Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for giving us these wonderful characters that I'm using for my own selfish means. I'm British so ignore if I slip into English idiosyncrasies.
…
Bella:
I'd been working as courier in the town for only a few months when I met him. He was having a drink with his oldest - and only - friend Rosalie in a bar on Forks' Main Street. He had been described to me as in him early 40s, handsome and it had been noted that he only ever wore black suits.
It wasn't that hard to pick him out from the anonymous lunchtime crowd. If his wildly gesturing hands or his husky laugh hadn't attracted my attention, I know I would have found myself drawn to him anyway. His eyes were almost magnetizing; a mix of bright clear emerald and dark moss green. I felt myself walking over to him before I had finishing checking the other half of the room for the possible client.
"Edward?" I said as I dropped the package on the table.
"Yeah," he replied, not bothering to break eye contact with Rosalie. Rude bastard, I thought, and waited for him to look at me.
"Sign here, please," I asked.
I gave him my warmest smile, and handed him the small black box and a plastic pen for him to sign with. He signed, not bothering to look at the box but focusing all his attention on me. I felt myself blush. He had a strange look on him face. It was a mixture of recognition and puzzlement, as if he knew me from somewhere but couldn't place my face.
"I seen you before?" he asked.
I shook my head and took the signature box back, pushing the package toward him. "Thanks." I said and hesitated, trying to think of a reason to stay. Not finding one, I walked away. I swore I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head, and I allowed myself a one-time smirk that I had caught his interest. I doubted I would ever see him again, and trying to forget him, stepped outside into the fresh air.
…A few weeks passed. Work was steady and my life carried on as normal. Every time I went past the bar I found myself thinking about Edward and those green eyes. I never intended to pursue him. It was just a fun, private memory to cheer me up during a tedious workday. Imagine my surprise when the next month I ran into him again.
I was called to go to an office to drop off an international envelope and thought nothing of it. It was in the shadier part of town, but I'd lived there years ago when I was a lot younger, and had never found any trouble.
I pressed the intercom of the unmarked door my supplier had told me about and waited. The door buzzed in reply and opened automatically. I pushed it open to reveal a staircase. I walked up the stairs and came to another unmarked door. I knocked on it.
"Come in," a male voice boomed.
I went through into a small office that was obviously the hub of a very busy organization. I was surprised to see Rosalie facing me but I could tell she didn't recognize me at all. I felt crestfallen, as she was the only one in the room. I slinked over to her and took the envelope with the Italian return address from my messenger bag. At that moment a hidden back door opened and Edward emerged from it, talking on his phone. I hoped he couldn't tell that the fine hairs on my arms and neck were raised in nervous arousal. I flattened them down and without looking at him, handed Rosalie the small black box and pen. She signed with an impatient flourish and turned her back on me.
I turned around and faced Edward but he was still on the phone. I saw him look at me all too briefly before returning to his phone conversation. I felt snubbed and dropped my smile into a hurt frown. I sulked as I walked past him to get to the front door. But I felt the tips of my ears burning and taking a chance I turned around to get one last look at him. He was still talking, but was brazenly staring straight at me with a look of dark intensity. His look made my stomach lurch, causing me to quickly swallow down the butterflies. I headed back toward the door, but from the corner of my eye I could see that he was beckoning me over.
"Hang on," he spoke into the phone.
I paused then walked to his desk, swallowing hard.
"Nothing for me today?" he asked.
I couldn't help but smile at his acknowledgement of our previous encounter. "Not today," I said in my best flirtatious manner.
"Whom do you work for?" he asked, as he held the phone away from his mouth.
"No-one. I work for myself. Freelance." The words jumbled out and I could feel another blush beginning to warm up my cheeks.
"Me too," he smiled again and I thanked God for it. "So, if you're interested; I might be able to push some work your way next month," he said.
"Yeah, I'd be interested," I replied trying to sound professional yet casual, not easy for me to pull off. I took a business card out from the front pocket of my bag and handed it to him.
"You don't mind who you might be working for?" he asked, hiding a grin.
"I don't mind," I replied deadpan and spent another moment staring into his eyes. "I'm very discrete," I added.
"You might not like working for me or working for my company. We make enemies easily," he said, and I wondered if he was warning me. I looked over at Rosalie for reassurance, but she was busy working and ignoring me.
