Her Stupid Mistake

by SukiH

Sometimes a single decision is so important it can change the course of a whole life, and after rejecting Edward once, will Bella even be allowed a second chance?

Contest entry for the Control, Possess, Seduce Contest - well some of us had to come last! I was in two minds about whether to re-post this because it went off track (turned out more sweet than steamy) & I didn't have time to re-write it. But here it is anyway. Bisous Sue x

HER STUPID MISTAKE

As soon as she saw him she knew she'd made a mistake.

She'd scanned the jumble of faces and immediately picked him out at a table at the far end of the busy restaurant, and as the maitre d' ushered her in, all Bella's usual poise deserted her and she froze in the doorway, suddenly seventeen again and afraid she'd trip over her own feet if she risked a single step forward.

To add to her discomfort, although the room was designed to be light and airy with its high atrium and trailing greenery, the strong evening sunlight flooding through the large windows was currently making it feel more like a greenhouse, and already the back of her neck was prickling with heat against the scratchy collar of the tailored suit she was wearing.

Luckily Edward seemed to be in deep discussion with the sommelier and hadn't noticed her arrival, so Bella quickly made an excuse and hurried back up the stairs to the main part of the restaurant. Now she was out of his sight she felt slightly less nervous, but she was still undecided about whether to brave things out or just make a run for it. And to give herself a breathing space, she headed for the loo.

Unfortunately the over-perfumed room was also swelteringly hot, but at least she had an opportunity to give Alice, the architect of her discomfort, a piece of her mind. Pulling out her phone, she saw Alice had already left her three texts to wish her luck and remind her to report back immediately and Bella lost no time in dialling her number.

'For fuck's sake Alice, what the hell have you got me into this time?' she hissed. 'Even if he did fancy me at school, if he gives me a job because of it that won't reflect well on either of us.'

But the signal was weak and it was pointless trying to prolong the conversation.

'What? Yes he is hot, but that's nothing to do with it. I need a job not a date. What? Oh, very funny Alice, that's not the kind of advice I need at the moment. I'll text you later.'

Sighing, Bella put her phone away. Alice was right, she definitely needed a job, which was why she'd allowed herself to be talked into this mad scheme in the first place, but she wasn't quite so desperate to make a complete fool of herself. Alice had always insisted Edward had a crush on her at school and that he'd therefore jump at the chance of helping her out, but then Alice also believed in karma and the Loch Ness Monster.

As far as Bella was concerned the fact that Alice had heard through a friend of a friend that Edward was looking for a temporary office manager, just when she needed a job, was neither here nor there. Although it was true she'd always followed Edward's career with interest and was intrigued at the thought of seeing him again, if she was really going to go through with this, it would be much less embarrassing if he didn't even remember her and she certainly wasn't going to remind him they'd kissed once, nearly sixteen years ago.

Glancing at the mirror over the sink, she stopped to twist a strand of hair which had escaped her smooth chignon back into place, hearing her mother's voice telling her to stop fiddling with her hair and stand up straight. Grimacing at the memory, she drew her shoulders back, took a couple of calming breaths and made her way back to the lion's den.

-ooo-

Making an effort to erase any sign of nervousness from her face, Bella got ready to smile as she approached the table. She was used to entertaining Mike's clients and she knew how important it was to make a good first impression. As she'd crossed the room, this time on perfectly steady legs and with her head held high, she'd been aware that several pairs of male eyes were following her and she drew confidence from the attention.

As she got closer, she studied Edward's face and wondered if she would have recognised him as the sixteen year old she'd briefly known, if his picture hadn't been constantly splashed all over the newspapers. As the owner of a very successful advertising agency, it would have been surprising if he hadn't made use of the free publicity, but his wealth, good looks and lifestyle, which included a passion for dangerous sports, had made the media attention impossible to avoid.

The beautiful boy had certainly grown into a beautiful man. He was taller than Bella remembered and his hair was slightly darker, although it was just as unruly, due to his habit of constantly running his hands through it, which he was doing now. But she knew she would have recognised Edward anywhere – his smile had always made her feel as if he was sharing a secret with her and she had never met anyone whose eyes were so brilliantly green, or so intense. And as she met his gaze, for a second she was mesmerised all over again and her heart lurched in silent panic. But to her relief there was not the slightest flicker of recognition in his eyes when he shook her outstretched hand and introduced himself.

Disconcertingly it continued to feel as if she was in the presence of two people at once, the man and the boy, and it put her off balance. Somehow, despite his reputation and his success, she hadn't expected him to have so much presence and she was surprised at how confident and at ease he was. His voice was low and seductive and when he smiled at her now, she felt the full force of his charm and it wasn't difficult to see why he was rumoured to have broken so many hearts. In the same situation Mike would have been anxiously looking at his watch and worrying that he was running late, but Edward made her feel that all his attention was focused on her and she was his only priority.

'I'm sorry to be conducting this interview in such circumstances and at such short notice. I'm meeting a client here in half an hour and as there were only two candidates on the final shortlist, it seemed the easiest thing to do. Please take a seat Mrs Newton'

Edward indicated the chair Bella was standing next to and she slid into it, trying not to stare at the inking which snaked out from under the left sleeve of his white t-shirt and wound up around the base of his neck. She couldn't help thinking her mother would have been absolutely appalled and Bella almost laughed then, as she pictured how she would have been hustled away.

