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“I wonder what the show is going to be like?”
“Who knows? It was just so bold of them to storm the stage the way they did, so I felt like I had to come here tonight and see what they have to offer!”
I caught only bits and pieces of the conversation the women in front of me were having over the roar of the crowd. Funtom Music Hall was jam-packed, with the guests clustered together in different sections surrounding the stage. Since I had come by myself, it was fairly easy for me to sneak my way into the group closest to the front.
Much like the people I was eavesdropping on, I too had been drawn here by a mysterious group of men that had shown up at Sphere Music Hall just the other night. It had been so strange. My friends and I had been having the time of our lives, watching the beautiful Starlight Four do what they do best, when five men threw off their robes at the back of the stage and completely changed the atmosphere around us. Their look and sound was dirtier, grittier, and positively enticing. They were the complete opposite of what we were used to, and when they beckoned the crowd to join them across the street, I couldn’t help but feel very interested.
Sadly, I had been the only one in my small group to feel that way, so we had stayed at Sphere for the remainder of the night, but I wasn’t going to let my unadventurous friends keep me away forever. The following night, I feigned being sick when my friends asked me to go out, only to go to Funtom on my own.
Now, I was buzzing with anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see what their show was like. Soon, the lights went down, and my heart dropped as the Phantom Five were lowered onto the stage by some kind of wire contraption.
“Now that you’re here, you’re not getting away without paying a hefty price. You’re in the palm of my hand now, and tonight, I’m going to steal each and every one of your hearts!” came their booming voices all in unison.
They were dazzling. I was sure that my voice would be mostly gone the following day as a result of all my screaming for them. They sang beautifully, they didn’t miss a single step in their routines. They were so much more than I could ever have hoped for.
I felt my gaze getting captured over and over again by one of the men in particular. They were all undeniably gorgeous, but the blonde at the center of the group stood out. Edward. He practically oozed sex, and his confidence was unmistakeable. I kept fooling myself into thinking that our eyes locked at various points during his performance, and it made my breath hitch in my chest every time.
When the Five made their way out into the crowd in the middle of the show, I ached to have him come up to me. Other girls were getting their own little private shows and displays of affection while I was left out in the cold. Some of the men started to make their way back onto the stage all too soon, and I had just about given up any hope of grabbing Edward’s attention when, as if he could hear my desperate calls to him over every other sound in the room, he glanced at my section, abruptly changed his direction, and sauntered over. I thought to myself that he seemed to be looking directly at me again, but no, that couldn’t be possible. Surely, that was only wishful thinking.
I only realized my mistake when his hand was on mine. I looked into his eyes with the biggest smile on my face, and I could see every shade of green there is gleaming in the eyes that gazed back at me.
“Come with me, darling,” he purred close to my ear. “I’d be thrilled to have someone as beautiful as you join me on stage.”
I felt my body temperature spike up at his words. If it were anyone else, I might have at least tried to back out. I sometimes struggled in front of a handful of people, so to be up in front of this sea of bodies seemed unthinkable… but, who in their right mind would deny him?
He guided me carefully up the stairs at the side of the stage, all the while keeping my hand in his. He dragged me right to the center, at which point, he turned and faced me dead on. He grabbed one of the microphones they had been using for their performance and brought it between us.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asked.
“(y/n),” I managed. I could hear my voice echoing back at me from all around the hall. It sounded clunky and not at all as elegant as I would have hoped.
“I knew a beauty like you would have an equally lovely name,” he said, winking at me. “So, (y/n), are you ready for us to take your breath away?”
I couldn’t get anymore words out, so I nodded. He gave me a devilish smile, and the song began. I gasped as he brought me in close, holding me against his hips with his hand on the small of my back. He looked me straight in the eyes as he sang, making sure that I knew his song was only meant for me. As the song kicked into the chorus, he moved one hand up between my shoulders while the other moved downward, grazing my hip and then grasping my lower thigh roughly. Then, he hiked my leg up so that it was propped up against him. I could feel color roar through my cheeks, which only seemed to spur him on. He used his hold on me to dip me backward. My back arched as he towered over me, leaning in, but leaving enough space to keep me wanting more. I was very aware of his hips still pressed firmly into mine. The friction between us was beginning to make me a bit dizzy.