"I don't take sides," I said; which wasn't strictly true but I would have said anything I thought he wanted to hear.
"Very good," he said, taking my card and nodded towards the front door.
Dismissed, I left the office, and cycled home elated.
…
My phone hardly left my side day and night until he called. I knew I was starting to obsess over him even though I didn't know anything about him at all. Everything about him impressed me. His dress sense, his poise, even his bordering on rude way of talking to me. His inner strength impressed me most of all, I wanted to be like him; have that strength. Someone to admire, to look up to. He's just a role model, I told myself when I couldn't sleep and lay awake thinking of my schoolgirl crush.
He finally phoned me at 3am, one Monday morning. I answered it half asleep.
"Bella?" I recognized his voice at once. "You know who this is?"
I hesitated, considering playing it cool and feigning ignorance; but I knew I couldn't keep that up for long. "Yes," I said and patiently waited for his next words.
"Can you come into my office this morning? I've got a job for you," he said.
"What time?" I asked. I had to be at the supplier's office for nine, but would change anything for him if I could.
"First thing. I'll be the office from six," he said.
Six? I love a man with a good work ethic and this wooed me even more. I was about to reply when I realized he had already hung up. The words caught in my throat and I reset my alarm for five and tried to go back to sleep.
…
Not wishing to appear too desperate, I was at his office just after seven. I pressed the intercom and waited. I was about to press again when the door buzzed open. I walked up the stairs and gave myself a moment to wonder what he wanted me to do. I pushed the door of the office open and walked inside. I hadn't really taken it in the first time I was here, but looking around I still had no idea what he did for a living. Rosalie was nowhere to be found, nor was he.
"Edward?" I called out to the room. He must have been here to buzz me in. Afraid I was being watched, I stood still at the front of the office and waited. There were two desks in what was rather a small room. Paper piled up everywhere and there were maps along the walls with photographs and printouts pinned onto them. There were several different colored phones on the desks, and four different clocks with four different time zones but no country was listed underneath. I could see no insignia or company details of any kind.
I was trying to memorize the layout of the room for possible office-based fantasies later on, when he came out from the back door carrying a box. He looked beautiful as he walked towards me. I looked at him, wondering if he kept me waiting on purpose, wondering if he knew I had a ridiculous big crush on him. If he did, he betrayed nothing.
"Make sure you give it to Aro." He handed me the box and slipped an address into the top pocket of my jacket. I put the box down on the table and looked at him.
"To whom should I address the invoice to?" I asked, curious to find out what his company did. He laughed at me, guessing my ruse I imagine, and handed me a wad of cash. I tried to hide my gawp at the amount of money he pressed into my hands but failed miserably.
"This will last me a little while I hope?" he asked with a gleam in his eye. I nodded speechless as I took the package and left.
…
I dropped the package off at a residential address. Aro had looked me up and down suspiciously before receiving it. He didn't ask who I was or whom the package was from. I wondered just what kind of illegal activity I was getting muddled up in and the shallow, horny side of me decided it couldn't be that bad. And anyway I wanted to see him again.
I would like to say that during the next month I made progress in my relationship with Edward but that isn't true. I saw him a half dozen times, always early in the morning, meeting just him in the office. I wondered if his friend and colleague Rosalie knew what he was up to. I even considered looking inside one of the boxes myself but I couldn't bring myself to take the risk.
Edward's manner was strictly professional with me. He was always immaculately turned out in a suit that fitted him very well. The packages were normally always delivered to Aro, but occasionally I would take them to the local hospital or strangely enough even to a high school. One time I took a package to Aro and he handed me a padded envelope in return.
"Edward needs this straight away," he told me. "Within the hour."
I was about to protest that I had other jobs to do but something in Aro's pressing, urgent voice told me it was useless. I cycled back to the wrong end of town and buzzed the intercom. I pushed through the open door and went up the stairs. I politely knocked on the door, Rosalie pulled the door opened and looked at me with suspicion.
"What do you want?" she asked briskly, not letting me in.
I indicated the envelope, "I need to see him." Rosalie sighed rudely and left the door open as she walked back to her desk. Edward was typing at his desk and stood up as soon as he saw me.
