by it's Author. We DO own the plot line of this story. Resemblances to any all
products, persons or people are purely coincidental. Well, maybe not.
Thanks be to Laureate for her patience and for being the best writing
partner/beta a girl can have. I am so sorry for the long wait on this chapter.
Naughty *points to self* is a bad, bad girl. Real life and all the stuff that
comes with it coupled with a bit o' writers block made this one difficult for
me. I won't bore you with all the details. We all know how it can be. If you're
still with us, I THANK you immensely. Please enjoy chapter 6 in Jersella's
pov.
Chapter 6
“I’m too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts...”
“What?” I croak into my cell phone.
“Bells! You missed the menage-a-trois of all time, baby!” Jake’s deep but effeminate voice yells in my ear. “I swear to you... one had a nuclear missile in his pants. Jakey was tattooed all over it.” He giggles.
“Good for you,” I yawn and flip onto my back. “OW!” I yell pulling out the book that digs into my lower lumbar.
“Sugar, it’s almost noon. Are you making it home sometime today?”
Noon? Shit. I’d spent most of the night entrenched in Edward Cullen’s book.
“Yeah, gonna shower and I’ll be on my way.”
“Bring me a present,” he says before hanging up on me. Jake’s idea of a present is bringing him the little bottles of lotion, shampoo and conditioner or one of the fluffy white complimentary robes. I swear he dyes them. The last time we did ‘Girls Night’, he answered the door in chartreuse, but when we got done with our facials he changed to a soft green colored one.
A little after 12:30, I make my way down to the front desk. I’m surprised to see Emily manning it again.
“Don’t you ever go home?” I ask pulling a pen out of my bag.
“Yes,” she laughs. “I just started my shift.” She pushes one of the employee comp sheets toward me.
I sign quickly and smile back at her. “Tell Sam I said hello!”
“I will and don’t be a stranger. Call me. We’ll do coffee.”
I wave and head toward the garage and Miley.
~~ALM~~
“It’s about friggin’ time, Princess!” Alec yells as I pull my key from the apartment door.
“Did you bring me a prezzie, B?” Jake squeezes me and then pinches my left ass cheek.
“Watch the hands, Whore. I know they were on someone’s bratwurst last night,” I say slapping his large paw away. “Give me a few and I’ll get it for you.”
Jake squeals and cozies up on the couch next to Alec, who rolls his eyes and focuses back in on his Apple notebook.
“You two been here all night?” I dump my purse on the end table and pull my backpack from my shoulder. They don’t even hear me. They’re focused on the screen. The sounds of a girl moaning makes me cringe. “Are you watching fuckin’ porn? You better not get any of your spunk on my couch!”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Alec laughs. “It’s WWE wrestling. Rosita has Tara in a choke hold but it’s a rather inventive choke hold. Tara seems to be enjoying it.”
“Alec...sweetie...you do know I prefer men? Can we go and check out The Rock? Rosita is making me sick to my stomach,” Jake whines as he reaches across Alec’s arm pressing buttons.
“Dude...you’re killing me,” Alec says as the moaning stops.
“Carry on but wipe up any bodily fluids that one,” I point at Jake, “may release.”
I make my way toward my bedroom and start unloading my clothes and essentials. A folded piece of paper on my pillow draws my attention. Bree.
Opening it, I find its an employment listing for a meteorologist on the local Fox station. Bree, definitely. A side note in red pen makes me laugh, “Get your ass into the sunlight, Bitch!”
I toss the paper on my nightstand and continue unpacking. My mind keeps going back to the book I spent last night reading. I glance a few times between it and the listing. After sitting down, I grab both and wonder what Edward Cullen would suggest. He wants everyone to be the best they can be. Would being a meteorologist on a television station be the best I can be? Would I be my best at a research facility? Considering my aversion to public speaking, research might be the way to go, but... how can I grow? How will I know my potential if I don’t take risks?