He lifted me back up effortlessly, and I felt him winding something around my torso. I looked down to see buckles and wire, and I looked at him questioningly before something other than his lips quickly gave me my answer. I yelped loudly as the two of us were pulled from the stage and up into the air. He had attached the both of us to the same machine he and the rest had used to make their entry, and it sent us flying above the stage and soaring over the whole crowd. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, fear intermingling with pure excitement. This felt unreal, like something that could only happen in one’s wildest fantasies. As we made our way around the room, I could see that he wasn’t looking at the rest of the women in the room. His eyes were still focused on me, amused by all of the different emotions playing out on my face. It made the experience all the more special to know that, at least in those few moments, I was the only thing on his mind.
At the end of the song, the machine plopped us back down to Earth, and Edward guided me back to my section of the crowd. He winked and blew me a kiss as he headed back toward the stage, and I felt the women around me glaring daggers. It hardly mattered to me, though. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, and as far as I was concerned, they could take their jealousy and choke on it.
When the show ended and everyone began to file out of the building, an audible “no” escaped my lips. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over. The only silver lining was that all of the Phantom Five were divided up at different doorways to see us off on our way out. I debated going to see another one of the men, since I had already had such an amazing experience with Edward, and the other members of the group were also devastatingly hot. However, once I actually saw Edward’s face near one of the doors, I couldn’t help myself. Of course I had to choose him.
Our interaction was short, but entirely worth it. When my turn to speak to him came, he lifted my chin up with his finger, and said, “I had a lot of fun with you tonight. Please tell me I’ll be seeing that pretty face again tomorrow?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied dreamily, and he smiled and waved at me as I disappeared into the flow of people heading home.
I was bursting at the seams with happiness. The night felt like magic. I didn’t want to act like such a stereotypical fangirl, but oh my god! There was no way I could ever forget what happened tonight. Out of all the people in the crowd, he had picked me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he had seemed especially happy to see me over the other girls he had seen off at the end. I knew that was the extent of it, and even if I did come back tomorrow, it wouldn’t be anything like what happened tonight, but that was okay. From someone like him, I would take what I could get.
My giddy thoughts came to a halt when I heard a much less melodic voice call out in my direction.
“Hey, sexy.”
I turned to see a very drunk-looking man stumbling his way down the street towards me. It was in that moment that I remembered how very much alone I was, and how exposed I was now that I wasn’t covered by the Phantom Five audience. I chose to ignore the man and started heading in the opposite direction. My residence was only a few blocks away, but this man was in the path I needed to take. I hoped that I would be able to shake him and loop around somehow in a way that didn’t extend my journey too much.
“Aww, don’t be like that,” he urged, and I started to get anxious as I heard his heavy footfalls pick up behind me.
I shrunk down, trying to disappear among the few stragglers from the audience, and ducked around the Music Hall. Surely, if I could just put some distance between the two of us, I would be fine.
I was wrong. For being so out of his head, he was very fast. Much faster than I was, as it turned out.
“I’m talking to you, bitch,” he growled as he caught up to me, grabbing my arm roughly.
“LET GO!” I yelled the moment I felt his touch, swinging my leg back to kick him in the shin.
It only delayed him for a fraction of a second before he was upon me again. He trapped me in between his arms, holding me in place as he breathed foul, boozy air at me.
“You whores are always so stuck up. You think you’re too good for anybody who gives you the time of day. Well, that just pisses me off, y’know?”
“I am too good for you, you disgusting bastard,” I spat. “Now, get off of me.”
“Why, you little-” he began, but was stopped short when a doorway I hadn’t noticed before opened just a few feet from us.
The people who stepped out from it were none other than the Phantom Five themselves. It must have been the door that fed into the backstage area. They were all looking around urgently, as if they had been able to hear my forceful demand even from inside. When their eyes locked on my attacker and I, they went livid.
