Author: NCChris
Rating: M (for mild language and sexual content)
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight content. This story in no way intends to infringe
on any copyrighted material. Thank you for donating to aid the victims of the Japan
Tsunami/Earthquake. I would like to send out my thanks to SoapyMayhem for the
beautiful banner and to Koko23Kat for beta'g for me. They're both wonderful!
Victoria POV
It was still dark outside when the ringing alarm pulled me from the oblivion of sleep. With a groan, I dragged myself from the bed and promptly stubbed my toe on a still unpacked moving box. Muttering curses under my breath and limping slightly, I followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee towards the small galley kitchen at the back of the apartment. As I rounded the corner, I caught sight of Bella's ass sticking out of a box labeled "Necessities".
"Bella, what the hell are you doing?"
She brandished mismatched coffee mugs at me like weapons when my voice startled her.
"I was looking for mugs for coffee, Vic. Be nice, or I'll hide yours in another box and sit back and watch your caffeine DTs until you find it!"
She winked at the end of her little threat, so I knew she wasn't really irritated. That was the thing about Bella, she didn't have a single vindictive bone in her body. Still grinning, I took the offered cup and walked over to the coffee maker, fixing myself a cup and sipping thoughtfully as I leaned against the counter.
Bella, never chatty except when she was nervous, suddenly began to muse aloud.
"So, what are you wearing today? You're meeting the infamous Rosalie Hale today...are you nervous? Alec said she was charming at the cocktail party last month, but I saw how she surveyed the crowd. She looked like she wanted to chew Edward up and spit him out. Even Angela had a run-in with her and Ange gets along with everyone."
She paused to sip her coffee and take a breath, quickly continuing. "Do you think she's going to be trouble? Oh my gosh! What if she's already turned Esme against us? It's going to be hard to work in a hostile office..." Bella began to wring her hands.
"Bella? Calm down! Esme knows us and she trusts Carlisle's recommendation of us for this job. If she didn't, we wouldn't have been moved into a corporate apartment that has to be costing Platt Design Group a small fortune for the next six months. I can handle Rosalie Hale, and you won't even have to interact with her. Just come to me with any project issues and I'll run interference. It takes a bitch to work a bitch!"
Bella looked noticeably calmer after my little pep-talk, so I drained the last of my coffee and meandered back to my room to shower and dress for battle.
An hour later, I was dressed and ready to walk out the door. Bella, predictably, was sitting in the living room on the rented leather sofa, nose deep in a book of poetry. I took a final glance at my appearance in the hall mirror, fluffing my hair lightly and twisting the artisan glass necklace that adorned the open collar of my chambray blue oxford shirt. The look was confident and casually professional, exactly the traits I intended to bring to the project that was threatening to pull Platt Design Group into the red.
"Come on, Bells," I said firmly. "Let's get going. I don't want to be late our first day."
She nodded and stood, setting the book on the end table and going to the closet, handing me over my wool pea coat as she donned her owWe linked arms as we walked down the sidewalk to the Subway station and began our commute to the office.
Bella gave me a sympathetic grin as we heard Rosalie Hale curtly ordering her assistant to get her coffee before she scuttled down to her own office on the other side of the building, leaving me to face Ms. Rosalie Hale alone.
"Wish me luck, B!" I hissed after her.
She waved over her shoulder, already halfway to the end of the hall,. I watched her disappear and took a brief moment outside the department entrance to gather my wits and steel my spine. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the doorway, tapping lightly, trying to remain casually aloof while I waited to be acknowledged.
"Come in!" Her melodic voice snarled from behind a desk.
The stunning blonde looked up with a cold hostile expression. I was momentarily taken aback by the iciness of her glare, but I recovered quickly, moving into the beautiful but lifeless office and taking a seat in a leather club chair in the seating area, rather than one of the visitor's chairs in front of her desk. I instinctively knew that I could not appear in the least submissive with this woman or she would eat me alive.
I returned her snarl blithely. "Good morning, Ms Hale."Her scowl intensified before she hissed. "Let's get one thing straight, Ms. Evans. I am this company. I will always be this company and nothing is going to take that away from me!"
She paused for a moment and her features rearranged themselves into a friendly, if insincere, smile.
"As long as we have that straight, we should get along just fine."