She also couldn't help noticing how strong Edward's tanned arms were and how his t-shirt tightened over his upper body when he leant sideways to retrieve his laptop from the floor beside his chair. Without being overly pumped up, he obviously kept himself in shape and she wondered how much work it took to achieve such a perfect balance between strength and beauty.

Glad he couldn't read her thoughts, Bella looked away and sat up straighter as he opened the laptop and began to read the application form Alice had filled out on her behalf. To her dismay, several times when she glanced at his face, she saw his eyebrows rise or his lips twitch in amusement and she wondered again how Alice had got her application to the top of the pile. But Edward was all professionalism when he closed the laptop and looked back at her across the table.

'I can see you're well qualified, if not over-qualified, for this position, but I'd like to hear in your own words' – did she catch a glimmer of amusement on his face again? – 'why you feel you're a suitable candidate.'

'I realise at first glance there's quite a difference between an advertising agency and a law firm, but I understand you employ a similar number of staff, and the detailed job description you've supplied is exactly the kind of work I've been engaged in for the last twelve years.'

'However, that employment was mainly in your husband's legal practice?'

Bella was slightly surprised that Alice had volunteered this particular piece of information.

'That's true, but in the main he gave me free rein and in effect I reported to the junior partner.'

'And you've recently divorced?'

These questions were in danger of becoming too personal and Bella raised her chin as she faced him, 'Yes.'

Perhaps realising he was making her uncomfortable, Edward steered the conversation around to the workload she could expect, the software she was used to, and details of the salary and hours he was offering. He underlined that he needed someone to start immediately and as the job would only last for three months, he couldn't afford to make a mistake by employing the wrong person. Slightly annoyed by the doubt this threw on her abilities, Bella forgot her nerves, pulled herself together, and began to explain exactly why she was the best candidate.

But overall the encounter had been thoroughly unsettling and Bella had no idea whether Edward was going to offer her the job or not. At the end of the interview he stood, but didn't shake hands, and after abruptly informing her he would call her later, she appeared to be dismissed.

But after carefully making her way back across the room, Bella risked a quick glance from the safety of the doorway and was surprised to see he was still standing where she had left him and that his eyes were still on her. Realising her knees were shaking again, once she'd ducked through the doorway, Bella quickly rang Alice – she was definitely in need of a stiff drink or two before she went home.

-ooo-

Alice was already sitting at the bar when Bella arrived. As soon as she'd answered the phone, Bella had heard her negotiating with Jasper to babysit for an hour, then had to suffer the sound of giggling, kissing and whispered promises to make it worth his while, before Alice remembered she was still on the phone and Bella was waiting to make arrangements about where to meet.

In the end they settled on the pub at the end of Alice's street, which meant Alice didn't have to worry too much about leaving her pride and joy, little one year old Ben, and they could make the most of the summer evening's sunshine in the tiny garden at the back of the pub.

As soon as she saw Bella, Alice squealed and jumped off her seat, throwing her arms around Bella's neck and laughing manically in her excitement. Returning her hug, but insisting she needed a drink before she did anything else, Bella made Alice wait until they were settled at a table before she'd answer any of her questions.

'Come on Bells, don't be mean, or that's the last time I'm going to set you up with a drop dead gorgeous multi-millionaire. Spill. Now!'

Bella laughed, 'Sorry Alice but I've no idea how it went, so your fiendish plan may come to nothing and I'll have to try getting a job in the corner shop instead.'

'But was he as handsome as he looks in the newspapers and did he know who you were?'

'Yes, more if anything and tall and he smelt delicious, and no he didn't remember me thank goodness, because that was definitely the worst part of your plan.'

'Oh but Bella he lu-u-urved you at school, I swear, you could see it in his eyes.'

'Well if he did, and I don't believe it for one minute, unfortunately I made it perfectly clear at the time that I wasn't interested and no man's affections could possibly survive such public humiliation.'

'But Bella he's so gorgeous and so rich and so unattached at the moment (according to this week's paper). Couldn't you try just a little bit? I've heard he's got a whole vineyard in Italy and I need a holiday.'

'I know you think it's funny but can you please let it drop. I've applied for a temporary job that's all and after everything I went through with Mike, I'm seriously thinking of giving up men for good anyway.'

At the mention of Mike, Alice pulled a face, and the conversation soon turned to Jasper's work and Ben's latest exploits - he had just started to walk and was already causing havoc around their small flat.

By the time Edward rang they'd had several drinks and Alice was in the middle of demonstrating Ben's reaction to his own shadow, so Bella was laughing when she answered the phone.

Glaring at Alice and trying to silently shush her squeals of excitement failed miserably and Bella had to pretend she was in the street and apologise for the awful noise some random mad woman was making. But she couldn't hide her smile when the call ended and she announced she'd got the job and was starting the next day.

-ooo-

Marjorie Cope, Edward's long term office manager, had one day left before she began her three month visit to her daughter in Australia (who was not only getting married but expecting a baby at any minute), but she was more than willing to spend her last day teaching Bella the ropes, and she was so kind, so patient and so helpful, that even Bella was a little teary-eyed as she stood with the rest of the staff and waved her goodbye at the end of a long day.

In fact, despite having to spend her first few evenings reading up on how the advertising industry worked and googling the main players, Bella was surprised at how well she seemed to be fitting in and finding her feet. After the quietness of the dark wood panelled office she was used to, she'd been worried that the bright and colourful open-plan space would be too distracting and noisy, but she found she loved the energy and creativity of her surroundings and the light hearted and informal atmosphere suited her.