“I believe the lady asked you to get your hands off of her.”
Edward. He had been at the head of the group, and was at my side in seconds.
“Get out of here, pretty boy. This doesn’t concern you,” the man slurred.
Edward’s movements were fast and precise. Before my brain could catch up with what was happening, he had ripped the man off of me, punched him hard in the jaw, and slammed him into the opposite wall of the alleyway with enough force to knock the wind out of him. While this happened, the other members of the group surrounded me, all checking to see if I was okay.
“Let me put it another way, since you didn’t seem to understand the first time,” Edward said, his words cool and dangerous. “If I ever see you lay a hand on her or any other woman that way, I’m going to make you very sorry you did.”
He gave the man one final shove before adding, “Now, get out of my sight.”
The man scurried away, sneering but clearly afraid. Edward watched him until he was completely out of sight, then turned to me, both kindness and recognition shining in his eyes. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with that pathetic excuse for a man, (y/n). He won’t be bothering you again.”
“Thank you for your help,” I replied shakily.
“Of course,” he said, his brow furrowing shortly thereafter. “Was no one with you tonight?”
I shook my head. “My friends are more fans of your competitors, I’m sorry to say.”
“Hm. Well, do you live far from here? I could arrange a carriage for you,” he offered.
“Oh, no, there’s no need. I only live a few blocks down. I wouldn’t want you to have to go to any trouble.”
Edward paused for a moment, considering my answer. “Which direction are you headed?”
“It’s this way,” I said, motioning to the west, “but like I said, I don’t need a ride. I’m not scared stiff by one drunken fool.”
“Alright,” he grinned, and then began walking in the direction that I had pointed. I stared blankly after him, and when he saw that I wasn’t following, he added, “If you’d prefer not to take a carriage, let’s walk. Come on, we don’t want it getting too late on us.”
“Erm,” I heard Harcourt clear his throat behind me. “Edward, our… producer will probably want to speak with us about how things went tonight as soon as possible.”
“Then, you all go and talk to the boss, and tell him that I’ll be along shortly. I’m sure you can all agree on wanting to make sure this lovely lady gets back to her home safely,” Edward said, raising an eyebrow at his fellow performers.
A few of them shot him wary glances, but didn’t protest further. They slowly turned and headed toward the main street. It only registered in my head that I still hadn’t moved when I felt Edward’s hand gently squeeze mine.
“You’ll have to lead the way, dear,” he pointed out gently.
“Oh, right,” I sputtered, taking clumsy first steps on our route, causing him to chuckle.
At first, the walk was quiet. After all, what does one say to someone they barely know yet have shared such a unique encounter with? I had hoped that, since he had seemed to exude so much confidence up until this point, that he would take the reins on the vocal part of our journey, but now that it was just the two of us, he seemed a little more shy. It was I that ended up breaking the silence.
“So… what made you want to be a performer?”
“The opportunity just sort of fell into my lap, if I’m being honest. It wasn’t something I had considered doing until recently,” he replied.
“Do you enjoy it as much as you appear to?”
He hesitated, just long enough for me to catch it, but then, he smiled at me. “I like that what I do makes people happy. It was definitely a treat to see the joy on your face tonight.”
“Yeah, tonight was pretty amazing. I’m sure the other girls you pick for that stunt will love it too.”
“No, I think you might be the only one I do that one with. There’s something special about you, and a special person deserves special treatment.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I teased.
“You know, I really don’t,” he insisted, a strange look on his face.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the door to my home. Edward admired the large structure before us. “What a nice place.”
“Isn’t it? It belongs to the Baron I work for. I’m one of his live-in maids. I would imagine everyone in the manor is asleep by now, though,” I explained, and bit at the tip of my finger shyly. “Would you maybe want to come in for a while?”
To my surprise, his cheeks flushed, and he kicked nervously at the ground. “Uh… look, (y/n), I-”
“Master Edward,” a cool voice came from behind us, and we both whipped around to face a tall man dressed in all black, with wisps of dark hair dangling in his face.