Internally I cringed, but I kept my expression carefully pleasant as I leveled her with my gaze.
"I am not here to be your friend, Rosalie. I am here to fix the mess that's been made of the Starhill account before Platt Designs takes one on the chin at year end. As long as you understand that, we will get along fine. If not, then we can just stop this farce now and see where the chips fall. I have an office waiting for me in Seattle. How about you?"
I calmly took a sip of my coffee as her face turned an alarming shade of puce, looking over as her assistant appeared with a carry out tray of coffee in her hand. I calmly picked an imaginary speck of lint from the crease of my pants, still smiling pleasantly. I studied her as she quickly masked her outraged look and calmly dismissed her assistant after collecting her coffee. She turned the full brunt of her gaze onto me. Gone was the polite veneer and I knew I'd made an enemy.
As soon as the hapless assistant closed the door, she was on me like a cobra strike, her voice acidic and hateful.
"Listen, Vickie," she hissed my name like it left a nasty taste in her mouth, "I am not going to give up my title and everything I have worked for to a clueless bitch like you. I earned my place at the top by being good at my job."
She paused to sneer nastily at me. "Unlike you, I did not have to sleep my way into my position at the top."
I managed to repress my first instinct, which was to toss the scalding contents of my coffee cup in her smug and twisted face, instead chuckling softly and slowly rising to my feet, impressed despite myself when she didn't flinch away in the least.
"I'll be sure to pass your regards on to the Dean of Marketing at Cornell when I speak at the next alumnae breakfast. He'll be thrilled that you regard their program so highly."
I nodded to her steaming cup of coffee. "Enjoy your coffee and I'll see you at the staff meeting in half an hour."
I turned on my heel and left her office, my back ramrod straight until I made it down the hall and ducked into the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, taking deep shuddering breaths as I tried to get myself together before I had to find Esme Platt-Cullen for a brief orientation. I was vaguely nauseous that my brief relationship with James Cazador was once again interfering in my career.
As my breathing steadied, my cell began to vibrate in my pocket. I looked down and saw that it was a text from Edward Masen. I smiled despite myself. It was as if that man could read my mind sometimes. He always seemed to know when I needed a little pick-me-up.
The text was an apology for his long-time partner, Alec's loose lips. It seemed that Alec had shared a few less than flattering stories with Ms. Hale at the company reception following Carlisle Cullen and Esme Platt's wedding the month previous. This wouldn't have been awful, except that Alec was also James' cousin and, as such, was privy to details that were not widely known. I rolled my eyes and texted back.
"Tell Alec he is a bitch when he's been drinking and that he owes me spa time with Heidi and Felix when I get back to Seattle."
The brief interlude did wonders for my mood and I was soon able to greet Esme warmly as I entered her office for a short company orientation before the staff meeting.
Taking my leave of Esme a short time later, I walked down to my new office and began arranging it to my liking. I immediately had the imposing desk removed, preferring to work from the sitting area and spread my files over the coffee table. I had barely begun organizing my files when my new assistant, Bree Tanner, tapped on the door to remind me of the staff meeting.
I thanked her with a smile and we walked to the conference room together. It seemed that Bree was also a Cornell graduate and had just graduated two months prior. She was eager to help and to be involved in the design process. I didn't think she'd be an assistant very long, butshe had great potential.
As we entered the conference room, Bree took a seat at the opposite end of the large table, preparing to take notes for the meeting. I spotted Bella saving me a seat and began to make my way there.
Before I could get there, however, I was once again cornered by Rosalie Hale with Esme Platt-Cullen in tow. I stiffened instinctively and didn't miss the satisfied smile that flitted over Ms. Hale's face.
"Ms. Evans, I do hope you enjoy your stay in New York and everything our city has to offer." Her smile was sickeningly sweet and so false that it made my head ache, but I smiled pleasantly regardless, for Esme's benefit.
I was saved from fabricating a reply when I had to turn away to shake a hand as I was introduced to a very handsome man with tousled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was the IT director and introduced himself in a charming Southern drawl as Jasper Whitlock. I smiled and filed away this information for the future,taking my seat next to Bella, who immediately slid me a stick of gum and a notepad with an amusing doodle of Rosalie Hale as a devil. I hid my grin by ducking my head slightly as Esme called the meeting to order.