Alice had excitedly rung her after her first day, wanting to hear how things were going with Edward, but there wasn't that much to tell. After a brief appearance he'd disappeared for most of the day, and disappointingly, because his presence was by far the best part of the job, for the first couple of weeks Bella barely saw him and most of their communication was by email.

When she did see him he was polite, but not particularly inclined to linger. And although she obviously had no intention of starting anything, over the years (and encouraged by Mike) she'd always been able to use her physical appearance to her advantage and it was frustrating that unlike the rest of her male colleagues, and despite flirting outrageously with every other woman who came near him, Edward seemed to be totally immune to her charms.

The more Edward ignored her, the more Bella wanted his attention, and it didn't help when she came in one morning to find all the office furniture had been re-arranged and Edward was now sitting directly behind her. It felt like sitting in front of someone you had a crush on at school, and knowing he was so close, but not being able to see him, quickly began to drive her mad.

For a start his voice was so attractive, like warm honey, that she spent half her time unconsciously listening to his telephone conversations. Even worse was the constant tension in the air - she was so aware of Edward's presence behind her that she couldn't relax and had to fight the impulse to keep turning round in her seat.

She strained her ears to try to work out what he was doing and she was so nervous and on edge that she couldn't get rid of the feeling that his eyes were fixed on her back, or the back of her neck, which felt particularly exposed and vulnerable because she wore her long hair up.

Soon the situation felt as if it was getting completely out of hand and once or twice when Bella was handing Edward something and their hands had brushed against each other by accident, she'd been so aware of the contact against her bare skin that she'd blushed and jumped away as if she'd received an electric shock.

Even more annoyingly, after rarely making an appearance for the first few weeks, Edward now seemed to be glued to his desk and there didn't appear to be any respite in sight.

-ooo-

As usual, the next time Bella met up with Alice, Edward was the main topic of conversation.

'Well I think you've got yourself all wound up because you were banking on staying in charge of the situation and you've already found you can't. So just try to relax and be yourself Bella. Everything will be fine. Trust me'

'I'm not so sure. I'm beginning to wish I'd never taken this job. The pay's so good that it was going to be enough to tide me over for a while, but I think I might start looking for something else sooner rather than later after all.'

'Oh Bella you can't mean that. When was the last time you had any excitement in your life? And walking in on Mike with that skanky bitch doesn't count.'

Bella gave Alice a look, 'You think that was exciting?'

'You know what I mean. We both know your marriage was never a bed of roses and Mike damn near sucked all the life out of you. You should have got rid of him years ago.'

'I suppose living with my mother never gave me very high expectations of life.'

'Yes you definitely need to have higher expectations. Now what were you saying about Edward being sex on legs?'

Bella laughed. 'OK I admit he's unbelievably attractive and he does something weird to my insides every time he looks at me.'

'I've heard he's really well hung by the way'

Bella spluttered red wine all over her lap, 'Alice that's my boss you're talking about!'

'Aren't you at all interested to know what's under his clothes?'

'Actually, seriously, now you mention it, he's got a tattoo that just peeks out from his t-shirt when he takes his jacket off and I'm dying to know what it is. All I can see is a trailing line which reaches down his arm and up his neck.'

'Google is your friend Bella, I'm sure he must have been papped at the beach at some point.'

Alice had fun putting all sorts of amusing phrases into the search box along with Edward's name, most of which brought up pictures of him with Tanya Denali, his long term girlfriend. They'd broken up over a year ago and she'd recently married a famous musician, in a surprisingly low key ceremony which they'd managed to keep almost completely out of the press.

Bella stared at Tanya, wondering what her story was. All she knew about her was that she was filthy rich and an Olympic skier and she was surprised at how jealous she was that she'd been with Edward for so long.

Alice squealed when the pictures she was looking for appeared on the screen – Edward emerging from the sea and walking along a beach in just his swimming shorts. Even through a long lens, the pictures clearly showed his body was to die for and after skimming over his abs, his pecs and not to mention his biceps, Bella discovered he seemed to have just one tattoo, a brightly coloured flying Chinese dragon which covered the whole left side of his torso, curling downwards from his chest and stretching from his shoulder to his hip.

Now she knew what the tattoo looked like, Bella hoped she'd be able to stop staring at what she could see of it, although now she knew what else was under Edward's t-shirt, she wasn't sure she'd be able to control where her thoughts kept going instead. She sighed, as usual it was all Alice's fault.

But luckily, to Bella's relief, the very next day Edward decided the new office layout wasn't working and all the furniture returned to where it had started. And once Edward's desk was facing hers again, the atmosphere quickly began to improve.

Finally realising she wasn't going to win him round with her appearance, however stunning that might be, Bella decided to take Alice's advice and just try to relax and be herself. And although Edward still secretly made her heart flutter, gradually Bella managed to carry on a normal conversation without making a complete idiot of herself and slowly they officially became friends.

The one thing which still felt slightly uncomfortable was that to help conceal her identity, she'd told everyone her name was Kate and although Katherine was the name on her birth certificate, she'd been Bella (her father's nickname for her) for as long as she could remember. Only her mother had ever used her real name and Bella hated the way it pulled her back into the past and reminded her of her bewildered and unhappy childhood.

So when Edward stopped calling her Kate and began using the casual endearments which seemed natural to him, Bella couldn't take offence, and like all the other women in his life, she became Doll, or Darling, but mainly Sweetheart, which he seemed to keep just for her.

