mr Newton started to get cold feet, he writes to the girl ‘It’s just not worth it, besides I can’t let Jim..." pausing Eleazar commented "...I’m assuming that’s short for James"
"Yeah" it was the only word that would come out as the bile rose in my stomach while Eleazar cleared his own throat and kept reading "...I can’t let Jim be anywhere around Karen. She wouldn’t be able to handle it, he scares her too much"
Maybe Newton does really care about Karen
"Who is Karen?"
Suddenly feeling exhausted I sat on the bed, hung my head and rubbed the back of my neck with my hand and sighed "Its a long complicated story, but basically she’s Newton’s girlfriend who just happens to hail from Bella’s home town"
"And she would have reason to be fearful of this Jim...James person"
He wasn’t asking because the answer was clear, still I replied simply "Yes"
"Because James is not a nice person"
Again it wasn’t a question however I answered "No he’s not"
Neither of us said anything for a long moment before I finally broke the silence
"I’m sorry but is there any explanation as to how Tanya went from hearing Newton refer to someone name Jim to knowing his full name is James Cummings. And then why in the hell, Tanya took it upon herself, to send him not one, but Two, God Damn E-Mails." My tone becoming harsher with each word until there was nothing but seething anger "Which by the way, what the Fuck would Tanya even say to him?"
"There were only two, both of them basic inquiries as to more of Isabella’s personal information. Plus..." the pause had me bracing myself "...your home address and she made an allusion to a possability of being paid for his help"
"Are you fucking kidding me? Why in gods name would she do that? She is basically offering James money to come fuck with my life. Why?"
"Both you and I know exactly why the little bitch did it." Eleazar wasn’t any happier about the situation then I was "The only condolence I can offer you is that it doesn’t appear like her request were answered."
"But how did she even get his real name?"
"That information was furnished by Caius. I’ve come to realize he is a spineless excuss for a man. He sent long involved emails to ‘the girl’, spilling out his distain, which in all actuality ammonts to nothing but jealousy towards Aro. He speaks about his desire to have your Isabella, the lengths he went through to get to her and why."
"Why? Because of stocks?" It seemed ridiculous to exert so much energy for something that he would never ha
"Stocks? I didn’t see anything about stocks."
"Yes in a radio station. That’s what Isabella has that he wants so badly. The stocks"
"No, he makes mention of saying Isabella had something he would like but his main reason is because she has money owed to him is from an estate."
I was totally confused, the only estate Bella had was from her mother "What would Caius have to do with Isabella’s mother?"
"Mother? No, he told ‘the girl’ it was from his brother"
His brother?
"I...I...I..." there were no words forming in my head and at my befuddled rambling Eleazar had me even more at a loss by saying "Isabella got over three quarters of a million in a trust fund from Caius’s brother, and he would like that back"
"Wh..who...who’s..." I was sounding like a fucking idiot, shaking my head to clear it I tried again "Does he say who is brother is?"
The only money Bella received was from her mother and Phil...
"No. He only says he wanted a DNA sample from Isabella to learn her true paternity. Apparently there is a question as to who her true father is"
Laughing humorlessly I assured him "Isabella knows who her father is and it’s no one related to Caius Salvator"
"Then why would his brother leave her all his worldly goods?"
I was still at a loss but at least I could speak coherently "I have no fucking idea, Isabella’s mother and step father, were killed in an accident when she was young. That is the only estate she received."
"Are you sure?"
I wasn’t sure of anything at the moment, however I knew without a doubt Bella hadn’t lied "Absolutely"
At least the fucking sigh he made was understandable "Then I’m at a loss because Caius was very adamant when he wrote ‘The little whore thinks she can keep what doesn’t belong to her, money my father paid to keep his dirty little secret quiet. She doesn’t deserve it, and I want it back’...does any of that make sense to you Edward?"
Swallowing hard to contain the anger raising from the vile accusations I was able to speak and think rationally "No...but I’ll find out. Does he say why James had to be brought into all this?"
"I believe it was a threat to keep Mr Newton in line, or perhaps...and this is only my own thoughts but maybe it was an attempt to gain a perspective on how to proceed against Isabella"
I wasn’t really following him so I was glad he explained "If he has any chance at all of contesting a will, which I assume was probated many years ago, then his only chance is to prove it or the beneficiary of it...fraudulent. For that purpose he would need as much...dirt as he could dig up and who better then to get that from then an ex, who might have an ax to grind"
The whole thing was so fucking unbelievable
"Edward? Are you still there?"
"Yes...sorry...I’m just...I don’t even fucking know what I am."
"Well, I’m sorry for the girls part in all this..."
"You know acully" laughing humorlessly "as messed up as it sounds, I’m kind of glad. At least this way..."
"You can prepared yourself?"
"Yes"
And maybe it was time to take Emmett and Bella’s advice and get a little proactive. With that thought in mind I wondered "Is there anything else"
"Well Riley told me you were on the look out for Mr. Newton and as of two days ago he was staying by the airport at the Sea-Tec Value Inn...if that is any help to you"
A true smile formed on my face "Actually, this whole call has been of a great help to us. Thank you"
"You’re welcome, again I’m sorry and I want you to know my wife’s pet has lost all computer privilege. However the accounts will remain open and I’ll be monitoring them so I’ll inform you of anymore activity on them."
"I’d appreciate that and again thank you"
"You take care of that girl of yours Edward, like I said she reminds me of my Carman and those kind of woman are a rare treasure."
We parted with a mutual ‘goodbye’ not exactly friends yet certainly with more respect for each other then we previously had - at least on my end. After hanging up I made two more phone calls.
The first one to Weiss, his went to voice mail so I left a brief message "This is Edward Cullen, I’m going to need you to get me all the information you can on Isabella’s step-father. His family, his childhood, anything and everything you can find and I need it as soon as possible"
The second one was answered by a stern voice who seemed pleasantly surprised to hear from me "Good morning officer Hawk, this is Edward Cullen, I believe I know where Michael Newton is"