The meeting passed in relative obscurity. I applauded lightly along with the rest of the group after Bella awkwardly introduced herself to the group at Esme's urging and squeezed her leg lightly under the table as she sat before rising to do the same myself.
I ended my little impromptu speech with an offer to answer any questions, looking around the table at all the department heads. There was Alice Brandon from Graphic Design, Emmett McCarty from Security and a few others whose names I missed. Just as I was about to resume my seat, the melodic voice that I had begun to dread piped up.
"Welcome, Victoria and Isabella, to the New York Branch of Platt Design. We look forward to working with you both on these projects, and if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask."
Her eyes met mine and I could see the challenge there, but I managed to simply smile and nod.
"Thank you, Rosalie. Our reception here has certainly been warm so far."
I took my seat follow my response, noting that Alice and Jasper both seemed acutely aware of the tension between us. For the rest of the meeting, I doodled aimlessly, consumed by why this woman had so obviously deemed me the enemy.
I grabbed my bag and scarf from the office closet when the day finally ended, and began to walk down the hall to Bella's office. It had been a hell of a day and I was looking forward to a couple glasses of wine, and maybe a hot shower.
When I arrived at the door, Bella was still on the phone. She waved me in and I took a seat while she finished up her call, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. I had barely gotten settled when Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Bree came down the hallway and stopped outside Bella's door, urging us to go out for dinner and a few drinks with them. I was tempted to decline, but I noticed that Bella seemed excited by the prospect, so I shrugged and nodded my agreement when she looked over to me.
I couldn't deny Bella the chance to go out and have fun. She'd only taken this assignment because she was in an off-again period with her longtime boyfriend, Jacob. She'd done nothing but mope for the last six weeks. It made me crazy because she was the one who kept shoving him away. It was obvious that she was in love with him. Why his proposal that they finally get married had thrown her into such a tizzy was unfathomable, but that was neither here nor there. She looked like she wanted to go out and have some fun and there was no way I would deny her that. So, as the group bundled up for the bitter winter evening, I rose to my feet and gathered my things, too.
Just as we were preparing to leave, I heard a voice call out from near the elevators. I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.
Goddammit! Did she go out of her way to ruin things for me?
"I know you aren't going to leave me out of this little party are you?" She batted her lashes at Emmett, who was the only one in the group who appeared genuinely glad to see her.
I cut my eyes over to Alice, who gave a tiny shake of her head, mouthing, 'later', to me. I shrugged and resigned myself to a night of trying not to throw a drink in her face.
Emmett called out a reply. "The more the merrier, Rosie-Posie."
I was shocked when a soft, genuine smile slipped over her face. I was even more shocked when she walked over to him, resting her palm on his chest intimately and whispered, "I've missed you, Emmett."
He didn't reply with anything but a brief smile, shrugging off her hand, before he turned his attention back to Bella. They drifted ahead of us, talking animatedly about the upcoming baseball season. I caught the crestfallen expression on Rosalie's face and realized, when she quickly scowled and walked on ahead of the group to hail a cab, that I was not intended to see this chink in her armor. Obviously, there had been something between her and Emmett at some point, something that she wasn't ready to let go of.
I almost felt sympathetic when I saw how her hand trembled as she opened the cab door, apparently deciding not to come along with the group, and then I remembered her vicious dig about James and I shrugged it off.
What the fuck did I care? Bitch.
The rest of the evening was spent in a comfortably shabby pub near our office, drinking, eating, and chatting with Alice, Jasper, Bree, and Emmett. I returned home that night determined to figure out what made the mysterious and brittle Rosalie Hale tick.
I turned up the volume on my iPod slightly as the fasten seatbelt sign clicked off, sparing a glance at my seatmate. Rosalie Hale had been ordered to present one of the reports with me in Seattle. We'd be reporting directly to Edward Masen. She paid me no mind, so I was free to let my mind wander.
The annoying ringtone snapped me out of my sleep. Disgruntled, I snatched it from the nightstand and growled into it.
"This better be good."
"You have thirty minutes to get to work or I'll be forced to talk to Esme about your tardiness."