As the summer progressed and most of the staff disappeared on holiday, the office became more and more empty and they were getting on so well that Edward started taking Bella to meetings with him. And because most of these meetings traditionally took place in restaurants, as they strolled back to the office after a successful lunch or dinner, Edward often took a diversion and they ended up in galleries, or shops, or at exhibitions and even once or twice at the movies, which Edward convincingly explained was research and part of the job.

At the end of the second month, Edward announced he had something important to discuss and ushered Bella into the boardroom, which was the only private space available.

'Sorry this is all quite formal, but I wanted to make sure you properly understood what you'd be taking on if you agreed to my proposal.'

Bella waited…

'I realise you already have a lot to do and I'd be willing to offer overtime, but I really think you'd be the best person to help me finalise the arrangements and tidy up the presentations for the big push into Germany we've got coming up in two or three weeks time.'

Bella was puzzled because she knew this was an important project and a lot of the senior staff had been working on it. But Edward was still explaining...

'As you know, Jenks and a couple of the other directors are part of the team, but we've got a bit stuck and I need a new eye. Would you be willing to help out? A lot's resting on this and if it all goes well, we'll be opening a new office in Frankfurt in a few months time.'

'Of course Edward, I'd be happy to help in any way I can.'

'You do understand how much extra work it's going to be? And are you sure you can put up with more of my undivided attention?'

'I'll manage somehow.'

'Good, it's settled then. We'll start tomorrow.'

-ooo-

Edward hadn't been joking when he'd said how much of her time it would take up and because they only had three weeks to more or less overhaul the whole pitch, Bella immediately found that apart from going home to eat and sleep, she was now spending practically every waking minute with Edward. She'd had to clear a space in her diary just to find the time to meet Alice for lunch the following week and even then she was late.

Bella rushed through the door of the café and threw herself into the empty chair, grabbing the sandwich Alice had already ordered for her.

'Sorry Alice, how are you?'

'Hi Bella, I know you haven't got much time, so can we just get to the interesting stuff -how's Edward?'

Bella rolled her eyes, 'He's fine, but you know it's not like that!'

'Oh Bella, you're such a big fat liar.' Alice's eyes sparkled, 'I can't understand how you let him go the first time, Emmett and Rosalie were so cool!'

'They may have been, but you were so much braver than me and you know very well that dating someone in the year below would have made me a laughing stock at school.'

'Yeah I know and everyone thought they were totally weird. My Mum was sure the artist's colony their parents were trying to set up was some sort of drug fuelled hippy commune.'

'Can you imagine what my mother's reaction would have been if I'd brought Edward home?'

They both erupted into giggles.

'Oh god, Bella I'm so glad we got out of there with our sanity intact. Well mine anyway. You must have been totally bonkers to marry Mike.'

-ooo-

That evening Bella got home really late. After meeting Alice and then spending hours helping Edward re-design the information packs they'd be giving out, they'd suddenly realised it was ten o'clock and they were starving, and they'd decided to grab a quick meal together before going home.

The bistro they'd chosen had been small and intimate, and full, but Bella had happily squeezed in next to Edward at a tiny table near the kitchen and they'd continued to discuss the project, then moved on to how Edward had started the business, then on to more general conversation, until before Bella realised it, it was nearly one o'clock and the restaurant was closing.

Although it had all been quite innocent, Bella couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much. Being together felt so natural now and she'd never met anyone who made her laugh so much and was such good company.

She realised why everyone who worked for Edward loved him and why women fell under his spell. It wasn't just the good looks, the physical energy and the wicked twinkle in his eye which were so alluring, he made her feel cherished and valued without making her feel patronised or inferior, or as if he was trying to take away her independence. He recognised her abilities and respected her judgement and the encouragement and advice he'd already given her had been invaluable.

Being plunged into this project had been a great chance to get to know each other properly and they'd found they actually made a really good team. But Bella hadn't been entirely honest with Alice, because no matter how much she tried to ignore it, under the surface the unsettling feeling was still there and she suspected Edward was becoming aware of it too. Several times she had caught him looking at her in that strangely intense way he had and she'd held her breath in helpless anticipation, of what she wasn't quite sure, and she was half pleased and half sorry when he looked away.

The continuing spell of hot weather hadn't helped either and as the temperature climbed and the city sweltered in the heat, the tension in the air only increased. It was easier to forget in the daytime, when there were other people around, but as they worked later and later into the evening and even Edward's good humour began to wear thin, Bella felt as if they were balancing on a knife edge and suddenly everything would come toppling down.

Because they were both stubborn about things which were important to them, several times a slight disagreement had nearly escalated into a full scale fight and Bella was so wound up that she almost felt it would be a relief to goad Edward into releasing the fire which suddenly flared in his eyes. But somehow they always managed to pull back just in time and after diffusing the situation with a joke, they'd work on finding an acceptable compromise.

But without even realising it, Bella found she'd walked into a trap. Somehow Edward had managed to get into her head and into her dreams and before long she realised she was in danger of falling head over heels in love with him. When she tossed and turned on the nights when it was too hot to sleep, she imagined his hands on her and how it would feel to have him in her bed and after being so tantalisingly close to him all day, she couldn't stop thinking about the night he'd kissed her all those years ago.

-ooo-

The weather had been just as hot that summer and conscious that their time together was limited and they'd soon have to start studying hard for their exams, all her school friends had been intent on having as much fun as they could before their final school year started, and the whole summer had been a riot of parties and drinking and making out.

