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.

Chapter 8

EPOV

Work was becoming monotonous and I knew why.

Isabella Marie Swan.

She'd taken over every thought I'd had even before seeing her in the video and even more so now because I had watched it.

Four times if I was being honest.

I still didn't know exactly why she had captured my interest, but I knew I had to be careful.

Not only was this a business deal, but I also didn't want to let my feelings for her, if I had any, take over and for things to get complicated.

Instead of concentrating on her, I threw myself into dad's plans and took on a more hands on roll when it came to contractors at the house.

I knew it was still a few weeks off before it would be ready, but if I kept up their ass long enough, they would know that I didn't want any delays or slackers.

I was now eager to start on this new plan and anything else that got in the way pissed me off or bored the hell out of me.

I had a few days of heavy work before I could get my mind back on the job and I was now even more excited about starting it because we had chosen the three girls that would, hopefully, be joining us in this adventure.

I had a funny feeling that Jasper would try and persuade Alice to stay, purely on the fact that I had to hunt down the DVD because he's taken it from my room one night when I was on a shoot.

I found him in his room almost licking the screen of the TV. Okay, he wasn't on the verge of doing that, but he was pretty damn close. And Emmett was just as bad when it came to Rose. He kept asking mom what she thought Rose would like in her room and what type of clothes would suit her. He was whipped before they'd even met!

I just hoped that once Bella found out exactly what the job entailed, she would still be on board.

Dad had left the final choice of the girls down to myself, Emmett and Jasper, but still insisted on being there for the interviews to make sure that we had the right chemistry for the job.

He wanted to make sure that we got on and had the right feel as 'couples'.

I could see and understand his point, but I also knew that we might not hit it off straight away and that a lot of this would come down to respect and trust from both sides.

No one in their right mind would get on from the start, knowing what we had to do as a job and live with each other 24/7.

God, it took months for me to get used to Emmett and Jasper being around all the time and we went to school together.

There would be habits that we hated, music tastes we despised, but we would have to work through it.

This would be a huge step for the girls to take and it would certainly take a lot to open up, knowing full well that cameras would be on them at all times.

That's when Jasper put forward an idea.

He thought it would be good for us to choose the girl we liked most, contact them ourselves and go from there.

Before filming started, he thought that it would be beneficial for us to get to know each other, almost like dating. I liked the idea. We could spend some time getting acquainted with each other as 'couples' and as a group and that would certainly help when we moved into the new house.

Ah, the new house.

It was a beautiful thing, it really was.

Dad had bought it quite a while ago and it had finally been finished to the standards that he expected, though it still needed tweaking in a few places. The team was now installing all the cameras that would be needed, as well as constructing a smaller house for the staff and to act as an onset salon of sorts, where you could have your hair, nails and waxes done. Dad wanted to make sure that the most private of things were kept away from the cameras and I agreed with him.

I also insisted that the bedrooms have half baths in order to have a bit of downtime away from the cameras and also a place to clean up without people being able to watch. He agreed, thankfully, and had other 'communal' bathrooms installed for entertainment use only.

"Okay, so we still need to arrange some places where you can take the girls when they get here and also see if they mind taking just a few reels of footage on how you get on over the following couple of weeks. Screen tests, if you will," dad said over his paperwork.

He was constantly jotting down new ideas so the concept wouldn't get old too soon, even if we didn't know how long we were filming for.

"I don't mind the cameras bein' there on and off, but not all of the time. I think the girls would open up a lot more if they didn't have a camera shoved in their faces," Jasper said as he picked up a bagel and started to cut it open.

"Yeah, I agree," I said as I poured a coffee.

"Can I just say how nice it is to see you lot thinking so much about the girls, taking their needs into consideration," mom said fondly and we all smiled.

Trust mom to find a romantic side to all of this. For me, there wasn't much romance at all, and if there was, it was for the cameras only.

Of course, I'd never reacted to a costar the way I'd reacted to Bella.

"Yeah, well, I remember my first time with the cameras around. God, I had such a problem getting it up and keeping it there," Emmett laughed as he ate his bacon with gusto.

"Mmm, sex talk and breakfast, what a lovely combination," I said with a laugh and they all joined in.

To be honest, we had seen everything, done 99% of it and talked about God knows what around the table, so nothing seemed to phase us now.

If you didn't like it, you knew where the door was.

"So, you've made your choices, when are you going to contact them?" dad asked as we all finished up with breakfast.

"I have a set in about an hour, so I can try and squeeze her in before then," Emmett said with a smirk.

We all followed him as he stood up to leave the table.

No doubt he would have fun with this girl. They seemed to have a lot in common, but even I could see in her eyes that she wouldn't take any shit from him.

That was always a good thing.

"I have to go out now for a medical, but I can try and do it later," I said and Jasper nodded.

"Me too," he said as we walked out of the kitchen and went our separate ways.