I stuff the paper into the cover of the book and grab Jake’s stuff. Alec has relinquished his laptop to the man child who now lays on my floor watching The Rock circa ages ago beat someone down. I hope to god he’s not rubbing himself on my area rug.
“Here, Jakey...” I say tossing him his parcel. His big brown eyes light up when he pulls out the cotton robe.
“This is new. I love new...”
“What time did Bree go in?” I ask sitting in my wicker swing. I feel all cocooned and safe in it.
“She’s covering Mad Max’s shift. She’ll be home around 5,” Jake says rubbing some lotion on his arm.
I nod and toy with the book in my lap.
“What has you fidgeting over there, B? Something on your mind?” Alec asks.
I shrug, not ready to discuss my thoughts.
“How did your motivational thing go last night? Did your guru dude give you any sage advice?” he teases.
I finger the pages of the book and shake my head at him, “As a matter of fact, he told me I was beautiful just the way I am.”
“He’s right,” Jake pipes up from the floor. “You are beautiful just the way you are. You just need a little polish.”
“Thanks, Jake.”
“It’s probably the only sensible thing he’s ever said ‘cause let me tell you that hunk of man meat be crazy! How to be the best customer service rep you can be? Bitch, please,” he waves his hand in the air before turning back over and continuing with his Rock porn. “Knock him on his ass, baby!”
“I’m gonna head up to my apartment. Jake? Return my macbook when you’re done dreaming about The Rock giving it to you between the ropes,” Alec says pushing off from the couch. “If you decide you want to talk, you know where I’ll be.”
“Thanks, Alec,” I say before he shuts the door. Jake continues to watch videos as I read more of Edward’s book. After a while, I head into my bedroom and grab a highlighter and return to my reading. An hour or so later, Jake leaves. I set the book aside and start to think about what I’ve read. I play with the paper Bree left for me this morning and before I know it, it’s been folded into a fan. I lay on my bed, fanning myself with it.
According to Edward, in order to be the best I can be I need to identify my strengths. Once I’ve done that, I need to nurture them. Straightforward. On the other hand, he says to “let myself try something new that you’re scared of,” which totally tells me that I should give the position at the Fox station a shot. He tells me that “if it’s a struggle, or it’s difficult, you’ll be all the better for it.” This tells me that even though I find it difficult to speak in public, I should do it because it will help me grow. If I fail, that’s ok, because I’m still recognizing and nurturing my strengths.
“Maybe I need to get out of this rut I’m in,” I ponder out loud.
“You totally need to!” Bree snickers from the doorway. “I see you got the ad I left for you. Although, seeing it folded into a fan doesn’t bode well.”
“Sorry,” I apologize and begin unfolding the paper. “I...I think I might give it a try, Bree.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Bella?” she says as she rushes across the room, and checks my forehead.
“Get outta here, Bitch!” I laugh and smack at her hand.
She tosses herself down at the end of my bed and laughs. “When did you decide this?”
“Well, I went to Edward’s show last night,” I start.
“UGH!” She yells. “Bella, I love you, but that guy is a complete idiot.”
“Just hear me out! It was about being the best you can be. While the show was interesting to say the least, I ended up sitting down and really reading this book,” I say waving the book in the air. “He says that I should find my strengths and nurture them, but also to put myself out there even though I might be scared. By trying, I’m discovering the best me.”
Bree looks at me a moment, “Huh. Who would have thought that he would say something that actually makes friggin’ sense?” She shakes her head a moment and smiles at me. “So, you decided to audition for the job.”
“According to this,” I pick up the ad, “I need to send in a tape first. They’ll review it and if they like it, they’ll call for an audition.”
Bree squeals and hops up off the bed, “You know what this means?!?!?”
“No.”
“MAKEOVER!!!”
“For the love of God, I don’t need a makeover.”
“Yes, you do. We need to make you stylish and chic,” she says opening my closet door. “Lord Queen B...you have shit for clothes. No worries, Jake and I will take care of you.”
“Edward said I was beautiful just the way I am,” I mumble to myself.
“Edward said? Is that in his book?”
“Yes...and no.”