Despite the general consensus, Bella had been entranced by the newcomers who'd turned up halfway through the term. Rosalie and Emmett were in her year, then there was Edward and another younger sister. The boys had long hair and ripped jeans and the girls wore floaty dresses and dyed their hair in rainbow colours. They were wildly original, sophisticated, beautiful, and self confident, and completely out of place in the small rural town they'd arrived in.

Although they hadn't been ostracised exactly, they were treated with suspicion and therefore tended to stick together. Emmett was sporty so he'd managed to make a few friends, but Rosalie was considered to be stuck up and Edward and his younger sister, whose name Bella couldn't even remember, were just thought to be odd. Bella had been surprised they'd even made an appearance at the end of term school dance and she was even more surprised when Edward suddenly materialised in front of her, as a slow ballad began to play to signal the end of the evening.

He'd asked her to dance and before she had time to refuse, he'd taken her in his arms and gracefully waltzed her around the dance floor. When they stopped she was slightly out of breath and he'd bent down to place a gentle kiss on her lips before letting her go, and even under the flashing disco lights, Bella had noticed how green his eyes were and how brightly they were shining.

He'd smiled again and made a move to walk away, but suddenly she couldn't bear to let him go and she was the one who'd stepped forward and pressed her lips back to his.

But this time he hadn't been gentle. When she'd first touched him he'd shied away slightly and shaken his head as if he was dazed. His eyes had closed and when they opened again, Bella was surprised by how dark they'd become and how they burned, and she couldn't look away. His gaze had rested on her mouth for a second before fixing on her eyes and feeling her pulse begin to race, Bella unconsciously licked her lips. He'd groaned then and brutally crashed his mouth down on hers, wrapping his arms around her like steel.

He shuddered and a shot of electricity flashed through her body, leaving her trembling and tingling all over, while his hands clutched at her clothes so hard, she was afraid they'd rip. As the kiss deepened, he crushed her body so tightly against his that she was pressed flat against him and she could feel his ribs expanding and contracting as he breathed, and his heart pounding against her chest.

The pressure increased until she felt every tiny movement in both their bodies. Her knees went weak and she could feel her blood rushing in her ears as she fought to catch her breath, while his lips coaxed and his tongue probed, until her whole body heated and burned. His hands were running all over her back, her arms and her ass now, leaving trails of sensation which set her skin on fire. He whispered her name into her ear, convulsively kneading and gripping her body as he ground into her, then bit and sucked at her neck as she almost swooned in his embrace.

It felt as if he wanted to consume her body and soul, but Bella was a greedy and willing victim and she clung onto him and kissed him back as passionately as he kissed her, until her head was whirling and the room was spinning and it felt as if they were dancing again, but this time she was flying and weightless and she didn't want the dance to ever end.

But suddenly jeers and catcalls were ringing in her ears and she opened her eyes to find all the lights had gone on and they were surrounded by a ring of spectators. Panicking, she'd slapped Edward hard across the face. For a second he'd stared at her in shock, while a crimson handprint slowly appeared on his cheek. Then he'd turned and walked out of the room and out of her life.

By the time the new school term started in September, Edward's father had unexpectedly received the large commission which would make his name as an artist and they'd all gone back to London. Their house was shut up and eventually sold, and Bella had been left with the reality of final exams and the necessity of making her mother proud.

Ignoring Bella's own preference for literature or art history, her mother had pushed her into taking law, although ironically she never finished her degree, because she'd had to leave in her final year to nurse her mother through her last illness. But Mike, a fellow law student, was already waiting in the wings. A few days after the funeral he'd proposed and in no time Bella was married and her life was fixed on its course.

To outside eyes their marriage was happy. In the early years Bella worked hard to help Mike build up his practice, assuming that later there would be time for her to pursue her own interests and complete her degree, or even start a family. But somehow that never happened and with a sinking heart Bella gradually realised Mike would always selfishly and ungratefully expect her to put his needs first.

As the years passed and the gloss of youth wore thin, Bella realised they barely had anything in common and she didn't really respect or even like her husband. But looking around at their friends' marriages, apart from Alice and Jasper whose whole lives seemed charmed, Bella couldn't see that she was worse off than anyone else, so she put her doubts to the back of her mind and dutifully carried on the pretence as best she could.

But sometimes in the middle of the night when she lay awake listening to Mike snoring, she remembered how Edward's kiss had made her feel and she wanted more than her unfulfilling life with her small-minded and pettily vindictive husband. No one had ever kissed her so passionately, or made her yearn for his touch in the same way, either before or since. At the time she hadn't even realised what she was throwing away, but meeting Edward again had been a revelation and she understood now why anyone else could only ever be second best.

But even though she was free of Mike now, she wasn't brave enough to try to turn her dreams into reality. She'd always known this job was temporary, and the fact that her re-appearance in Edward's life was based on a deception, meant that any attempt to rekindle the feelings he may have once had for her, would surely be doomed to disaster. Bella couldn't bear to imagine the look of betrayal or disappointment which would creep into Edward's eyes if she admitted who she was after all these weeks together – it would be like slapping him all over again.

So all she could do now was make the best of the short time she had left and try to ensure the following week's trip to Cologne was a big success.

-ooo-

The presentations had gone better than anyone could have expected and as usual Edward had charmed everyone in sight. After an exhausting round of follow-up meetings, it was their last night in Cologne and Bella was waiting for Edward to finish some phone calls, before they met up with their colleagues for a celebratory meal.

