Chapter 7

BPOV

My eyes were stinging like someone had thrown acid in my face.

Mom had just broken the news to me that she'd given me a month to get out of the house.

Apparently she loved me, but she couldn't stand being in the same house as me anymore.

Whatever.

Alice was livid with her, but held in her temper when mom was around.

"How could someone who professed to loving you, throw you out of your home?" she hissed over and over as I cried.

I had known this day was coming, I really had...but it still hurt like a slap in the face, or a knife in the heart, both were painful.

Over the last few months, mom had grown even more distant with me and kept talking about getting her life back and doing things for herself and not a child. I couldn't see why she hated me so much and why she continued to talk to me, or about me, with such venom in her words.

It hurt so much that I wasn't enough for her.

"Shh, Bella, it will all be alright," Alice cooed from her spot on the bed next to me.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but they were too sore.

"Bella, come on, why don't we go for a walk or something, get you out of this place?" she said soothingly as she rubbed my back.

At least Alice had only known indifference from her father and not the harsh words that my mother liked to spit at me.

He was distant with her most of the time and only really spoke to her if he talked about work, but he made sure that she had anything she needed, so that was more than mom had done for me.

"Sure," I croaked painfully.

I rolled out of the bed and went to get dressed.

My body ached from being rolled up for too long and as much as I didn't really want to go out anywhere, I knew that I needed to. Being trapped within the same four walls would do nothing for me except make it more painful.

~(*)~

"I think we need to find you that sugar daddy you were on about a few weeks ago," Alice laughed as we walked out of the bakery with fresh donuts and coffee.

I rolled my eyes this time.

If only it were that simple, I thought.

"No one would want to be my sugar daddy, Alice. I have nothing going for me, nothing at all." I cringed at the honesty in my voice.

I was pretty sure that with a sugar daddy you had to be sweet and compliant, always looking your best and making the man look awesome. I could do none of those things.

Despite Alice's help in the looks and style department, no man would want my sharp tongue or stumbling abilities. I wouldn't be able to hold a conversation with people in his league. Christ, I could hardly talk to the people in the town without boring them to death half the time.

"Don't you dare say that and believe those words your mom used. It wasn't your fault she couldn't keep her legs shut and had you," she hissed in reply as we walked over to the town's pond.

The hatred Alice showed towards mom had escalated after mom put her views across the other night and it took everything I had to stop Alice having words with her.

Alice might have been small for her age, but Christ, she had guts that I didn't have. I knew that I could fight back and I had a pretty good attitude, but not when it came to mom. I always wanted her approval, always wanted to be the best for her, but I never was.

"I know, but I suppose when you hear the words over and over, you start to believe them," I whispered painfully.

"Then I will just have to keep telling you how smart and beautiful you really are." She smiled widely as we started on our food and drinks.

"Thanks, babe," I muttered.

"So, do you think we'll hear back from the agency?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I hope so and do you know what, I don't care what the job is now, I just want to get away from here." It was Alice's turn to frown.

Her dad was being more distant with her too, but not before telling her that he had a date lined up for her. The man in question was from a stable home, with a huge bank balance and was under pressure to marry from his family.

She was beyond gutted.

Alice wanted to marry for love, and having her father arrange her personal life was a step too far. Even though she was eighteen and legally an adult, she was still under constant scrutiny to do as her dad told her.

"Alice, I think regardless of if we get this job or not, we need to get out of here," I said in a low voice as I took her hand. We were both depressed as hell living here and we needed this.

We needed to get away.

"Next weekend dad has a convention, we could go then," she replied firmly.

"Okay, next weekend."

It was decided.

~(*)~

The week trudged on slowly and Alice and I saw less of each other.

Her dad had monopolized her all of the time and we only really talked late at night, when we were both in bed.

We were both despondent about not hearing back from the agency, but there wasn't anything we could do. If we were asked for an interview, then we were asked. If not, our plan was still in place for the weekend.

Through texts and quick calls, we planned that we were going to head south and not to the city. We wanted to get away from her father's clutches as soon as possible and we knew that he would search in the city first.

He would never see her as the legal adult she had become. It all came down to his reputation and what he needed her to do to maintain it.

Everyone saw him as the poor man who lost his wife to cancer and was raising a daughter on his own, plus he ran his own business. They felt sorry for him and he lapped the attention up. It got him more work and of course, made him more prominent.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I cried out in shock as she climbed through my bedroom window. I hadn't even heard her until I saw her shadow.

"I've had enough, Bella, I really have. Daddy dearest has set up a date for Friday night with Alec. I can't believe he's even happy about it, palming me off to someone I know nothing about. Apparently I don't have to know. As long as I'm a 'good girl' and do as I'm told, he said I would want for nothing," she sniffed as I ran to her side.