“What the hell are you going on about?” Bree says, her hands on her hips.
“I went down to the bar of the hotel last night and had a drink while I read. He sat down next to me.” I finger the black sharpie message.
“Give me that,” my friend says as she rips the book from my hand. “Oh my God! You didn’t sleep with him, did you?”
“What?!?! No, I didn’t fucking sleep with him. What kind of a girl do you think I am? I’m not one of those fan girls!”
“Maybe you should be. He’s a total bullshit artist but he’s hot,” she smiles, showing me the back of the book.
I grab the book from her hands and push her out of my room. I slam the door in her face and fall face first on my bed.
“Don’t worry. Jakey and I will make you hot, B,” she shouts through the closed door.
~ALM~
The next few weeks go by quickly. I work and continue to read Edward’s book, highlighting relevant portions. Bree and Jake have enlisted Alec to be cameraman for my audition tape. The deadline is looming. After work, I’m meeting Jake at his hairstylist to start my ‘transformation’. The words Edward wrote in my book ring through my head during my shift. I’m so distracted, even the lovey dovey honeymooners, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon, don’t bother me. Although, she seemed a bit more off than most. She kept eyeing me while I checked them in. It was as if she was trying to get in my head. Every move I made seemed way too interesting to her.
“Front desk, how can I assist you?”
“Yes, this is Mr. Whit...Brandon. Is it possible to get some more towels in our suite. There was a slight issue with the tub.”
“Sure, I’ll send housekeeping up with more. Was there a plumbing malfunction? Would you like me to move you to a new suite?”
“Oh...uh...no. It was our fault,” he says before I hear a giggling Mrs. Brandon call out to her husband.
I hold back a snicker, “Alright, Mr. Brandon. Housekeeping will be up momentarily.” I disconnect and reach for my radio. “Sylvia, can you please deliver more towels to room 618? Could you leave one of the laundry bags too? Seems they were a little busy in the tub and have some wet towels that need to be taken care of.”
“Yes, Miss Swan. Right away,” Sylvia laughs back.
The rest of my shift goes quietly. At 9 am, I’m sitting in my car in the parking lot of La Petite Coif. Who the hell comes up with the names of these places? Did they know the name meant small skullcap? I can’t help but chuckle to myself. A tap on my window startles me.
“Hey, B! Come on. Simone is waiting for you,” Jake says as he opens my door. He drags me from my seat and slams Miley’s door.
“I don’t know about this, Jake,” I stutter and try to dig the heels of my converse into the blacktop. He stops and turns to face me. He smiles sweetly and rubs my left arm.
“Bella...have I ever steered you wrong?” he asks softly. I raise my eyebrow and open my mouth to remind him of the time he thought it would be fun to use Estee Lauder’s new self tanner on me. I looked like an Oompa Loompa for six weeks. Thank God I worked the night shift. He clamps his oversize paw over my mouth, “Don’t answer that! This time...I promise. Simone is the best there is.”
“If I walk out of the small skullcap looking like a French fucking poodle, your twig and berries are the first thing I’m reaching for.”
“The small skullcap? Where do you get this shit, B?”
“Jacob, that’s what the translation is...La Petite Coif...the small skullcap. You didn’t take French?”
He looks at the words above the door, his eyes squinting. “Well I’ll be...” He shakes his head once and smiles, “I took German in school.”
“German?”
“Yeah, you’d be surprised how much gay men love the german language. They love a good ‘ACHTUNG!’”
Before I can say anything, a beautiful, exotic looking brunette rushes me into a changing room and throws a silk robe at me. She orders me to take off my shirt and meet her at one of the shampoo bowls. When I emerge, Jake and the woman are standing over a flipboard talking about golds and reds. A small blonde with a pageboy haircut and black lips directs me to one of the bowls. She tells me her name is Jane and she’s Simone’s assistant. I comment on her look and she smiles before telling me that she was sent by Lucifer to preach his gospel. Just as I grab the chair and begin to sit up, Jake appears in front of me.