“How did you…?” Edward started, but the words died on his lips.
“Our producer was concerned that you were taking so long to return, so he sent me to retrieve you. Need I educate you on the dangers of walking about with strangers late at night?” The man flashed me a suspicious crimson gaze as he spoke. “I must insist that we make our way back now.”
“Fine,” Edward grumbled. He looked at me, wanting to say something but not allowing himself to do so in front of our new company. He reached out, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. “Have a good night, (y/n). It was delightful to meet you, and... I really do hope to see you again.”
The two men left then, and I made my way into the manor, confused. I had gotten a few different signals from Edward just then, and I wasn’t sure how to reconcile them together in my head. I’m not sure he had even known what he wanted to say in that moment, so I couldn’t reasonably expect myself to make sense of it either. I decided to put myself to bed, along with the thoughts that buzzed through my head.
~~~
After my friends heard about what I had experienced the night prior - since I couldn’t help but to confess what had happened and gush to all of them about it - they all about sprinted to the Funtom Music Hall the next night. People were flooding into it, so each of us getting a ticket was a challenge, but we managed.
I’d had mixed feelings about going. Of course, the idea of seeing a show of that caliber again was thrilling, but I was still feeling conflicted about how things had ended with Edward. I wasn’t sure if what I had gotten was meant to be a rejection or not, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him yet. However, my friends gave me exactly zero say in the matter, insisting that I could just focus on the other beautiful members of the group if I was hesitant about interacting with Edward. In all honesty, there was virtually no chance that I would get chosen out of the crowd two nights in a row, so other than seeing him on stage, I would likely not have any sort of encounters with him. Through their convincing and my own, I made the decision to just bite the bullet and go.
We filed in through the doors along with everyone else, and when we got to the tickettaker, the man scrutinized my ticket a bit closer than I thought was necessary. Seeming satisfied with whatever he was looking for, he handed it back to me with a smile, and said, “ah, Ms. (l/n), that is you. Edward has extended you a special invitation this evening. He wished for you to know that he would be honored if you would accompany him in the backstage area after the show. He also added that you may watch the show itself from the side stage if you so desire. If you are interested, I can guide you there immediately.”
I was stunned into silence. One of my friends had to grab my arm and shake me to snap me out of my trance.
“Oh, wow, um… I’d love to, but I came with friends tonight. It wouldn’t be very kind of me to just leave them.”
“Are you joking? Don’t worry about us! If you miss this chance, we’ll never forgive you!” my group of girls practically screamed in unison. They almost matched the excitement that I felt in my own chest.
I swooped them all into a hug, then turned to the tickettaker and gave him a nod.
“Fantastic. Right this way, Ms. (l/n),” the man said cheerfully.
He guided me to an area just at the mouth of the stage. It offered a spectacular view of the whole hall and was furnished with plush seating. There were even a couple members of the staff who situated me with a drink and made sure I was as comfortable as I could be. I was still working on talking myself out of thinking it must all be one elongated dream when the lights went down and the Phantom Five rushed out from beside me. Each of them smiled as they noticed me sitting there, but the biggest of them belonged to Edward. He shot me a wink just before he greeted the audience.
The show was even more amazing than the night before, if that were even possible, but I could hardly bring myself to focus on it. My mind could only seem to focus on what Edward had planned for after. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go to to let someone down easy, so I assumed that whatever was in store for me was good, but what exactly could he want?
The show came to an end, and my heart rate kicked up. I watched the men come towards me, waiting to see what they would do. Most of them waved or shot me knowing looks, but continued on their way, and when Edward finally reached me, he took my hand in his, pulling me to my feet.
“(y/n), I’m so glad you decided to come. I’ve got quite a night in store for you.”
“Not that I’m not thrilled, Edward, but what does that mean?” I asked, but rather than explaining himself, he merely picked my drink up off the table, placed it in my hand, and offered a brief, “follow me.”