The rest of the day went slowly, too slowly for my liking.

I moped about the place after my medical, until it was time for work, and then I had to keep finding things to do to keep my mind on the job as it were.

Jessica was in a foul mood with me because of the plans and it made working even harder so we had to keep stopping and starting.

Finally by seven that night, I had my time to myself and I dug out Bella's number.

It rang a couple of times before very heavy breathing took over.

"Hello, Bella speaking," her voice travelled down the line right to my dick as I thought about why she was panting the way she was.

"Hello, Bella, this is Edward Cullen, I'm calling about your job application," I said softly as I thought about her panting in my ear. I heard a faint gasp as I spoke and it only served to make me harder.

"Hello, Sir," nervousness hit her voice straight away and her innocence pushed me further into a fantasy land with her.

I thought about having her say 'Sir' to me in a scene and that threw me off for a few seconds.

"Please, call me Edward," I laughed awkwardly as I had to stop myself palming my now twitching cock.

"Okay then, how can I help you, Edward?" she said softly as I heard rustling in the background on her end.

I wondered what she was up to, but it wasn't for me to question that, not just yet.

"Well, I wanted to let you now that, barring any issues or complications through the interview process, the job is yours, Miss Swan." I chuckled as I heard her start to stutter.

"Are you sure, you're really sure? You're offering me the job before the interview?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"I am very sure, Bella, you made an impact with myself and other members of our team," I smiled as I thought about how mom liked both of the girls from the tape.

Mom had caught me watching the video for the second time and we spoke briefly about how they showed a deep connection to each other. She liked how they acted and buffered each other.

She was just as desperate to see the two girls together as I was.

"What about Alice? I can't take the job if she doesn't have one with you, too," she said softly and it was then that she confirmed my earlier suspicions that they were more than just best friends.

They had a connection like I had with Jasper and Emmett.

"Alice will be getting her own phone call, but it's safe to say that she will be offered a job too, Bella, don't sweat it," I chuckled as I heard more laughing and giggling coming through the line.

It sounded like Alice was there with her and I instantly thought about how Bella answered the phone. Were they in a sexual relationship? The thought of the two of them doing that made me steel hard and I tried in vain to wipe out those thoughts.

If they agreed to come here, we would find out soon enough.

"Thank-you, Edward! You have no idea how much this means, to both of us," Bella said reverently.

"I think I do, Bella, I can hear it in your voice. Now, I'm going to email you some details and I hope that they're okay for you, with dates and times. We still need to interview you both, just to make sure that things will work out between us all, but that will be very informal," I said softly, wanting to ease any fears that she had.

I also hoped that they would be okay with the dates that we had set. As much as I was desperate to get the ball rolling with all of this, I also couldn't wait to actually meet her, get to know her and possibly more.

"Okay, but I'm still unsure about what the job will entail." I heard her gentle voice and it was full with worry, but I didn't know how to alleviate that at the moment. I really didn't want to tell her over the phone and I knew that face to face would be better.

Also, if we did this face to face, there would be less of a chance for her to run away. If I told her now, over the phone, I knew that I would never get a chance to meet her.

I had to tread carefully with this one.

"How about you come down for the interview and I can tell you then, Bella?" I hedged, hoping that she would agree.

My knee bounced a few times before hearing the words I wanted.

"Okay."

Chapter 9

BPOV

Edward and I hung up a few moments later and my mind was blank. I just couldn't think for a moment.

Then the hype started.

Both Alice and I started jumping around the room and squealing with pure happiness.

We had finally done it. We had an escape from this hell hole and nothing, nothing at all could wipe the smile off of my face as I thought about taking the few things that I cherished from this room and never looking back.

"I can't believe it!" I laughed as we finally calmed down enough to sit down and look at the email that Edward had sent through to me.

Before I could even open it, Alice's own phone went off and she skipped to the bed to answer it.

The expression on her face was the same as mine had been as she spoke with whoever had called her. She smiled and talked sweetly to whoever was on the other end and I swear I even saw her blush a couple of times.

I couldn't stop the grin on my face as I looked away from her and opened up the email.

Dear Bella,

Thank-you for taking the time to apply for this position within our company and I am sorry that the details have been vague at times, but as discussed on the phone, I think face to face would be better suited for both our needs. A full and detailed explanation as such will be explained in the interview.

If it is acceptable to you, we would require for you to travel to our office, here in LA, and stay with us for a minimum of a week. In this time, you will meet with various members of staff, get fitted for clothes and go through a medical exam.

Everything will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and we will not disclose any details about you with anyone other than our own company.

Please find attached the details of car services, flights and accommodation for yourself during your stay here.

I personally hope that you will be comfortable enough to take on this job, as I look forward to working closely with you.

Yours thankfully,

Edward Cullen.