The almost oppressively hot weather was finally breaking and Bella heard a rumble of thunder as she switched on her laptop. She'd decided to check her emails while she was waiting and noticing one from Marjorie Cope, she'd opened it first and now, although she must have read the last sentence at least half a dozen times already, she was reading it one more time, just in case she'd somehow misread it.

Hello Kate

I'm so sorry I haven't been in touch before, the weeks seem to have flown by and I knew you would be in good hands.

I'll definitely be back in the office on Friday and I'm just emailing to say if there's anything urgent you need to make me aware of, please leave a list with Edward – it's such a coincidence you two knew each other all that time ago, you must have had a lot to catch up on!

Kind regards

Marjorie Cope

Feeling numb with shock, all Bella could do was stare at the screen, until a loud noise attracted her attention and she realised the open window was banging in the wind. The promised storm had arrived, and feeling as if she was in some sort of dream or nightmare, Bella slowly got up to close the window and turn on the light.

But as she walked across the room, the door opened and Edward appeared. Staring at him in panic, Bella tried to think what to do, but as nothing came to mind apart from a desire to get as far away from him as possible, as soon as he moved towards her, she ducked around him, ran out of the door, down the stairs and out of the hotel into the pouring rain.

-ooo-

Not only was the rain pelting down, but the wind was howling along the deserted riverfront and the only shelter Bella could see was a newspaper kiosk, which would surely be locked up for the night. Already drenched to the skin and shivering with cold, after running a few more yards down the road, Bella realised she really had no option but to retrace her footsteps. And feeling like a complete fool, once she got back to where she had started, she stood under the awning over the front door of the hotel and started to cry.

Seconds later, Edward ran out and taking fright all over again, Bella made another mad dash out into the rain.

'Kate, Kate, for god's sake stop, what the hell are you doing?'

She could hear him splashing in the puddles behind her and after a second, he appeared in front of her blocking her path.

Too emotional to do anything but cry now, Bella let him wrap her in his jacket, and finding she was shivering so much that she could barely walk, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the hotel and up to her room, where he deposited her in a chair and began trying to dry her off with a towel he grabbed from the bathroom.

'Sweetheart please tell me what's happened, you're scaring me now.'

All Bella could do was hiccup through her tears and look towards her laptop which was lying on the bed. She watched as he read the open email then sat staring into space, obviously wondering what to say to her.

'Oh Bella, I'm so sorry you found out this way!'

'So it's true then, you've known all along?'

'Yes, Alice thought it was the best way…'

'My god, so Alice was in on it too?'

Bella started crying again, wondering why her best friend had betrayed her trust so thoroughly.

'But I don't understand, what were you trying to do? Humiliate me? Get your own back? Was there going to be some big reveal? And why was Alice involved?'

He smiled then and she felt like punching him.

'Actually I was going to confess over dinner tonight, but as usual, you've managed to spoil my plans and make things extra difficult.'

He smiled again and walked back over to her. 'I think we both need a hot shower and something to eat first. I'll see what room service can provide and I'll be back in fifteen minutes.' And with that he disappeared.

As soon as Edward left the room, Bella tried to phone Alice, but disappointingly she didn't pick up and looking at the clock Bella realised she must be bathing Ben and putting him to bed, which would take at least another half an hour. So as time was getting on and Edward had only given her fifteen minutes, Bella decided she'd have to hear him out and she quickly got into the shower.

-ooo-

Edward arrived with pizzas and calmly sat down next to Bella on the bed. She felt less emotional now, but she wasn't looking forward to hearing how much of a fool she'd been and she glared at him.

'Ok, I know you're not in a good mood, but can you hear me out before you beat the shit out of me?

Bella sighed, which he took as permission to proceed.

'Right let's get this over with. I'll give you a quick summary and then you can ask questions. Ok?'

Bella nodded.

'Although you didn't notice me, I caught sight of you and Alice from across the street in May, just as you disappeared into a solicitors' office. I ran after Alice and we concocted a plan for me to get my hands on you. By chance, Marjorie was about to go on leave and I'd been too busy to find a replacement, which is where the job idea came in.'

Bella looked shocked and Edward continued.

'Luckily you played right into my hands, Sweetheart.'

'But…'

'Shhhh, wait. The whole idea was to give you time to trust your feelings, and to trust me. I didn't want you to panic and slip through my fingers again and Alice said you still felt so guilty about what happened before that you were likely to run. So although I admit I did enjoy teasing you a little, that was never my main plan. And now I'm just going to eat my pizza while you tell me off.'

But Bella was too stunned to even speak and like Edward she picked up her pizza and started to eat.

'Oh, what on earth am I doing? As if we don't both know what's going to happen next, after you've taken all this time to thoroughly seduce me', and with that Bella dropped her pizza and grabbed him.

Taken by surprise, but completely willing to go along with whatever Bella wanted, Edward returned her kiss with fervour and allowed her to push him backwards, so that he was lying flat on the bed. She straddled his hips and as he lay grinning up at her, she bit her lip, wondering which piece of him she wanted first. In the end she decided to kiss him some more and slowly lowered her face towards his. Still grinning, before she was halfway there, Edward reached up, hoisted her t-shirt over her head and off, and had already undone the clasp on her bra before she knew what was happening.

As Bella's mouth opened in a surprised O, Edward turned the tables so that she was lying on the bed underneath him and after taking a minute to fully enjoy the view, he ducked down to take one of her nipples in his mouth and soon had her squirming and scrabbling at the button of his jeans.

'You first Sweetheart, I've been waiting for this for sixteen years and I'm not going to rush.'