"We'll go Friday morning, we'll tell him that we're going shopping for an outfit for you," I said quickly as I thought about what we had left to pack. It wasn't much and if we left early enough, while it was still dark, we could get away without being seen.

"I can't do it, I can't go through with what he wants in life for me. Why can't he just respect me for who I am?" She cried softly in my arms and I rocked her body gently.

I was fuming mad with her father, but I knew that I had to keep calm for her sake, same as she had been doing for me over my mother. It wouldn't do either of us any good if I showed how angry I really was.

"It's us, Alice, just us, together. We'll get away from here and you can blossom into the woman I know you can be, the woman I know you are," I cooed as I lifted her chin and kissed her gently.

"Come on," I tugged on her hand as she whimpered.

I pulled her over to the bed and started to take off her tee.

She had such a beautiful body, one that any girl would be proud to have and she didn't really even work hard at getting it to look that good. Yes, we ran around the block and did some amount of yoga, but nothing to write home about. She was just naturally stunning.

"You are so beautiful and any man your father wants you to meet would never be good enough for you," I whispered, kissing the swell of her chest just above the lacy edging of her bra gently.

Her body let out a tiny shiver and I smiled against her skin as I ran my fingers up her arms and then slipped them under her bra straps, slowly pulling them down. I let my tongue flicker out against the flesh that had just been covered, feeling how her temperature was already beginning to rise.

"You are worth so much more than a string of arranged dates," I breathed heavily against her skin as I pulled the cups of her bra down and ran my tongue gently around her hardened nipples. Her tiny hands weaved into my hair as she whimpered my name, sparking the flames of my own lust and my love for her.

I loved to make her feel like this. It turned me on so much to know that it was me that was making her shiver and whimper uncontrollably.

She let out another whimper and I moved to capture one of her lips between my mine and bit down gently, causing her to shudder beneath me. I deftly undid the catch between her pert breasts, pushing the scrap of fabric and lace free of her body as I continued to kiss her.

Shimmying my hands down over her silky torso, I gripped her hips and pulled them closer to me, now desperate to get her out of her denim shorts.

Her hips were one of the things I loved most on her supple body. They were so soft, yet firm and curvy. It was pure pleasure to run the very tips of my fingers over them as I watched her squirm ever so gently.

Just thinking about what I was about to do, had me working quickly to undo the buttons and slip the material over and down her hips, making sure that my lips were in constant contact with her skin the whole time... lapping, suckling, kissing.

"Lay down, babe," I whispered and she quickly did as she was told, her eyes never leaving mine. Once she was comfortable, I crawled onto the bed and hovered above her, smiling the whole time.

"I love you, Alice," I said softly as I started to kiss her body again starting the path to the promised land. "How much do you want?" I asked as my face became level with her panties.

"All of it," she giggled lightly, but thickly, as I started to drag the thin material down with my teeth, revealing the beautiful piercing just at the top of her smooth apex.

We'd had matching ones done as soon as we had both turned eighteen and although they were at first quite painful, they were now erotic as hell and made things so much more sensitive and visually appealing. Anyone could have their ears or belly button pierced, but we had wanted something different.

I leant forward and as soon as she realized what I was going to do, she seductively widened the spread of her legs enough for me to settle between them comfortably and get to business. In one long movement, I licked up the whole length of her slit, causing her to squirm and writhe against my face, her sweet juice already trickling freely.

I loved how she tasted, I always had since we'd first gotten intimate with each other and I only loved it more when she was already so wet for me.

I internally smiled as I thought about the pleasure I could give her while I made her forget her troubles, for a while at least.

I repeated the taunting movement over and over until I could hear her growl in frustration. I wanted to laugh because I knew where she wanted me to be, what she needed from me, so I angled my head and sucked on her clit as I maneuvered two fingers into her tight passage a little at a time.

The shuddering reply she gave me only served to spur me on.

Knowing she needed more, I gave it to her, pumping her hard with my fingers as I rolled her clit over my tongue, flicking and sucking on it hard. The natural lubricant her body was emitting increased with my vigorous attention and I added a third finger to increase the friction I was providing.

She grabbed the back of my head roughly, wrapping the strands of hair through her hands, and started grinding her hips down onto my face as the very tops of her thighs tightened and quivered.

Her muscles clamped around my fingers as I heard the telltale sounds of her moisture cover them thickly as she came, crying out my name in a mantra.

"Oh God, Bella-," she was cut off from talking any more as my phone started to ring.

I let out a panting laugh as I got up from the bed with wobbly legs to answer the unknown number.

"Hello, Bella speaking," I said breathlessly, licking my lips as I smiled at Alice lying sated and dreamy on my bed.

"Hello, Bella, this is Edward Cullen, I'm calling about your job application," I gasped as I heard the soft, yet firm voice on the other end of the phone.