Before I could even formulate a reply in my still half-asleep state, she had disconnected and I was left staring incredulously at my phone. Shaking my head, I almost burrowed back into the warm nest of sheets, but a moment later I bounced out of them, knowing she would make good on her threat and I would have to explain to Esme that I had not left the office until after 4am. It wasn't worth being dragged into Rosalie's little game.
I climbed into the shower and washed quickly, getting out and leaving my hair natural except for a dollop of mousse, opting to take advantage of casual Friday in a pair of khaki pants and a comfortable oxford-style shirt.
I was out the door and depositing a steaming hot caramel latte on her desk a mere thirty minutes later, my wallet lighter from the cab fare, but satisfied that I hadn't played into her hands.
She grunted at the coffee and left it sitting on the corner of her desk as I spread a report out on the coffee table, sipping my own latte. I would have to send Bree on a coffee run again later. With only three hours of sleep, there was no way I was going to make much headway without plenty of caffeine.
Thinking I was just tired, I didn't immediately heed the evidence that the report was in error, but after the third page of nonsensical results, I looked up at my "partner".
"Who did this report?"
I waited for a reply, flipping through the pages, marking things with a red pencil in the margins each time I discovered a discrepancy.
"Rosalie? Who made this report?" My tone became a sharper when I had to ask again.
Rosalie had been strangely on edge all morning, her hands shaking and her eyes haunted, but none of that had kept her from working. I was beginning to have my suspicions that something was very wrong with her, but I hadn't voiced my thoughts.
My sharp tone definitely got her attention, though because she jumped like I had smacked her and practically growled at me.
"How in the hell should I know? Do I look like a fucking accountant to you?"
I calmly collected the report and my coffee and left. Spreading out my things again in my office I continued working. It seemed a Laurent Benoit had prepared the report. His name was not in the company directory, so I made a quick call to Jasper in IT. He accessed an employee database for me and found that Laurent had been an intern three summers ago. I thanked him and looked to the doorway when I heard a knock there.
Rosalie stood there looking strangely apologetic and curiously less heinous. It was as if she'd slept for a few hours between when I left her office and when she came to mine. She looked like a different person and since it had only been about thirty minutes, it just fueled my suspicions that the imminently professional Rosalie Hale was on something.
My thoughts were interrupted by Rosalie making a soft moaning sound. She looked awful, sweating profusely and grasping the arms of the plane seat so tightly her knuckles were white. Despite my better instincts, I decided to check on her.
"Rosalie? Are you okay? Should I get the flight attendant?"
She turned her eyes to me and I fought back a gasp, she looked ill, but also furious.
"Mind your own business, Evans!" she hissed.
Taken aback, I simply turned and replaced my earbuds, leaning the seat back slightly and dozing the rest of the uneventful flight. We gathered our luggage and located the company limo, slipping inside.
The moment the driver pulled into traffic, Rosalie cracked open a bottle of Merlot, filling a wine glass and clutching it with shaking hands, taking large, gulping sips.
What the hell was wrong with her? She looked like a woman on the edge of a breakdown!
We arrived at our hotel and she dashed into the lobby, checking in and retreating toward the elevator so quickly she forgot her driver's license and completely ignored me calling out to her. I just shook my head at the clerk and pocketed it. I would just take it to her on my way up. Something was obviously wrong. I thought maybe she was ill and was embarrassed to show any weakness in front of me. I finished checking in and made my way to the elevator bank and up to the fourth floor, dropping off my luggage on my way to her room.
When I arrived, the door was slightly ajar, so I rapped on the frame and called out softly, not wanting to startle her or piss her off.
"Rosalie? You left your ID downstairs…" I trailed off as I took in the utter chaos of the room.
Her suitcase was open on the bed and personal items were strewn all over the room. Her cosmetic bag was dumped in the middle of the bed and the tap in the bathroom sink was running. As I rounded the bed, to make sure she hadn't fallen in the bathroom, I saw that, bizarrely, the room was empty and shut off the sink.
I turned to walk back into the bedroom and halted when I heard a softly whimpered, 'thank you'. Turning, I was stunned to see Rosalie curled into an almost fetal position in the furthest corner of the room, her mascara running down her cheeks and hair wild. Her eyes were half-lidded and I realized with a start that Rosalie was stoned. A bottle of pills lay overturned beside her, several white ovals on the carpet. I approached her cautiously, not sure how I would be received, but positive that I couldn't leave her alone in this state.
