An: I would like to thank Surething302 for all your help. Also, Momo thanks for beta'ing this for me.
Bella stepped out of her car in the parking garage of the courthouse. She was already running late. Grabbing her briefcase and blackberry, she dashed inside and through security.
"Late much, Bella?" Jeremy, the security guy asked, with a smirk.
"You know me. I have to be in arraignment in five or Judge Cope is going to have my ass." She said, retrieving her stuff after being X-rayed.
"And what a beautiful ass it is," Jeremy said.
"Sexual harassment, tsk tsk." Bella said, shooting him a warning look. "You know better."
He had the decency to look chagrined as he lowered his eyes from hers. Bella smoothed down her gray pencil skirt and light pink satin blouse, deciding she was presentable enough to be in court today. Opting for the escalator instead of waiting for the elevator, she made it into courtroom 4 with three minutes to spare. She shot a glance at Jacob Black, the young District Attorney and saw his lips turn up slightly. He let his eyes wander down her legs to her killer heels and he raised an eyebrow. Yes sir, these are the same shoes that were wrapped around your waist last night. She let him take her in, as she placed her papers and her briefcase on the desk. She opened the manila folder holding the names of the men who would be arraigned at the 9 a.m. hearing.
"Just in time, B." Bella shot her second chair and obnoxious best friend, Rosalie, a hard look. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you finally notice I was actually here or were you too busy letting Jacob Black eye-fuck you?"
"Oh, I let him fuck me with much more than his eyes, Rose." Bella said in a low voice and then laughed.
Rose just shook her head and turned back to the computer in front of her. The bailiff and correction officers led in the men who had spent the night in jail to the designated rows, Bella sighed. She had been roped into helping her colleague, Angela, to cover her arraignment for her. Usually she was assigned her cases after the arraignment process, and liked it that way. She liked the relationship she developed with each client, positive or negative. In arraignment, she saw the individual for five minutes, at most, before they were finished. Arraignment was a really easy process, where she asked if they would have their own lawyer or were in need of a public defender. Usually, she advised them to plead not guilty.
"Here are the waivers, B." Rose said, and handed her a bunch of papers. She made her way over to the defendants and smiled gently. Stepping up to the first man, but addressing them all, she spoke. "Hi, my name is Bella Swan. I'll help you through this first step in your court experience. First things first, I need you to decide if you need the public defender's assistance or if you have an attorney of your own." She handed each of them a sheet of a paper and began to explain. "If you need our services, please sign line A. If you want to waive our services, please sign Line B, at the bottom. Any questions?"
The first man looked her up and down slowly. "What kind of services do you offer?" He said, cockily.
Before she had a chance to roll her eyes and set him in his place, she heard a man's voice speak behind her. "James, enough. Sign the waiver and let me handle your latest indiscretion. Again!"
Bella turned and looked up into a pair of jade green eyes. She knew exactly whom they belonged to, before he even introduced himself. Edward Cullen, her best friend's brother. The one member of them family she'd never met. If she didn't recognize his eyes from the family photos, she sure knew it was him from the hair. Acknowledgment crossed his eyes as well, and he smiled down to her. "Edward Cullen, defense for Mr. James Walker."
"Bella Swan, public defender." She replied shaking his hand. Warmth radiated through her arm from where their hands met. She drew her hand back and smiled at him. "Edward we finally meet. Alice has told me so much about you."
He cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "Ah yes, Bella. I've heard much about you as well. Your pictures around Alice's house don't do you justice."
Just before she could respond, the bailiff called the court to order. Edward smirked at her again and walked back to the row of chairs designated for attorneys. Following behind, she admired his well-fitted grey suit and how it hugged his tall body. He must have been at least 6"2 and she noticed that his broad shoulders had captivated more than just her. She saw most women glance his way and stare. She sat down hard in her chair and turned to Rosalie. "Dammit woman, I knew he was gorgeous, but in person, this is just ridiculous."
Rosalie laughed slowly and flipped her hair. "I still can't believe you've never met him. Between Emmett, Alice, Jasper and I, and considering we're your only group of friends…" Bella swatted her knee and sent her a look. "You know what I mean. Edward is related to and works with Emmett; our best friend is his sister. I'm just saying, it's too weird."
"Did the defense have the defendants sign the waivers for legal counsel?" Judge Cope asked, looking at the two women.
Bella rose and nodded her head. "Yes, Your Honor."
"Good, then we can proceed."
After the final defendant had been seen to, court was adjourned. Bella gathered her things and turned to walk out. Jacob went to stand directly in front of her and she smiled up at his tan face. "Counsel, what can I help you with?"
Jacob grinned at her and leaned in close. "Are those the shoes?"
"I have no clue what you mean." Bella said, glancing at Rose, who was slightly ahead of her. "These old things hardly warrant any consideration."
Jacob smirked and whispered, "When I have red marks imbedded in my ass cheeks, from heels, I think I have a right to know if those are the ones that did the damage. They look familiar."
Bella turned her foot side-to-side and laughed. "You know, I believe they are the culprits but they don't look particularly ashamed of themselves."
Leaning in close again, Jacob whispered, "I do believe, I need to punish them at a later date. Give me a call." He kissed her cheek and strode down the aisle and out the door. At least he knew her rules. Bella continued to meet up with Rose but saw Edward come up beside her.
"It was wonderful to finally meet you, Bella. I look forward to seeing you again." He said, in his wonderful smooth voice.
She smiled at him nodding. "Me too. Now I can tell Alice, she doesn't need to get all our schedules on the same page. I have finally met her brother."
"I hope we can all meet up for drinks one night soon." He said, and she noticed he was looking at her legs.
Smirking, Bella replied, "Oh, I think we can all make the time." With a lopsided grin, Edward gave Rose a quick peck on the forehead, walked out the door and was gone.
Bella couldn't help but watch him walk away, while Rose laughed softly. "Geez, Rose. That man is beautiful."
"And he knows it." Rose chuckled back. "The man has no shame. He's like the male version of you, actually."
Bella pondered that comment for a moment. She knew Rose wasn't being bitchy, but matter-of-fact. Bella knew her lifestyle wasn't what her friends wanted for her. At twenty-eight, she was content with her life, but she was consumed with work. She didn't want or need a permanent man in her life. She had a select few men that she went out and had sex with. It was all according to her rules. She never let anyone else dictate how her sex life played out. All she had to do was call Jacob, for example, ask him out for drinks and bring him back to her place and her night was complete. She didn't have time for men who were bad in bed; she was never left unsatisfied, nor were they. Her friends hated it, but Rose was the more tolerant of the two. Alice was constantly trying to get her to see the error of her ways and was so wrapped up in love with Jasper, that she wanted Bella to have the same experience. Bella wasn't interested in love or long-term commitment and always made sure Alice knew it. She was never lonely and always satisfied. To her that was all she needed.
"The male version of me, huh?" Bella commented. "Interesting."
Rose laughed again and looped her arm through Bella's. "C'mon whore, let's get back to the office and get through all this paperwork. I have a date with my man tonight. I want to get there on time, for once."
Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.