A few things stuck out for me, one line literally jumping out at me 'I personally hope that you will be comfortable enough to take on this job, as I look forward to working closely with you.'

That spoke volumes to me and it put me slightly on edge.

Why would I need to feel comfortable with working with him?

I opened up the attachment, the contents of which shocked the hell out of me.

A car would be here on Friday morning to take us to Sea-Tac, where we would be in first class down to LAX. Another car would then pick us up and take us to a house that had been reserved for our personal use.

No luggage would be needed as everything would be catered for, including any personal items and spending money. All we needed to bring was our ID.

"What the hell?" Alice said over my shoulder after she wrapped up her own phone call and she looked like a fish out of water.

"I know!" I gasped as I read and re-read the email and the attachment.

"Bella, this sounds really iffy and I don't like it much. Jasper, the man who just called me, sounded as vague as your Edward. He was nice and all, but he wouldn't answer some of the questions I had. Do we really know what we're getting ourselves into?" she asked nervously.

"It can't be worse than what we're living through now, right?" I asked as I stood up.

"Didn't we say no matter what, we were getting out of here?"

I needed a drink.

"We have a couple of days to think this over, Bella, but I really want to know more about them." She grinned wickedly as she sat down at the computer and cracked her fingers, wiggling them above the keyboard.

"No, Alice, don't Google. I just want to go there and see what they have to offer. We still have our fall back plan, but I think, at the moment, I would be happier not knowing what we're getting ourselves into," I said firmly as I handed her a coke. "Besides, if we don't like what we find with the them, we've at least gotten a free ticket far away from this town. Nothing says we have to be on that return flight back here, and we wanted to go south anyways," I said with a smirk as I sat down next to her.

The minimum amount of time we would be there was for a week and I didn't like the thought of getting back on a plane to here, so we would have to make do with the plans and at the end of the week, if it wasn't what we wanted, we could go from LA to somewhere else.

"Really, you don't even want to know what this Edward guy looks like?" she asked with a pout and I laughed.

"Hell no, I just want to get there and see for myself," I laughed as we clinked glasses and laughed some more.

The rest of the night was spent throwing out anything that I didn't need or want anymore and by the time Alice had to go home, I had a huge pile of trash to deal with before I could get into bed.

It was now Thursday evening and Alice was in her element. Her father had given her permission to stay over at my place for the night, on the pretense of going into the city in the morning to go shopping. Unsurprisingly, she put on a very good act of saying that she didn't have anything suitable for such a big date and he caved.

He didn't have a clue about what our plans really were and we could finally breathe.

My mom though, she was different. She had made a huge production of making me feel about an inch big over how I would never get my dream job and how I should have saved enough money to go to college.

I was now starting to hate her.

Truly.

"Bella, what else do you need to sort out?" Alice asked as she broke through my thoughts while I stared out of my window.

I was in need of just five minutes to think.

"I don't know, Alice," I sighed as I stood up from the small window seat and walked over to the bed. "Edward said we didn't need to bring anything, but I feel awkward about them providing everything for us," I said as I picked up her legs and put them over my lap, "and if we bail, we need to have some of our stuff at least, don't ya think?"

There was no way that I was going there with nothing but the clothes on my back. I didn't want them, whoever they were, to have that hold over us. I didn't voice my concerns to Alice because, quite frankly, one person panicking was bad enough.

"It'll be alright, Bella. They said we had the jobs, and we finally have something to look forward to, so don't stress. But, we can pack some stuff just in case if it'll make you feel better." She giggled as I collapsed backwards onto the bed.

Alice had changed her tune a little since we got the phone calls and 'date night' loomed. She was just as desperate for this as I was and she was starting to see this as a positive thing, no matter how it turned out.

We snuggled up closely as we talked softly about what LA could bring us and what we could bring to LA.

We woke up early the following morning, but I was too nervous to eat anything for breakfast.

I knew mom was in bed, so we tiptoed around the house, ensuring we didn't wake her.

By seven-thirty, we were outside with just our purses and a small carry on each as we waited for the car. We had rolled up a few changes of clothes and a few personal items to take with us, but that was it.

I had managed to down a coffee, and now my stomach was churning in on itself.

The furthest either of us had ever been was Seattle, and here we were, heading towards where world famous people lived.

I just couldn't wrap my head around it all.

"The car's here, Bella," Alice squealed quietly next to me as I took in the huge limo that was now driving slowly down the road.

They sent us a fucking limo?

"Wow," I gasped as the shiny black car came to a stop right outside my house.

"Let's go!" Alice giggled as she skipped down the path, dragging me with her.

"Slow down, Alice," I laughed softly as the driver got out and gave us a nod before opening our door.

I took one last look at my family home and then slid into the car next to Alice.

"Here's to our new life and a great adventure!" Alice laughed as she kissed me soundly on the back seat.

A great adventure indeed.