She cringed away as I got closer, so I halted, reaching out and taking the bottle instead.
Xanax.
That explained so many things. Rosalie Hale had an addiction to Xanax. I sat back on my heels facing her.
"How many of these did you just take, Rosalie?"
She looked so lost, beautiful like a fallen angel, but I shook off those inappropriate feelings. I'd been with women before and I'd be a liar if I tried to say that the back and forth between us over the last weeks hadn't had an element of the erotic in them. It was obvious that we were both passionately affected by each other, a thin line between love and hate.
"Just took two…needed to take the edge off," she mumbled, her words thick but her thoughts reasonably clear.
Checking the directions on the bottle, I saw that two pills was the maximum dosage stated, so I let it go.
"Do you need anything, Rosalie? Have you eaten?" I floundered, not sure what to do in this situation with this woman who had thrown my every word back in my face for weeks.
She refused to meet my eyes, but answered in a soft pleading voice. "I don't want to be alone."
"Okay, but you need to eat something, too, okay? I'm going to order you some room service."
She nodded listlessly and clicked on the TV, stopping on some mindless old sitcom, gazing through it. I kept an eye on her as I ordered a light dinner, wondering what happened to her, what pushed her to this half-life. She had obviously been living this way for a very long time.
I gingerly perched myself on the other end of the sofa, where she had moved while I made the call to room service. She had relaxed her posture some but was still curled into herself. She looked more vulnerable than anyone should.
"I hate what I've become, you know. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore," she said suddenly. Her voice broke a little as she continued, "I hate that I was so weak…am still so weak. I wasn't strong enough."
Everything in me cried out to take her in my arms, to ease the pain that was pouring off of her in thick waves, but I wasn't sure how to approach her. I had the distinct feeling that I was seeing the real Rosalie Hale now, that all the bluster and acid was a show.
"Strong enough for what, Rosalie?"
She looked over with glassy eyes. "My friends call me Rose or Rosie."
I took this as an invitation and repeated my question. "Strong enough for what, Rose?"
She took in a shuddering breath, tears beginning to leak from her eyes again. "To keep those men from raping me. To keep them from hurting me."
My own eyes filled at her admission. Who would want to hurt such a beautiful woman?
There was a knock at the door. I stood wordlessly, going to the door and collecting the food from a uniformed waiter, tipping him and setting the food on the coffee table, before disappearing into the bathroom again.
This time, I knelt in front of her when I returned to the room. She was motionless on the sofa, still looking through the TV, the laugh tracks mocking the seriousness of our conversation. I moved slowly, waiting for her to flinch away as I slowly used the warm wash cloth to remove the ruined make-up from her face. I was surprised when instead she leaned into my touch, her eyes closed in pleasure.
When I finished, I brought her one of the plates. I had ordered simple food, chicken salad and slices of ripe melon.
"Rose, you survived and you're still fighting them. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. What happened to you was ugly and violent, but it only reflects badly on them, never on you."
She took the plate from me, picking at the chicken salad as I moved to sit beside her again, falling silent. When she set the plate aside a little later, it took me a few moments to realize that she was sobbing silently. Without a second thought, I pulled her into my arms and held her as she wept, stroking her hair lightly and murmuring comforting nonsense to her.
Eventually, her sobs tapered off and she looked up at me, something flashing in her eyes too quickly for me to catch as she leaned up and gently pressed her lips to mine. I was momentarily lost in her sweet taste, red wine, sweet melon, and something that was wholly hers.
When I pulled back a moment later, I saw the rejection that flashed in her eyes.
"No. Don't do that, Rose. I just don't want to take advantage of you when you're not feeling yourself." I held onto her, not letting her pull away, and snatched the bottle of pills from her before she could take another.
"You've had enough of those for tonight. No more pills , Rose."
She stopped trying to pull away and instead simply leaned into me, taking the comfort I was freely offering.
"I've wanted you since the first time you stepped into my office. Did you know that, Victoria?"
"No, Rose. I didn't know that."
I rubbed her back softly, her breathing growing deeper as she began to slip into sleep.
