Bella is soon to turn 21, she lives in Forks with her 2 year old daughter Lucy. Charlie lives nearby and adores Lucy and Bella. Lucy's father is Mike Newton, whose family refuses to acknowledge Bella and Lucy. Bella works at the local bank during the week and as a dancer on Friday and Saturday nights in Port Angeles to make ends meet. What happens when a mysterious, sexy stranger lays eyes on Bella for the first time and develops a dangerous obsession? And will Bella be able to resist?

Chapter 1

My head ached as I drove down the familiar street, flanked with lush ever green trees and small cozy houses. My dad, Charlie, had lived in the same house for over 20 years. I pulled into the driveway and smiled at the sight of my loving dad, waiting for us on the front porch. My 2 year old daughter Lucy babbled happily to herself in the back seat, thrashing her doll around. "Hey Bells!' boomed my middle aged father as he heaved himself from his porch chair.. "Hey Dad" I said giving him a one armed hug. I pressed my hand to my temple trying to relieve the pain. 'Got a headache hun?' inquired my dad. "yeah" I muttered as I unbuckled Lucy from her seat... Charlie grabbed her diaper bag and clothes bag and we made our way inside. "You work too hard Bells, you should take some time off..." Charlie said as I sat down on his sofa with Lucy on my lap... I rolled my eyes at him..."You know I can't afford to do that..." I said to him sternly. I worked at the local bank during the week, which hardly paid the bills, and then danced at a seedy strip club on Friday and Saturday nights, the tips gave me a little extra money to put away... I hated working at the club, it was degrading and uncomfortable, but I had been dancing there for over a year now and the extra money made a huge difference to how Lucy and I lived. Charlie thinks I'm a cocktail waitress at one of the few nightclubs in Port Angeles; he would die if he knew the truth.

Charlie huffed and puffed away in his armchair, his brow furrowing to cover most of his brown chocolate eyes..."Dad..." I started, knowing he was going to launch into one of his speeches. "So that loser Mike Newton and his snobby, political family, can't afford to pay a little maintenance money for Lucy? Help you make ends meet?' I sighed and put Lucy onto the floor, where she started playing with her doll again... "I'm just saying Bells..." said Charlie, shrugging his shoulders as he flipped through his sports channels..."I don't want to talk about it Dad" I said as I got up to make some dinner.

After I fed Lucy and shoved down some steamed vegetables, I said goodbye to Charlie and said I would be over on Sunday morning to pick Lucy up. I kissed them both goodnight and hopped into my beaten up sedan. I was so very grateful that Charlie offered to look after Lucy while I worked on the weekends. My dad has always been such a loving, caring person; I would be lost without him.

I tried to clear the painful memories of Mike as I drove through the small, miserable town of Forks. Why did Charlie have to mention him? I hit the steering wheel in frustration as a few tears slid down my cheek. I slowed down as I drove past the high school and came to a halt on the side of the kerb. I stared at the small red brick buildings as my mind drifted back to Forks High.

I remembered my first day of Forks High and how Mike had introduced himself immediately. He was head of the football team and was very popular with the girls. We dated for three years and I was in love with him. We were prom King and Queen, and were planning to attend University of Seattle together. Mike would follow in his political father's footsteps and I had planned to undertake a degree in Literature. But that all changed the night of our graduation party. Mike's parents had gone away and we threw the biggest party our senior year had ever seen... I got completely wasted and the next thing I knew I woke up naked next to Mike, who was lying in his own vomit. Six weeks later I found out I was pregnant, and two weeks after that, Mike had moved to Seattle and dumped me. The day I found out Mike had a new girlfriend, was the day I almost died. The hurt, anger, rage, embarrassment and disbelief rocked me to the very core, I hadn't even gone to full term and he had a new girlfriend. I found out his parents had introduced them. She was some wealthy kid from a political family on the East coast and was attending the same university as Mike. I had naturally looked her up and started comparing myself to her. She was blonde, I was brunette, she was tall, I was short, she was skinny, and I was curvy... When I had Lucy, my life changed... she was my life and my very soul... I loved her immensely and started working hard to create a future for us...