"This is from Aro," I whispered. Rosalie laughed from across the room as if she could hear me whisper and it amused her.
Edward took the envelope from me and looked at it, his face frowning. "Idiot," he said under his breath. I looked at him hurt and confused, thinking he meant me.
"Sorry, not you," he said and softly touched my hand in apology. I felt like choking. Although his hand felt ice cold, my temperature shot up as I felt sexual heat emanating around me. He took a small step towards me, "Maybe I shouldn't have got you involved in this after all". He placed the envelope into a drawer in his desk.
I didn't know what he meant but I could smell him now he was so close. He smelled heavenly; musky and rich, almost like he knew what scent would appeal to me and had bathed in it. I struggled to stop my mind from fogging over as I looked up at his lips and thought about how he might kiss me. His words echoed around my head and a small voice in my head told me that I was in danger and to continue working for him was a very bad idea. Sensibly, I decided to ignore her completely.
Edward soon realized he still held my hand and gently let go. I had to stop my body from sagging with sorrow as he broke contact. I left the office in a daze. Needless to say, I couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day and even got lost on the way home.
…
A few days later, I got a typical early morning call from Edward. "Hi, Bella," he said quietly, "Sorry for the early morning call. Can you come in to the office?"
It was unusual for Edward to sound so polite. Normally he was brief and curt to the point of bad manners. I softened at hearing his voice. "Yes, of course," I replied; already planning what to wear. I couldn't get back to sleep after his call and for a change I was at the office by six. The outside door was on the latch so I walked in and up the stairs. I saw the office door was open ajar, and knocking on it, I pushed it open.
I gasped when I saw Edward lying in one of the office chairs. He was shirtless, but wearing a white tee with the left sleeve rolled up. His eyes were rolled back in what looked like a post-orgasmic comedown and blood was being dripped into his arm via I.V.
"Edward!" I said shocked; thinking various worst-case scenarios.
"Bella?" he murmured, barely able to move. "It's not what it looks like."
"What does it look like?" I asked, too naive to know what he meant.
"That I'm trying to stop my innate heme production," he said unclearly.
I nodded, still without a clue, and moved closer to him.
"Will you be okay?" I asked. He nodded slightly. I didn't want to take advantage of him at a time when he was vulnerable but I ached to touch him. I went and sat by him, perching on his desk and took his hand. He made a happy murmuring sigh and with effort squeezed my hand.
"What happened?" I whispered to him.
"We're fighting a war, Bella. I got attacked on the way to work, after I had spoken to you," he mumbled to me.
"Who by?" I moved to him and lowered my ear to his mouth for his reply.
"A monster called Jacob," he said. His warm, low voice sending me into an aroused daze. "I couldn't fight him off," he said with bitterness and shame. "I'm one of the unlucky few."
"Unlucky?" I asked.
"I survived the 'procedure', not everyone does," he said acidly with a humorless laugh.
He didn't say much after that. I wondered what he meant by procedure. Edward was lucid enough to point out the box he wanted me to take to Aro before he dropped into a slumber. Rosalie arrived a few minutes later, and although I wanted to stay, I knew with her there I wasn't welcome.
…
I took Aro the parcel and I went back to the office the next day to see how Edward was.
"You came back," Edward said in surprise. "I was sure I would never see you again."
He looked like the same old Edward, devastatingly handsome as always. I looked around the office; luckily Rosalie was out.
"You seem much brighter," I told him as I held my hand out for a package and an address. He stepped between me and the package, pushing it down the desk.
"There's something I've been meaning to say to you," he said. "I can't stop thinking about you," and he pulled me into his arms and looked at me.
I stared at him in mute surprise. Not once had I dared to think he might have feelings about me. He seemed too mature, too dangerous, too beautiful, to want anything to do with me. I briefly considered that maybe he was using me to do his dirty errands around town; but I didn't mind. It was fun having such a beautiful client to fantasize about. But as he leant down and kissed me, really kissed me; with heat and passion and longing, I stopped thinking and kissed him back hard.
"Come with me," he said, and taking my hand, he pulled me towards the hidden door at the back of the office.…
What do you think? Bit too dark? Not enough sexy?
Wait a few days for the conclusion to this two shot…