"It's true," she mumbled softly. "Still want you…" She trailed off as she drifted, a few seconds later, she was fully asleep.
I held her for an hour or so, stroking my fingers through her hair, shushing her when her sleep became fitful. Eventually, I began to rouse her slightly, wanting to get her into her bed so she wouldn't wake up sore on the sofa in the morning.
She whimpered as I helped her over to the bed, pulling the sheets back and helping her undress and slip into a tank top I found in her bag. As I turned to leave and clicked off the lights, her voice wafted over to me.
"Please…don't leave, Vickie."
I turned to her, conflicted. I refused to take advantage of her vulnerability, but I wanted to stay.
"Please."
It was the second 'please' that was my downfall. I couldn't leave her. Crossing back over to the bed, I slid between the sheets next to her.
"If you want me to stay, Rose, I'll stay."
She curled her body into mine and I bit back a soft moan of desire. I wanted her, there was no doubt. Now that I knew who she truly was, I wanted to show her that her life could be good again, that her body was beautiful, not ruined.
I stood near the back of the ballroom, sipping a final glass of champagne and watching her as she mingled politely. Her tension would have been unnoticeable to someone who didn't know to look for it, but I could tell that the crowd was beginning to wear on her.
Setting my now empty flute aside, I made my goodbyes to Edward and Alec, kissing each of their cheeks. They looked so happy and I was happy for them. The commitment ceremony wouldn't be considered a legally binding marriage, but anyone lucky enough to be present at this lovely reception would not doubt the love between the two men.
I caught Rosalie's eye briefly as I stepped out of the room. Things had been in an awkward state of limbo between us since our first night in Seattle. We were no longer hostile or short with one another, but we were also not completely at ease either. The tension between us was often palpable and Alec had grilled me for the entire two hours of the spa time he'd owed me about what was going on between us. I'd finally begged him to leave me alone. I had no idea what else I could say about it. I wanted her. She wanted me. Neither of us had made a move.
I handed my coat check ticket to the attendant and turned at the soft click of the ballroom door. Rosalie exited the room, eyes cast down and looking decidedly shaky.
"Rose, are you okay?" I spoke softly, accepting my wrap and turning toward her.
She shook her head slightly, retrieving her own wrap.
"No. I need to go."
Something in her tone was almost desperate, so I quickly hailed a cab.
"I'm going back to the hotel. Share a cab with me?" I chanced a soft squeeze of her hand.
She threaded her fingers through mine as we climbed into a waiting taxi; she didn't pull away the entire ride, looking over like she wanted to say something several times. I didn't want to push her, so I remained quiet, just running my thumb over the back of her hand lightly, glad that she appeared to be relaxing.
When the taxi pulled up to the front door of our hotel, we walked together into the lobby and to the elevator bank. As we stepped out of the elevator and I prepared to walk to my room, Rosalie finally spoke, laying her hand on my arm.
"Come to my room, Vic?"
I turned and unexpectedly found myself close enough to smell the hint of fruity champagne on her breath. When she licked her lips nervously, I closed the distance, pressing my lips lightly to hers and relishing in her soft whimper. Pulling back slightly, I answered her question.
"Let me get out of this dress and I'll be right there."
I allowed my lips to brush hers again and disappeared into my room, quickly changing into a tank top and pair of soft yoga pants. I brushed through my hair, carefully pulling out all the hair pins. Satisfied, I grabbed the bottle of wine from the basket Alec had brought to me as a peace offering before spa day. It was a pinot noir. Grabbing a couple of wine glasses from the wet bar, I set out down the hallway to Rose's room, knocking lightly.
She opened the door with a fresh scrubbed face and an oversized t-shirt and pair of boxers on. I held up the bottle and glasses.
"Can I come in, Rose?"
She smiled and I was momentarily stunned. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen on her face and it transformed her beauty from icy and untouchable, to warm and angelic. She stepped aside and let me pass.
I had just poured us each a glass of wine when she pulled me over to the sofa and settled herself against my side. Handing her one of the glasses, we just sat in comfortable silence, unwinding after the long week. She set aside her glass and lay her head on my shoulder, her breath washing over my neck, the sensation causing me to shiver.
She seemed pleased at my reaction and plucked my glass from my hand and set it aside with hers, moving to straddle my lap. Instinctively, my hands dropped to her hips, embracing her gently.