My phone interrupted my day dreaming and I snapped it open impatiently..."Hello?" I said rather rudely... "Hey Bella! What's up?" said my best friend Angela. "Oh hey Ange, sorry I was day dreaming... I'm just about to head to work..." "That's cool; I was just calling to see if you wanted to catch up tomorrow afternoon?" I could hear the hairdryers in the background of her home beauty salon. "Sure... sounds great... I'll call you later, love you" I tried to say as happy as I could. "Say hi to Denise for me!" chirped Ange as she hung up. Denise was one of the dancers I worked with at the club, Angela had worked there while she was studying at Cosmetology school, and had introduced me to everyone and gotten me a part time job there..

When I finally arrived at work, Bobby, my boss was waiting for me... "Bella, I want you on your game tonight... more makeup, more sex appeal!' he yelled at me playfully in his thick Italian accent, waving his dirty cigar around. "Yeah yeah' I muttered as I plonked in front of the mirror and started primping... 'Hey girl..." purred Denise as she twirled in front of me... 'Oh Denise I love your new outfit... 'I said playfully as the tall redhead showed off her new sequin g-string bikini. She laughed at my comment as she started to poof my hair up. "It's hideous... I know... but when Bobby says more sparkle, you better wear more sparkle..." she said nodding her head.

I stared at my reflection in the dirty mirror, and applied some sticky candy pink gloss... My hair was a mahogany brown and waved down to my lower back; it had taken me ages to grow it this long. I was slim but had serious curves, my chest was a good size and my stomach was lean and hard from my vigorous gym workouts. Since Mike had left me, I took great lengths to keep myself attractive. Working at the club had some benefits, I did like the attention, and it made me feel like Mike was missing out...

"You ready to go Star?" bellowed Bobby, he used my stage name when it was time for me to start dancing. "Ready as I'll ever be..." I muttered. I poked my head out past the curtains and had a quick peek at the crowd. Friday night in Port Angeles, usually meant the tradesmen and drunken office guys were part of the crowd. There was my regular customer Pete waiting for me, sitting front and centre of the stage, glancing at his watch as he downed at his beer. I sighed and tried to psyche myself up for the night. Pete was a dirty middle aged man, who had some sort of fascination for me, he usually bought me flowers on a Friday night, and had continually asked me out for the past 6 months, to which I have I said no every single time...

The DJ introduced me and the regular customers let out a few whistles as I walked slowly out onto the stage. I was wearing a red and black lace ensemble that just covered my breasts and left my stomach bare, my bottom was half showing and my legs were bare with a black and red lace garter belt around my thigh, my favourite black sparkle stripper shoes were strapped on tightly and I started walking around the stage before coming to the centre pole. A few of the other dancers were on the other poles and we all started dancing in time to the music. I whipped my long hair around and tried to tune out the desperate, perverted faces that were staring at us eagerly. I sighed as I realised this was going to be a long night.

Around midnight, just as I was having my break in the dressing room, Denise and some of the other girls were chattering excitedly... "What's up?' I asked out of curiosity. "Girl, you need to get your ass out on that stage, the sexiest man I have ever seen is out there waiting to be seduced!' she exclaimed in her southern drawl... The girls were in an uproar, changing their costumes to the smallest pieces of material they owned... I rolled my eyes at their excitement and reapplied my gloss before coming back onto the stage... The music had slowed down to one of Denise's favourites, 'Evil is going on' by Jace Everett. I danced around the pole slowly, while two of the other dancers were kneeling on the stage in front of some of the customers, they were really working it, touching each other and posing seductively... the men at the front of the stage were whooping and cheering. I continued my dance, glad that I only had two hours to go until I finished. The two girls who were on the stage got up and walked seductively backing up to the pole, their faces down cast. It was then that I noticed him... they had been trying to entertain the most gorgeous man I had ever seen... Now I knew what the fuss was about out back. His face was so stern and sharp. His jaw line, square and masculine, his nose sharp and defined, cheekbones, chiselled to perfection. His hair was the most unusual bronze tangle of mess I had ever laid eyes on, yet somehow it looked like it was supposed to be messy, like no other hairstyle would compare. His skin was so deathly pale, but perfectly smooth and unblemished, no spot, pigment or wrinkle marking in sight. His clothes were dark and well tailored, his shirt revealing the top of a well muscled chest. He must have been in his mid to late twenties, he was holding a glass of scotch and sucking on an expensive cigar, not like the cheap dirty ones, Bobby smoked.