I took his hand, giggling excitedly as he ran me through a maze of hallways. He finally had us duck into what appeared to be an office, with a large number of documents and books filed along the walls and a long, perfectly organized desk at the center of it.
“Where exactly have you brought me, Edward?” I asked, thinking to myself that, of all the guesses I’d made as to where we could be headed, a room like this had to be near the bottom of the list.
“Well,” he began, facing me and taking slow steps forward. I matched his pace as I took steps backward, and soon, he had my back pressed against the wall behind me. I stared up at him intently, and the look in his eyes alone could have sent me to my knees. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the question you asked me last night, and I’ve been spending a lot of time kicking myself over not taking you up on your offer.”
He pressed one hand against the wall beside me, and used the other to twirl a strand of my hair in his fingers, moving downward gradually so his knuckles brushed against my side.
“I knew I’d never forgive myself if I let a goddess like you slip away from me,” he went on, “so if you’ll still have me, I’d like to correct my earlier mistake.” He moved his mouth close to my ear, and I could feel his breath tickle my skin as he asked, “Do you want me, (y/n)?”
“Yes,” I breathed, my mind an absolute halestorm.
His closeness was keeping any of my rational thoughts from making their way through my head. I was about ready to drown in my want of him. Whatever came afterward could come. For now, I just wanted to be his.
“I’m so happy to hear that, kitten,” he said, punctuating each word with a kiss, each one making its way closer and closer to my lips.
I felt my insides twist up as his mouth finally met mine. His lips were perfectly soft, and we fell into perfect motion, like two puzzle pieces coming together. The pace of our breathing quickened as we sunk into it. My hands crept up into the shirt that clung so tightly to his body. They glided over his well-toned muscles, his skin still slick with sweat from his earlier performance. I used my fingertips to tease lightly at the area just above his belt, making his body jolt every so slightly with all of my most well-placed touches.
“Why don’t I make a little more room for us?” he suggested.
He detached from me only for a moment, just long enough to slide nearly all of the items on top of the desk swiftly to the floor, sending them clattering and rolling all over the room.
My eyes widened at the mess. “Is it really okay to trash the room like this? What if someone gets mad?”
“Don’t worry about that, baby,” he replied, smirking at me. “This is our producer’s office, and after the scolding he gave me after I dropped you off last night, I have no problem ruffling his feathers a bit. In fact, I’d love to see his face when he finds the destruction. I know it’s not very gentlemanly, but would you be a doll and go along with it for me?”
“Well, when you put it that way…” I grinned, and took it upon myself to push the last few things he had missed off the surface of the desk and seat myself on top of it, raising my eyebrows at him and beckoning him with my finger.
“Wow, you are just terribly perfect, aren’t you?” he beamed, walking up to me and positioning himself between my legs.
He propped them up on his hips and lowered my back gently to the surface of the desk as he locked his lips with mine once more. The friction of his leather pants against me was quickly making me gush into my panties. My hands travelled up his back and pulled him in, begging him to be closer.
He worked on lifting my dress up and over my head. Being so bared to him while he remained fully clothed gave him a kind of power that only served to fuel both of our fires. I moaned into his lips as his hands roamed my body, moving over my underwear but not venturing under quite yet.
He eyed the glass beside us, the drink I’d been poured for the performance that I had long since forgotten about. I saw a little glint in his gaze as he reached a hand in and grabbed one of the ice cubes that had yet to melt. He popped it into his mouth and moved himself down to my neck, using his tongue to glide the ice over my skin. I sucked in a breath as a shiver rolled through my body and continued to travel up and down my spine as he moved. The burn it caused was sweet, and the sheer amount of heat coming off my body at that point caused the ice to melt quickly, pooling in the space between my collarbones and sending cool streams down my shoulders. Edward had to grab a few pieces out of the glass before all was said and done.
He yanked my bra downward and swirled the ice around my nipples. I jumped at the feeling against my sensitive skin, but couldn’t help but hold his head there until he made it raw. He then travelled down my stomach, popping the cube in and out of my belly button a few times, then toyed with it along the curves of my hips.
