Bella grasped Edward’s hand so tightly that his palm began to sweat. No matter. He wouldn’t let go, no matter how slippery his grip became.
He led her slowly, resolutely, to the dance floor as the band’s guitarist began to pick out a mournful melody. The dancing co-eds parted like the Red Sea to allow them entrance. Their round eyes and gaping mouths made them resemble judgmental fish, waiting for the new pair of sinners in their school to sink or swim.
Bella was going to swim, even if he had to carry her. Even if the sharks circled in for the kill. He would make sure she survived.
Edward was grateful when the band’s sole female member began to sing a slow blues lament, drowning out the ugly whispers all around them.
Don’t you be wasting all your money
On syrup and honey. . .
Edward turned to face Bella, lifting her right hand in the air and placing his left at her waist, drawing her closer. She rested her left hand on his shoulder while the other gripped his hand so tightly that his fingers tingled. No matter. He would hang on until his entire arm went numb if that’s what she needed.
Because I’m sweet enough. . .
Bella was staring at his tie, looking like the same frightened fawn he’d encountered the first time he ever saw her. He hoped this would be the last time she was ever this helpless and lost.
Don’t you be using every minute
On making a living. . .
“Bella.” He moved his hand from her waist to her chin, lifting it gently. “Look at me.”
Her nervous eyes leapt up to his, and once he caught them, he refused to let go.
“You just keep your eyes on me, and your ears on the music. Nothing else matters.”
She bit her lip and nodded. She could do that. Those were the eyes she trusted; these were the hands that wouldn’t let her fall. He began to sway in time to the music, and she moved haltingly with him, letting him guide her.
Because we’ve got our love. . .
“Do you think Jessica was telling the truth? That that girl hired him to take her virginity?”
Bella winced at the offhand comment from the perimeter of the dance floor. Edward shook his head ever so slightly, silently urging her to ignore the remarks. She resisted squeezing her eyes shut and kept them focused on the blue-green buoys before her. They would keep her afloat.
Listen to me
One, two, three
Baby, baby, baby
Spend your time on me. . .
“So what if she did hire him? Hell, I would, too. Look at him!”
Don’t you be out all night long. . .
“Shut up, you would not. He’s not that hot.”
“Hotter than anyone you’ll ever date.”
Leaving me all alone. . .
“Well, at least I don’t have to pay someone to have sex with me.”
Because I need your love. . .
Bella’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked them back, swallowed hard and squeezed Edward’s hand. He slid his other arm around her back, pulling her tightly to him. His eyes reminded her again what was important—
what was true—
and what was not.
Don’t you be spending every day
Working away
Because I’m waiting for you
Listen to me
One, two, three. . .
As much as the harpoons of gossip thrown at them wounded Bella, the lyrics of the song pierced Edward. They spelled out his shortcomings with a poignancy that bludgeoned him into sense.
Baby, baby, baby
Spend your time on me
Spend it, spend it, spend it
Your time on me
Please, baby. . .
He stared into Bella’s pleading brown eyes as the soulful melody washed around them.
Please, baby. . .
And in that moment, he knew he was through. This was the last night he would spend as an employee of Renaissance Escorts.
Edward smiled down at Bella as the song came to a close.
“We made it,” he whispered.
She nodded and gave him a quick smile in return. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead in a reverent kiss. The breath of her sigh was cool on his neck, her body limp with relief in his arms. His own feelings of freedom were overwhelming. He didn’t know how he was going to manage to walk away from escorting, but he would figure something out, somehow. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have to quit. Jessica would most likely make such a stink about tonight that Rosalie would have no choice but to fire him.
The blare of the next song began, an up-tempo number that had the couples around them separating and bobbing up and down en masse to the beat.
“You want to get out of here?” Edward asked Bella.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “Please.”
He gave her another quick peck on the forehead before turning and steering her toward the door. They were halfway to the exit when a shriek of outrage stopped them in their tracks.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” demanded Jessica Stanley, heading them off at the pass. She planted herself in front of Edward, hands on hips, and glared up at him.
“Frankly, anywhere else but here,” he replied coldly.
“Aren’t you forgetting something? You’re my date this evening, not hers.” She paused to give Bella a disparaging look before turning her attention back to Edward. “I own your ass right now, and everything connected to it. On top of that, you owe me a new dress. But I’ve decided to be forgiving and let you work it off for me later—
in private.”
Bella gaped at her, shocked at her audacity. She couldn’t be serious.
“I’m surprised you want to continue this charade,” Edward said, his tone caustic. “You made it pretty clear where you stand on the subject of hiring an escort. Or have your standards lowered in the last twenty minutes?”
Jessica gave him a withering look, then shot Bella a downright sneer. “You’re right. Like I’d want to scrape the barrel for your leftovers anyway, let alone pay for them.”
Fury rose in Bella’s chest, hot and explosive. “It sure didn’t stop you from going after Mike, did it?”
Jessica’s eyebrows shot up in surprise before her eyes narrowed. “Mike always deserved better than the scraps you gave him. He followed you around like a lovesick puppy all through high school, and when you finally went out with him, it was like you were throwing a pathetic dog a bone. If you think I’m sorry for exposing your dirty little secret so he’d finally see the truth about you, you’re wrong.”