I continued sliding slowly up and down the pole, unable to break my gaze from him. His eyes flickered over to me, and I nearly gasped at the animalistic excitement that glinted dangerously in those wild, topaz eyes. He didn't break contact with my stare... I started to get hot and flustered, as he continued to stare me down. His face flickered from dangerous excitement to an unreadable mask, faster than was humanly possible. He leant forward onto the bar and continued to stare at me, his eyes sliding over my body as if he was undressing me...He sipped on his scotch and then leant back on his chair, the biggest, most arrogant smirk spreading slowly across his face, as he tilted his head back and puffed out cigar smoke. I was paralysed, why was he smirking? I had stopped dancing and couldn't break my gaze... One of the other dancers whispered to me... "Star! Keep moving!" I shook my head slightly to clear it and continued dancing... For two fricken hours he stared at me and only me... just as I was about to finish, and collapse from nervous tension, I peeked over at him again and sure enough he was still staring at me... his face was set in a stern mask again and he beckoned for me to come over. I gulped as I made my way over, trying to keep my poker face on and stay seductive. I knelt on the stage and sat up on my knees as I shook my hair out and ran my hands through it. I didn't know what else to do... He was so much hotter close up, my heart was pounding out of my chest... he looked me up and down slowly and then those dangerous eyes stared at my chocolate brown ones. His hand reached out slowly and his index finger traced my collar bones, his touch was cold, as his finger ran down my cleavage, stomach, hips and then rested at my garter belt, his eyes never leaving my face. With his other hand he effortlessly pulled the biggest wad of cash I had seen, from his suit and gently stuffed it in the garter belt... His breathing became laboured and he closed his eyes for a second... they snapped open as he picked up his glass of scotch, he inhaled deeply and his hands shook and then the glass was crushed with his bare hand and sent ice and glass spraying everywhere. I gasped slightly, at how easily he had crushed it...He stared at me for a split second longer and then quicker than my eyes could see, he was gone, his long black coat trailing out behind him as he ran out the door...

I was breathless as I got up slowly and walked out back. I pulled the cash out of my belt and quickly counted it..."oh my god" I whispered as I realised he had given me just over a grand... "Girl what the hell happened out there?" demanded Denise... "I don't know...' I stammered. "Holy shit, how much did that guy give you?" she asked as she stared at the cash... "Just over a grand..." I whispered again... "Oh lord..." breathed Denise. Then her face broke into a grin and she laughed loudly... "Girl you better count your blessings and take that home pronto before Bobby demands a cut..." I shook my head in disbelief and got changed into my velour track suit... I stuffed the cash into my purse and ran out to the back parking lot. I fumbled in my purse for my keys my hands were shaking... "Star..." I screamed as I twirled around and then breathed a sigh of relief as I realised it was just Pete... "Oh Pete, you scared the hell out of me..." I half laughed nervously... "Sorry honey, I just wanted to give you these..." he held out a bouquet of roses... I sighed again and smiled at him... "Thank you, they're lovely" I said as I took them and opened my car door...'so that guy was pretty intense huh?" said Pete as he put his dirty tradesmen hands into his pockets. Pete was very much overweight and always seemed to need a shower... "Yeah just a little "I muttered as I got into my car...I wound down the window, just as it started to drizzle with rain... "I'll sort him out for you, if he comes back again..." said Pete, nodding his head reassuringly... "Bye Pete..." I said as I started my car and backed out... "See you tomorrow night Star!' yelled Pete as I sped out of the parking lot, eager to get home... I had the creepiest sensation that somebody watching me...