It melted into nothing just as he moved to pull my panties down. He ran his still-icy tongue over me, getting me used to the feeling before moving onto what he turned out to be very good at. He moved the bottom of his tongue side to side over my clit while his fingers scissored around it, stopping to move lower or momentarily take his touch off of me altogether here and there. I ripped his hat off of him and threw it across the room, entangling my fingers in his blonde locks, trying to hold him in place when he tried to stop. However, he was strong and merciless. He was going to draw out my bliss as he pleased, and his grin suggested that he would only keep me waiting longer if I didn’t play by his rules.
By the time his devilish tongue did draw me to my climax, my legs were shaking. He took in the image of my sprawled before him, flushed and panting, and whispered, “my, what a work of art you are. Do you want more of what I have to offer, (y/n), or will that be enough for the night?”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “I want it all. I need you, Edward.”
“Well, far be it from me to deny such a beautiful lady’s needs,” he breathed and began working at his belt, when suddenly, there was a sound that sent our blood running cold. The click of the door opening.
Edward moved in a flash. There was no spot for the both of us to hide, so he pushed me and my dress underneath the desk and sat himself in the chair behind it. His legs surrounded me like a fortress as I heard the door creak open.
“Oh, Master Edward? What are you doing… what happened in here?” came a man’s voice, and not one that I recognized.
All I could see from my angle was Edward from the waist down. I was so hot and bothered, and so disappointed by the most intimate part of our encounter being interrupted. Poor Edward barely got any personal attention…
I eyed his open belt. He hadn’t had time to fasten it back up, since he’d had to worry about hiding me, and I could see the outline of his erection poking through beyond his zipper. I got a wonderfully wicked idea, and smirked as I cozied myself between his legs. I freed his cock from the fabric and grasped it at the base with my fist.
“I was just, er, looking for something. I think I lost one of my rings in here during our last mmmeeting,” he stumbled over his words, trying his best to maintain his composure as I circled my tongue around his tip.
He rested his head in his hand in what must have looked like a distressed gesture to the man before him, but I could tell that he just wanted to hide what he was doing as he watched me work. His other hand gripped the underside of the desk roughly as I massaged my hands up and down his length, twisting them in opposing directions of one another, all while showing him no mercy with the movements of my lips and tongue.
“Are you okay, Edward?” the voice asked, clearly very concerned.
“I’m just a little upset. That ring is very special to me,” he managed, the stiff tone of his voice matching the role he was playing. I could feel him pulse under my touch, motivating me to keep going.
“If it’s that important to you, why don’t you let me help you look for it?” the man asked, and I heard a couple of footfalls as he moved closer.
“No!” Edward said firmly. “I won’t allow you to waste your time futzing around in here with me. I’ll be fine on my own, so go about your business.”
“Alright, if you insist,” the voice conceded. “The young master just sent me here to retrieve a document, aaand I believe I just found it.” More footsteps that caused my heart to pound, but the thing he was looking for must have been one of the papers we pushed to the ground, because he never came into my view. I thanked whatever force in the universe granted us that stroke of luck. “I’ll be off, then. Do be careful about the mess. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with the young master over it later. You know how unforgiving he can be about such things.”
“Yes, yes,” Edward brushed the man off, and I heard the door finally close.
Edward pushed back in his chair and looked down at me. I flashed him a relieved, but unapologetic gaze.
“That was rather close,” he smirked. “Like to flirt with danger, do we?”
“A bit,” I purred up at him.
“My kind of girl,” he returned as he swooped me up in his arms, carrying me over to the door and turning the lock on it. “But just this once, why don’t we play it a little safer?”
The second he finished, he lined himself up at my entrance and slammed me down on his cock roughly. I moaned loudly as I felt him fill me up, and he gave me a moment to adjust to him before he began thrusting himself in and out. I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing him to go in deeper, and threw my head back as he worked his pace up from agonizingly slow to quick, ravenous pounds. He didn’t even need to use the door for support, his arms at my back were bulging with veins and muscle, and they were all he needed. I couldn’t help but wriggle around as he began to pound against my sweet spot, but as I moved, his grip on me tightened.