“It’s nice to know what you really think of me, Jess,” a fourth voice cut through the noise, low and bitter.
Jessica blanched, then whirled to see Mike behind her. The cutting glare he gave her had her scrambling to remove her foot from her mouth.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you were nothing but wonderful to Bella and she treated you like you were something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.”
“Like dog shit, you mean?” he barked. “Well, this just gets better and better. Any other canine analogies you want to come up with to tell me what a clueless idiot I am?”
“Mike, come on. You’re taking this all wrong. You know what I’m trying to say,” Jessica pleaded.
“Yeah, I think I do, actually. You’ve never had any respect for me, or my decisions. Well, maybe you can respect this one: I’m through with you,” he hissed. He turned from Jessica’s horrified stare to Bella’s apologetic one. “Both of you,” he added quietly, almost regretfully. His mouth was twisted in a grimace as he did an about-face and marched to the ballroom doors.
“Mike, wait!” Jessica exclaimed, running after him. Bella and Edward watched as she tackled him near the exit. They couldn’t hear her pleas over the raucous music, but Mike’s angry shouts and Jessica’s wild gesticulations were easy to read. Their argument played out in almost comical pantomime as Jess grabbed at Mike while he warded her off and barreled out the door. She raced after him as fast as her high-heeled feet could carry her. Then the door swung closed behind them, leaving only their gaping and giggling peers behind.
Bella let out a heavy sigh. “Poor Mike. It was bad enough what she did to me, but he didn’t deserve any of this.”
Edward’s hand tightened on her waist. “Well, he did keep pursuing you even though you told him you weren’t interested. He was bound to get a wake-up call at some point.”
“I guess you’re right,” she agreed. “I shouldn’t have come here tonight--shouldn’t have led him on like that.”
Edward wanted to argue with her, but he found he rather agreed. “You’re too nice for your own good,” he said quietly as he steered her toward the exit.
“Maybe,” she replied with a dubious shrug as they walked. “I don’t feel so nice right now.”
“Well, you are. A lot of girls would have popped Jessica right in the mouth for what she did.”
Bella’s laugh was rueful. “I suppose she had it coming to her. But no, leave it to me to just faint like some wilting lily instead.”
“Well, Mike’s public rejection was nice little gut-punch to Jessica all on its own. Besides, it’s what you did afterward that matters,” he insisted. He guided her to the ballroom door, past the disdainful looks and snickers of the students around them. Bella’s arm tightened around his waist and she lowered her head, ducking their stares. “You gathered your courage and came back in here to face everyone. You stood up to Jess in the end.” Edward smiled down at her as he opened the door. “You were brave.”
“Was I?” She stopped and looked up at the guy who’d been supporting her and encouraging her to stand up for herself. Was this how she wanted to reward him? By merely enduring a public dance with him, then slinking out of the room with her proverbial tail between her legs?
Bella squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. She turned to face the nameless people whose opinions she’d pointlessly regarded. The comforting noise of the band came to a pause between songs, and she almost lost her nerve. But when she finally steeled herself and opened her mouth to speak, she surprised even herself with the strength of her conviction.
“Just for the record, Jessica was right. I did hire this guy to give me a night I’d never forget.” She glanced up at Edward’s stunned expression before she turned to face the gaping throng again. “And you know what? It was the best decision I ever made. Because every night I’ve spent with him since then has been just as unforgettable as the first one. And not for the sleazy reasons you probably all think, or because I paid him. He’s given me the best of himself freely, because he wanted to. We’re together because we want to be. So chew on that for awhile, all you gossip-mongers. He may have come here with Jessica, but he’s leaving with me. He’ll always end up with me.”
With that, she grabbed a pleasantly shocked Edward by the hand and whirled toward the door, turning her back on the stares and whispers for good.
.
.
“This view is incredible.”
Bella shook her head in amazement at the sight before her. The rectangular rooftop swimming pool of the Four Seasons glistened with the serene reflection of the moon above. But more stunning than that was the optical illusion created by the pool’s infinity edge, making appear that it emptied directly into the distant waters of Elliot Bay.
“It’s great, isn’t it? I wanted you to see it before we left the hotel.”
Edward smiled down at her, then followed as she strolled toward the bay. He suggested they have a seat on the built-in bench around the pool’s perimeter, and she agreed. He situated himself so that he could still talk to her, but not block her view of the scenic backdrop behind him.
“I can’t believe you did that,” he said at last. He hadn’t uttered a word about her mouth-dropping speech since she’d made it. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that those amazing words had come out of her mouth. That she had boldly defended him, when so much of his past was indefensible.
“I know,” Bella agreed, still looking a little stunned herself. “I finally stopped giving a shit what everyone else thought, thanks to you. I just wish I’d done it sooner. You deserve better than my embarrassment.”
“Do I?” It was Edward’s turn to shake his head. “I’ve put you in an impossible position the past few weeks. Somehow I thought that sex was the deal breaker. That it was okay to keep escorting as long as I didn’t get intimate with any of my clients. But when I saw your face after Jessica kissed me. . .” He grimaced at the memory. “Even though I was repulsed by it, that kiss was still a betrayal. I still hurt you. Not intentionally, but thoughtlessly. Carelessly. I should have known better.”