"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since you slept in my bed," she whispered huskily, leaning forward to speak directly into my ear, her fingers brushing back my unruly curls.
"Rose…" I trailed off with a soft moan as she took my earlobe between her teeth, biting down gently.
"Shhh, Vic…I want this...I want you." She paused, running the tip of her tongue over the shell of my ear, before continuing in that same sultry whisper, "And I know you want me, too."
I slid my hands up over her back and into the soft hair at the base of her neck, not sure whether I was trying to get her closer or push her away. Everything was moving so quickly and she was a different woman than the one I had met only months before. But she was right, I did want her. I wanted her for my pleasure, but I also wanted her to be pleasured, to regain some of her self-worth, to get back some of what had been stolen from her.
I made the decision that we could have this together, for however long it lasted. I had no illusions.
"Rose, you're right. I do want this. I want to make you feel good, show you how beautiful you are."
My own voice was a bare whisper in the quiet room, but I felt the change in her. She instantly went from confident to nervous, but I could feel the pebbled peaks of her nipples through the thin cotton of her shirt and the heat of her core where our bodies melded. I knew then that she was afraid, but not of me.
I tipped her head up to look her in the eyes.
"Nothing happens that you don't want. You say 'no', and I'll stop, understand? I will not hurt you, Rose."
I saw the panic seep from her eyes at my promise. Slowly, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. It wasn't our first kiss, but it was perfect. Before long, she was parting her lips, urging me to deepen it.
When our tongues brushed together, she let out a startled little gasp but she clung to me when I tried to pull away, breathing out a soft "no!" as her hands slid beneath my top, tentatively exploring. My breath began to come in soft pants as her fingers brushed across the swell of my breast. I arched into her touch andshe grew bolder.
When I tugged at the hem of her t-shirt, she stood, her breasts heaving and lips swollen, and held out her hand to me. When I took it, she led me over to the bed, peeling back the sheets and shimmying out of her clothes.
"Beautiful…Rose, you're so beautiful," I murmured in awe.
She blushed and moved the couple steps toward me, grasping my tank and tugging it over my head. I slipped off my pants and felt my blood heat up as her eyes moved hungrily over my body.
She stretched up. "Show me," she whispered against my ear again.
When she took my hand and led me down onto the bed with her, I wasted no time in following her orders. I took my time tasting her soft skin, her soft whimpers and moans of pleasure music to my ears. Slowly, I felt the nervous tension begin to seep from her muscles. I kept my touch gentle, pressing one palm to her lower belly when she began to writhe beneath me. When my lips found her breast, she groaned softly and began to grind herself against my thigh.
I slipped my fingers between her legs, groaning as my fingers slipped easily over her drenched folds. She tensed slightly, so I resumed my exploration of her breasts.
"Okay, Rosie? I'll stop if you need me to…" I trailed off, really hoping she didn't want me to stop.
"NO!" She practically screamed, bucking her hips toward my fingers. "No…please...touch me, Vic."
I smiled against her skin, pressing kisses there as I eased a finger inside her, my thumb brushing her clit as I moved in and out of her slick passage. When she began to move with me, I pressed a second finger inside, slipping down her body as she began to shudder and quiver.
I licked slowly over her outer lips, humming deep in my chest at her tangy flavor. My eyes were heavily lidded as I sucked her clit between my teeth, working my fingers harder. I felt her walls begin to quiver as her body got closer to her climax.
Moments later, as I lapped at her clit, she cried out my name in ecstasy, her body quivering and jerking as her walls clamped down around my fingers. I continued to pump my fingers in and out until her body began to relax, lapping softly at her juices before crawling up to lay beside her, pressing soft kisses to her shoulder.
She hummed softly, curling into me. "Thank you, Vickie."
Her voice was soft and sated as I wrapped my arms around her, listening as her breathing evened out and began to deepen.
"You're welcome, Rosie. Sleep, honey."
I lay awake for hours with her in my arms , watching the angelic peace of her sleep and noting that no nightmares haunted her tonight. Finally, I succumbed to sleep myself.
I watched them talk from my table across the room, fighting the jealous urge to separate them, to claim what wasn't really mine. Bella laid a soft hand on my arm, giving me a sympathetic smile.