“Where do you think you’re going, kitten?” he huffed, his lips curling into a smile and his eyes shining with lust. “I’ve got you right where I want you. I want to watch you fall apart on my cock.”
My body couldn’t deny him that request for long. I rode him until my core burst, and ground my hips against him slowly and deeply as I savoured the waves of pleasure. I stared him in the eyes hungrily as I did so, so full of satisfaction and yet wanting so much more of him. I dragged him in and out of me until the throbbing of my core calmed down, at which point, I unwound myself from him and lowered myself to the floor. He let me do it, but quickly pulled my chin up to him again, locking his mouth on mine and caressing the seam of my lips with his tongue.
“Did I say I was done with you yet?” he rasped, desire dripping off his tone.
I kissed him deeply, eager to feel anything and everything he wanted to do to me tonight.
~~~
By the time we were finished, we were both struggling to catch our breath. The last place he’d had me was on the floor of the office, and I was thankful that I wouldn’t have to worry about the use of my legs at just that moment. After what Edward had done to me, I wasn’t sure walking was going to be the thing I was best at for a couple of days. I rested my head against his chest with my eyes closed, curling into him as he kissed the top of my head. He became quiet after a while, contemplative in a way that I found a little unsettling.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, a bit nervous to hear his answer.
He was staring at the mess of papers we had made and the various other things that had been knocked out of place over the course of our evening together. After I spoke, he sighed.
“Yes. Regrettably, I’m not as much of an asshole as I’d like to be.”
“What do you mean?”
He slowly got to his feet and began dressing himself. “As much as I’d love to get back at that little bastard for thinking he can order me around, it’s not in me to destroy his office and leave him to pick up the pieces. Knowing him, he might just have his butler do the dirty work for him, but I don’t especially want the responsibility to land on him either.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I assured him. “In fact, as much fun as it was to make a mess with you, I think I like you all the better for saying that.”
I shot him an encouraging look, and once I had dressed myself as well, I set to work on collecting papers and books in my hands, helping him put them in their rightful places. He seemed more surprised by my response than I thought was exactly reasonable, and as we cleaned up around the office, I saw him glance at me out of the corner of his eye periodically. Eventually, it started to get to me, and I turned to face him, leaning an arm upon the bookshelf beside me.
“Edward, my dear, you’re going to say it eventually, so you might as well do it now.”
My bluntness made him start, and his cheeks flushed with color. “It’s not anything bad, it’s just… I guess I’m trying to figure out what you were looking for tonight.”
“Well, I’m assuming by your reaction that you were looking for a night of fun, and only that. So, if it’s what you want-”
“That’s the thing,” he stopped me. “That’s not the kind of guy I am. I don’t sleep with girls like it’s nothing. I wasn’t lying before, when I said that you were special. I called you back here because there was something about you specifically that drew me in, because thinking about missing a chance with you actually robbed me of sleep last night. I know that sounds foolish, because we’ve only just met, but I’d really like to continue on with this, (y/n). I was just hesitant about saying anything, because I figured that might not be what you wanted from me. Is there any chance I might have been wrong about that?”
I made an effort to restrain the smile that begged to spread across my face. “There may be a chance.”
“Are you sure?” he continued shyly. “Because it’s not always leather, bad behavior, and light shows, you know? That’s all actually… pretty far away from the world I come from. I pride myself in being much more of a gentleman than I make myself out to be on stage. I know that’s not what you’ve seen from me so far, but… but…”
He trailed off, a mess in his own thoughts. It was almost painfully adorable, and I couldn’t hold back a laugh as I walked up to him and put my hands around his middle.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re worrying about this a little too much, though I must admit you are pretty cute when you get flustered like this. I’m happy to get to know all the different sides of you, Edward. I’m not all midnight rendezvous either, so why don’t we don’t we just enjoy exploring the uncharted territory together?”