He slid off her and stood up, then deftly removed her shoes, socks, jeans and underwear and arranged her face up in the middle of the bed. Now she was completely naked, his eyes were gleaming. Her hair was messed up, her lips were reddened from his kisses, her chest was heaving and she was totally at his mercy.

Unable to resist her lips, he knelt on the bed between her legs then kissed all the way up her body until he reached her mouth. Trapping her bottom lip between his teeth, he teased her by running his hand lightly up and down her skin, then pinched a nipple, making her whole body jerk with surprised pleasure, before reaching lower with expert fingers. As her hands scrabbled at his jeans again, he kissed her hard and ground against her, resting nearly all his body weight on her, so she was pinned to the bed.

Bella was desperate now, she pulled at his t-shirt and his back and arms, trying to push him off her so that she could get at him, then gave up, moaning when his rotating hips hit the right spot and she groaned and blindly pressed her lips to his smoothly shaven cheek, searching for his mouth. They kissed deeply, as their bodies found a shared rhythm and his fingers found their way back to her clit.

Soon she was so frantic, she couldn't concentrate on kissing him any more and her head lolled back and her eyelids closed as every nerve in her body tingled with pleasure and all she could do was try to find enough breath to beg him not to stop. She knew his searching eyes were watching her intently now, but she didn't care, and soon she felt him kissing her neck and moving back down her body, paying extra attention to both her breasts, before moving further down to replace the fingers which were moving in and out of her, with his tongue.

Grasping her open thighs and firmly holding them apart with strong hands which she couldn't wriggle out of, he repeatedly sucked and nipped, until the lightest pressure from his circling tongue sent waves of sensation curling through her whole body and she was moaning and panting for breath. She writhed under his hands and clutched at the sheets, struggling to absorb the pleasure, as he repeatedly brought her to the edge and back. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably now and she felt so light-headed she thought she would faint, as her whole world became centred on his smallest touch and her blood pulsed in her ears.

Finally he took pity on her and taking a condom from the wallet in his back pocket, he unbuttoned his jeans, flipped her over and entered her from behind, thrusting hard and deep. They both groaned in unison as her body clenched tightly around him, and after taking a second to savour the pleasure, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her upright and back against his chest, so they were both kneeling. Then grunting with the effort, he drove upwards rotating his hips at the same time, making her groan again.

She twisted her head round so that she could kiss him and found that his eyes were burning a fiery jade, but realising he was losing his rhythm she broke off the kiss and he began to thrust harder and more quickly. As their bodies continued to grind against each other, his hands roughly squeezed her breasts, and her nails dug into his arms as he tightened his supporting grip and she felt his thumb begin to massage her clit again.

'Get ready to scream my name Baby,' his voice was hoarse and rasping in her ear.

He bit down hard on her shoulder and as if responding to his command, right on cue, her back arched and her whole body became rigid. Her heart, which had been beating so fast and so hard, seemed to come to a complete stop and for a second she felt as if she was suspended in the air. Then everything seemed to rush towards her and her orgasm hit her with a force which made her scream. Her toes curled and her eyes rolled back in her head as her whole body convulsed and waves of pleasure rolled over her body, until she felt so dazed she barely knew where she was.

She slumped in his arms and after allowing both their bodies to fall forward, Edward held her hips in place and pounded into her until his own orgasm swept over him and they both collapsed onto the bed.

Removing the condom, he knotted it and dropped it on the floor, too exhausted to get up, and they lay side by side, bathed in sweat, gasping for breath and grinning at each other like lunatics.

-ooo-

Finally rousing herself from her stupor and burrowing her way out from under Edward's inert body, Bella made her way to the bathroom. She felt drunk and completely energised at the same time and couldn't wait to get back to him.

But as she climbed back into bed, she couldn't help pouting when she realised that apart from his shoes Edward was still fully clothed and she hadn't got to see his body or his tattoo. Laughing at her disappointed expression, Edward sat up and reached behind his head to pull off his t-shirt, then helped Bella remove his jeans, before stretching out on the bed again, completely at ease, with his hands behind his head.

Keeping the dizzying amount of bare skin on display for later, Bella immediately bent over him to get a closer look at the dragon tattoo. Its scales appeared to move when Edward breathed in and out, and as her eyes moved over the intricate design, Bella traced the outline with her finger, marvelling at how vibrant the colours were and how beautifully it was drawn.

Starting at Edward's neckline and stretching across his left shoulder and upper arm, the body of the flying dragon twisted down over his chest, with the head just below his ribs and one outstretched front leg and claw curled into his side, while the other ended at his hip. When she got to the claw on his hip, Bella noticed that instead of the usual pearl, the dragon seemed to be holding a slightly smudged pink heart and that trailing away from it was a line of tiny hearts and flowers.

Glancing up she saw that Edward was looking slightly embarrassed.

'This bit doesn't look as if it matches the rest.'

'No. It was already there and at the last minute I asked the tattoo artist to leave it.'

'Pink hearts and flowers? That's a bit girly.'

'Originally it was a girl's name. Emmett did it when we were teenagers and it hurt like fuck. And later on, discovering another girl's name across my hip didn't go down too well with prospective girlfriends, so I got it inked over as soon as I was eighteen. But because the cover up was a birthday present from Emmett, I ended up with hearts and flowers, which were his idea of a joke. The dragon is much more recent though.'

Bella looked more closely at the pink heart, which had faded slightly with time and her eyes widened as she made out a faint letter B underneath.