"Are you okay, Vic?"
"No, not really. She loves him and he obviously still loves her." Sighing, I turned to meet Bella's concerned brown eyes. "I'm holding her back, enabling her to stay safe with me, when she needs to take a leap of faith and give Emmett another chance."
Alice and Jasper came over before we could discuss it any more. Jasper quickly followed my line of sight, too, and gave me a sad smile. Hanging back as the other's finished lunch, he walked alongside me.
"Vic, darlin', you know they have a history together. Has she told you about it?" he asked softly in his quiet way.
I shook my head. "No, she doesn't like to talk about anything in the past. But I know she's been talking about it in therapy. She told me that much last week. She misses him, Jas."
He nodded. "Yeah, she does and he never stopped loving her, even when she blew him off after her attack. None of us knew she was raped, not for months. She stayed out of work for a week and when she came back, she was different...cold. She broke up with him the first day she was back at the office. She'd been dodging his calls all week and had refused to let him in the apartment when he finally got fed up and showed up on her doorstep."
I nodded solemnly. I wasn't surprised. That was about as much as Rose had revealed to me about it.
"She was scared. But she's getting better now. The therapy is helping her," I murmured.
We had arrived back at the office and I turned to head down the hallway. Jasper stopped me with a gentle hand.
"You helped her just as much, Victoria. She needed to see that she could love again and that she could be loved again."
I nodded, my eyes blurring with unshed tears. He spoke the truth and I had known that whatever I had with Rosalie wouldn't be forever. She cared about me and I cared about her, but neither of us was in love. We helped each other through a bad time. I slowly recovered from the James debacle and she was making huge progress with her Xanax addiction and the post-traumatic stress of her rape. We had done that for each other. I was due to return to Seattle in a week and it was time to let her go. She needed Emmett and it was his job to finish what I'd started.
One year later
I was standing at the center island chopping vegetables for a chicken stir fry. There were still moving boxes scattered around the loft, but most of them were unpacked now. I absentmindedly rubbed my swollen stomach, getting a little kick in reply and smiling softly, grateful as always that my brother-in-law was as selfless as he was and had helped give us the little miracle growing inside me.
"Okay, okay…I'm hungry, too. Mami Maria will be home soon and then we'll eat."
I spun, startled, as a soft melodic voice rang out behind me.
"Mami Maria is home, babies. I'm sorry I startled you, Victoria."
I smiled, loving the way my name rolled exotically from her lips. She crossed the entryway into the kitchen, her soft hands caressing my belly as we kissed.
"Mmm, how was your day, baby?" I asked, turning down the heat under the wok.
"It was good, Querida. I'm glad to be home, though. It makes me nervous not to be with you when la Chiquita could come anytime now." She turned away to grab an envelope from the island as I plated our dinner.
"This came for you at the office today. Whoever it is from must not know that you're on maternity leave. Chelsea brought it over to me to bring home to you."
She held out an elegant ivory envelope.I took it, curious about who would have sent it to my office rather than to me directly, flipping it over to check the return address.
R. Hale and E. McCarty
1378 E. 42nd Street, Apt. 4B
New York, NY 10010
I instantly knew what I was holding and I smiled widely as I opened it. I kept in touch with Alice, Jasper, and Bree, but I hadn't spoken to Rosalie or Emmett in months. My eyes filled with happy tears as I read the wedding invitation, noting that the date was still four months away. I would be able to attend with Maria and the baby.
Maria came to read over my shoulder, wrapping her arms around me and kissing away a stray tear that slipped over my cheek. She knew me so well; her familiar voice was raspy in my ear.
"Querida, it is happy news, no? This is the Rosalie you've told me about?"
I nodded, my voice thick. "Yes. It's her and I am happy for them both. She's found love again."
Turning my head to kiss my partner, I continued, "I can only hope they find half the love and happiness we have, Mari. If they do, they will have a wonderful life together."
I set the invitation aside. I would RSVP tomorrow. Tonight, I had my love here with me and I had Rosalie to thank for that. If I had never been with her, never taken the chance in Seattle, then I would not have gotten over James and had the courage to take a chance when Maria had come into my life. Rosalie and I had given each other a chance at future happiness and it was more than most people ever hoped for.