“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” he replied, and pulled me in for another kiss. Every one was packed with so much passion that it made my head spin, and when he pulled away, the gleam in his eye had returned.
“I hate to break it to you, dear,” I said as I gazed at it, “but I think you might be more of a bad boy than you give yourself credit for. You might play the part so well because you have some of the real thing inside.”
“I guess the people who came up with the phrase ‘fake it until you make it’ were onto something,” he grumbled. “God, what did I let that boy get me into?”
~~~
“(y/n), how would you feel about taking up a position at my manor?”
I eyed Ciel curiously, not quite sure I had heard him right. “I’m sorry…? But I already have my job with the Baron.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that,” he went on, clearly a bit unimpressed by my response. “If you were to accept my proposal, that would no longer be the case. I can offer you higher pay and better accommodations than he can, and you won’t have to worry about sneaking Edward in and out of his manor the way you have been.”
“What is the meaning of this, Earl?” Edward demanded. “You only do things like this for your own benefit, so whatever scheme you’re trying to involve the woman I love in, I won’t have it!”
“So quick to point an accusing finger, aren’t you, Edward?” Ciel smirked at him. “I can assure you that I’m doing this for (y/n)’s benefit as well as my own. I can see to her protection and comfort, as I’ve said and as you already know, but I would ask one additional favor of her if she were to become a maid of my household.”
“What’s that?” I asked warily.
It hadn’t taken long for me to find out some of the finer details of what Edward’s employer and the owner of Funtom Music Hall really did, and why Edward had been there to begin with. It had started as a dirty secret between lovers, then Ciel himself had shared more with me when he deemed me trustworthy enough. The days of the Phantom Five had long since ended, and both he and Edward still seemed happy to have me around, so I took that to mean that I was not in any danger of being cast to the side. A job offer was still quite a shock, though, and I couldn’t imagine what his already very capable staff was still in need of.
“Ever since you came around, Edward has been much less of a thorn in my side,” Ciel confessed, blatantly ignoring the venomous look of outrage that Edward shot him. “It’s clear to me that being with you has made him a better man. I want to ensure that the woman who keeps him from nagging me incessantly and poking his nose in my business is happy and has reason to stick around, and it will be easiest for me to do that if you’re working at my side. So, if you were to become my servant, in addition to work at the manor, I would ask that you continue whatever it is you have been doing to make him so bearable. I know it may be a lot to ask, but I implore you to consider it, for his sake and mine.”
While Edward simmered beside me, I couldn’t help but smile. “I would be happy to accept your offer, Earl. I’ll make sure that I keep my dearest Edward in line for you, and do right by you in your home.”
I winked at Edward as he shot me a look of indignation, and he grumbled something unintelligible. He wouldn’t stay mad at me for long. He knew it just as well as I did.
“Excellent. I wholeheartedly believe in your abilities, (y/n), and look forward to our work together,” Ciel grinned. “Sebastian, prepare a carriage for (y/n) and accompany her to gather her things.”
“Yes, my lord,” Sebastian said, bowing before gliding toward the doorway. “Ms. (l/n), if you will please follow me.”
“Yeah, like I’d let you take her off on her own,” Edward growled as he rose and followed close at my heels.
Edward allowed himself to sulk for a while longer before finally heaving a sigh of surrender. “The only reason I’m letting him get away with this is because I know that he’ll take good care of you. The boy can be a demon at times, but he treats his staff well, and if he ever proved me wrong, there would be hell to pay.”
“I’m going to be fine, Edward,” I giggled, wrapping my arm around his and planting a kiss on his cheek. “The way I see it, there’s no downside. The thing I care about the most is seeing you, and that will happen all the more often this way.”
“I feel the same,” he said, sliding his hand down to interlock his fingers in mine, “and as much as I hate to agree with him, I can’t fight him on one thing. Being with you has made me a better man. I really don’t know what I’d do without you, (y/n), so I dearly hope that you will stick around.”
“Trust me, my darling, I’m not going anywhere.”
With that, we reached the carriage, and we headed hand in hand into the next chapter of our life together.