“Janey! You have to stop freaking out Simone’s clients! You won’t find your soulmate that way. Bella, this is Jane. Janey this is my Bella.”
The little demon laughs and slaps Jake in the stomach. “Sorry Dude. What’s up, B?”
“Uh...”
“Jane lets get Ms Swan into my chair within the next 30 seconds!” The brunette screams across the salon.
“Yes, Simone,” Jane says drolly. “She’s such a bitch.” A towel is wrapped around my wet head and I’m yanked from one chair to the other.
Simone proceeds to discuss with Jake what she is going to do. Keywords being ‘with Jake.’ I’m sitting here and they are both ignoring me like I’m some Barbie head. You know what I’m talking about right? The one where you could do her hair and makeup. You could get a Marie Osmond head too. When I hear the word inverted, I begin to panic. A pair of wireless earplugs are placed in my ears, the sounds of Whitesnake fill my head. I’m a sucker for David Coverdale. I focus on the music and let Simone do what she will.
An hour and a half later, Simone twirls me around to face the mirror. I glance at the mirror and then do a double take. My hair has soft beachy curls and is shinier than ever. I can see subtle red highlights from the overhead lights. I look to Jake next to me and smile. I hand him my credit card and listen as Simone drops product after product into my arms. Five hundred dollars later, I’m sitting with Jake and Bree in a small cafe two blocks from our apartment.
“I can’t believe the difference in your hair, Bella,” Bree gushes for the umpteenth time.
“I know right?!? Despite the price tag, I love it,” I say placing a lip smacking kiss on Jake’s cheek. “Thanks.”
He smiles and pats my hand. “Now we just need to get that audition tape done. I know they’ll love you, Bella.”
We finish our lunch and head in separate directions. Bree and Jake are off to Nordstrom’s to find my audition outfit and I’m going home to work on some weather models.
~alm~
After what seems like hours, I give up on the weather. The current pattern calls for clear skies and slightly above normal temperatures for the next few days. Nothing to really write home about. I’m looking for something that I can sink my teeth into. A pattern of thunderstorm and torrential rains would be good.
I grab a beer and flip on the television but find nothing but boring talk shows. How many times does it take for “Suzette” to realize she needs to keep her legs closed or take birth control? Maury Povich hugs the next bimbo, informing me that “Chenille” has been here three times before hoping to find out which schlupp is her baby-daddy. The whole farce reminds me to check my birth control prescription and make an appointment as soon as possible. Moving on to Oprah, I get bored and stare at Edward’s book.
Plucking it from the table, I slip the bookmark from it’s place. This chapter, he tells me the only way to “nurture my strengths is to let them flounder.” It’s an odd way of saying I shouldn’t be scared of failing because it’ll help me know myself and I’ll be better for it in the end. Honestly, where does he come up with this stuff? I ponder the idea of my audition tape. While I fear public speaking, the only way to get over that is to face it. If I fail, I fail. I’ll know I tried.
Bree walks in a few hours later flipping through the mail. She smiles and gives me a small chuckle as she tosses an envelope in my lap.
“You couldn’t stop yourself from buying tickets to another one of his shows, could you?”
“I didn’t purchase any tickets. I don’t know what this is,” I say tearing into the envelope. The letter states I won a ticket to Edward’s Madison Square Garden show as part of a contest through his fan club. The only thing is, I don’t remember entering any contests on the website.
“Holy fucking shit!” I scream as I jump up from the couch. The book flies across the room and skids along the floor. “I won a ticket to the Madison Square Garden show! Oh my God!”
“Great...” Bree moans and shakes her head at me.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Seems like some of Edward's
motivational words are sinking in for our Bella. Laureate is up next with his
pov. Again, thank you so much for your patience. Please be assured we are
not going to abandoned this story. We aren't quitters and this story will be
finished. If you feel inclined, leave us a review. Since this chapter was mine,
I'll be responding! Thanks again to my wonderful partner in crime here,
Laureate04. She's a saint! Love you much girlie! ~ NaughtyHisBella
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