He paused and let out a wry chuckle. “I don’t know why I was so blind. I’m the one who told you it was never just about sex between you and me. So why would I think it was just about sex between me and any other girl?”
Bella said nothing, but her heart thudded erratically in her chest. He was finally getting it. Putting words to her nameless fears and frustrations. But could he put the words into action?
She soon got her answer. Edward looked down and took Bella’s hands in his, then studied them, rubbing his thumbs over the tops of her fingers as he spoke.
“Of all the things I’ve done, I don’t think I’ve ever been so disgusted with myself as I was tonight, when I realized that you’d seen me with Jessica. And then that song we danced to. . . The lyrics hit me so hard. ‘Spend your time on me,’” he sang softly. “That’s where I went wrong. Giving you part of me instead of giving you a hundred percent. I practically drove you into Mike’s arms. Never again.”
He looked up, his eyes reflecting the infinity pool and its fathomless night sky as he fixed his gaze on hers.
“I’m done, Bella.” His words were nearly a whisper, yet more emphatic than anything he’d ever said.
“Done. . . ?” she echoed, desperate for the clarification she needed. Edward’s grip tightened around her hands, and she suddenly realized how hard she’d been squeezing his fingers as her heart accelerated.
“Tonight was the last paid date I’ll ever have. The last night I’ll spend on the arm of another girl. I’m all yours. For as long as you want me,” he added with a cautiously hopeful laugh.
There they were again--twin tears, running down her cheeks. But this time she didn’t curse the waterworks. She embraced them, and then Edward, throwing her arms around him.
“I’ll always want you,” she promised. And even though she was only twenty years old, she somehow knew that time would not change the certainty filling every cell of her being right now. She sank her fingers into the thick hair at the nape of his neck and planted tiny kisses along his cheek. “Always,” she whispered into his ear.
Edward fought back his own tears then. How had he gotten so damned lucky? By all rights she should have told him to go to hell. Given him his walking papers in front of that room full of gawking kids downstairs, and gone on with her life. But no, she wanted him in it. She’d faced her biggest fears to keep him there. Now it was time for him to return the favor.
He held her close, marveling once more at out how this tiny creature could have such a big impact on his life. His fingers stroked the soft curls of her hair, then reached for the smooth skin of her cheek, wiping one happy tear away.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re stuck with me now,” he said, his joking words a thin disguise for the emotion lurking beneath them. But his eyes gave away what his words could not.
“You’re the one who’s stuck,” she argued, grinning back at him through her tears. “No more smorgasbord of women. Are you sure you’re ready for the same entrée every night?”
He laughed in earnest then. “You’re like pizza to me, Bella,” he said, chuckling even more at her look of dismay. “That’s a compliment. I always love pizza. I never get tired of the taste. Never.”
The grin was still on his lips as he lowered them to hers. But as they came nearer, Bella flinched involuntarily, drawing back.
“I’m sorry,” she instantly apologized.
“What is it?” He was almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Nothing; it’s stupid. I just had this flash in my mind of Jess. . . the way she shoved her tongue down your throat.” She shuddered slightly.
Edward frowned. “If I had a toothbrush and toothpaste on me, I’d use this pool water right here and now to brush all traces of her away.”
His eyes suddenly widened at another thought. “Wait here,” he instructed, then leapt up and headed for the poolside bar. Though serving hours had just ended, he bribed the bartender with a hefty tip in order to procure a couple of shots.
“The swan song of my extravagant spending,” he muttered to himself while he carried the drinks back to Bella, waiting poolside. “Worth every penny.”
“What was that?” she asked as he handed her a shot glass.
“Nothing. Just trying to come up with a toast.” He sat next to her, raising his own shot glass to hers.
“How about, ‘to us?’” Bella suggested.
Edward smiled at the simplicity of it. “To us. And our future,” he couldn’t help adding.
Her smile matched his. “Cheers.” She glanced down at the amber liquid before lifting it to her lips. “Um, what is this?”
“A very nice Irish whiskey,” he replied. “It should kill any remaining cooties from Jessica Stanley’s attack earlier.”
Bella giggled at that. “Never in a million years did I think I’d hear the word ‘cooties’ come out of your mouth.”
“Hey, my mouth will say or do anything to get your mouth back in its good graces.”
“Ah. That’s nice. I like that,” she said with a grin. They clinked glasses together again before each taking the shot in one large gulp. Edward took his time before swallowing, swishing the alcohol around his mouth and gargling loudly with it for effect.
Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. “All right, that’s enough. You’re disinfected.”
Edward downed the shot and grinned; then his smiled waned. “Am I forgiven?”
Her eyes flashed with mild exasperation. “I told you, there’s nothing to forgive. Let’s just move on now.”
He sighed in relief. “To the future,” he repeated.
When he kissed her this time, she didn’t flinch. She raised trusting eyes and lips to his. And for the first time ever, he felt like he might almost deserve them.