Edward groaned, 'OK I admit it was your name. You must have known you were my first crush?'

'Alice kept insisting, but I never believed her. Perhaps I didn't want to believe her. I know it's stupid, but that six months age difference, which put you a whole year below me at school, seemed like such a big obstacle. But in any case I don't understand what you saw in me.'

'One of the results of having no friends is that you're forced to watch from the sidelines and I had plenty of opportunity to notice that you were intelligent and thoughtful and kind. You were endlessly fascinating to me, but above all you were so beautiful and so sad, that I wanted to rescue you. In my dreams I was a knight in shining armour and I was going to ride in and carry you away with me.'

'For goodness sake don't tell Alice that, or she'll never let you forget it.'

'We both know Alice is as mad as a box of frogs, but she's got the right idea about life and she goes for what she wants. I'm sure if my father hadn't whisked us all back to London, I'd have convinced you to change your mind eventually.'

'Do you know, I think you might be right about that, especially now I know how persuasive you can be.'

'And now I've got you, I think I'll keep you. How do you fancy being my sex slave?'

He retrieved a whole strip of condoms from his wallet and placed them on the bedside table.

Bella couldn't help looking disapproving that he was so well stocked up and she frowned.

'Standard kit that's all. Haven't needed them for a few months now, all my energy's been focused on a certain temporary employee of mine.'

'You don't need them anyway. You didn't give me a chance to tell you I'm on the pill.'

He grinned widely. 'You don't know how happy you've just made me.'

'Maybe you could show me? Repeatedly and at length?'

'There's nothing I'd like more, Sweetheart.'

And Edward reached out and pulled a giggling Bella under the bed covers.

-ooo-

Bella woke up just before the alarm went off and knowing they were booked onto an early flight, she decided it wasn't worth trying to get back to sleep. Being careful not to disturb Edward, she slipped out of bed and crept over to the fridge. She didn't want to waste the carton of chocolate ice-cream she'd bought the day before and after searching for a spoon, she took the tub over to the window to watch the sun come up.

After prolonging their stay in Cologne for a week, during which they'd barely left their hotel room, they'd reluctantly decided it was time to go back to London and Bella was feeling slightly anxious about having to find a new job while she decided what to do next. She'd have to wait another year to start, but perhaps she'd take a degree in a subject she really wanted to study this time, or maybe she'd try to become a writer, which had been her secret childhood dream.

She was sad when she thought about all the years she'd wasted, trying to make the most of what her mother and then Mike had expected of her, years she could have spent with Edward, if only she'd been brave enough. But at least, miraculously, they were together now and she felt so relieved he'd found her again that her eyes filled with tears. She loved him so much and she was never going to let go of him now.

Already thinking about which items of furniture she would get rid of and which would fit into Edward's thankfully very large house, Bella couldn't help a quick shimmy as she quietly hummed a happy tune to herself. Then, remembering the ice cream, she ate another spoonful, while she watched the sun turn the river and the sky from grey to pink and then to gold.

Hearing a slight noise, she turned away from the window and saw Edward was awake and smiling at her.

'Is that chocolate ice cream you're eating?'

'Mmmh, this Italian ice cream is heavenly. I could eat it all day. Is it true you've got a place in Italy? I'd love to go there. For the ice cream mainly, obviously.'

'I'd gladly take you anywhere you want My Love. And that reminds me, could you just come back to bed for a second? There's something which needs your urgent attention.'

Laughing at his corny line and bringing the last of the ice cream with her, because she rather liked the thought of making Edward lick it off her naked body, Bella decided to do as she was told.

-ooo-

One Year Later…

Shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm, Bella looked up into a cloudless blue sky, wishing they could stay on holiday forever, then yawned as she lazily reached for her sunglasses, realising lunch would be ready soon and Edward would be wondering where she was.

Bored with watching him work on his laptop, she'd wandered out into the garden with a book and fallen asleep in the shade of the lemon trees, which had scattered her with leaves as she slept.

Despite the shade, Bella felt slightly hot and sticky and she idly wondered if there was time for a quick dip in the pool before lunch. But deciding a swim could wait, she smiled at how lazy she had become and shut her eyes again, making herself more comfortable in the long grass and luxuriating in the breeze which had sprung up to cool her face.

Suddenly hearing a low chuckle, she opened one eye and saw that, dressed only in his swimming shorts, Edward had silently crept up on her and was kneeling at her side, fanning her face with the straw hat she'd discarded halfway across the lawn.

Grinning up at him but still too lazy to move, Bella teasingly ran one finger over his hip and across the hearts and flowers which covered her name, admiring the way her engagement and wedding rings sparkled in the strong Italian sunlight and wondering what she'd ever done to deserve to be this happy.

Returning her smile, Edward bent and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and reached out to caress her rounded belly before taking her hand in his. With her free hand, Bella patted the grass beside her and watched as he lay down at her side, feeling the slight tingle of electricity she always felt at his merest touch, as he put a protective arm around her and she rested her head on his chest.

After a few minutes they resumed the conversation they'd been having earlier about baby names, but it seemed too much of an effort in the heat and after all there was still plenty of time to decide.

Bella remembered again that lunch was waiting, but she felt too comfortable lying there peacefully with Edward's arms wrapped around her and as she moved slightly to look up into his eyes, a random question occurred to her, 'What would you have done if I hadn't accepted your job offer last summer?'

He laughed and squeezed her more tightly for a second.

'Sweetheart, you were mine from the moment I saw you.'