I own nothing of Twilight. All copy rights go to Stephenie Meyer.
This story is all human, sorry, maybe my next will have vamps.
Please be so kind and leave a review. Good or bad doesn't matter. Even flames.
Full Summery
If there's one thing Isabella Swan aka Bella knows, it's how to make a bed. Well, okay, a mattress. As an executive at Cullen Beds, she's new to company, but she can manufacture with the best of them. Besides it's a fresh start in a new city. The last thing she needs is trouble, and when her Victorian fixer-upper is anything but, she camps out at the factory looking for a dry place to crash. Trouble strikes though when she winds up with a strange bedfellow.
Edward Cullen has rushed back to Seattle to help at the family's mattress company. But he can't believe the bed he makes for himself once he gets there! To start with, he can't figure out Bella Swan. She's uptight and as sexy as they come. Bella has made it clear that she's not interested. Fine with him-he doesn't want to get distracted now. As director of security, Edward has to find out who's been sleeping in the test center. He figures the best way is to sleep there himself!
Chapter one
The conference room was quite, the rain drumming on the old roof of the warehouse. He'd shown up early, to be prompt for what might be a important meeting, but also because he knew she'd be early, too.
He'd come to Seattle to help his family out, thought that maybe he could make a difference. Cullen Beds had never been Edward's idea of excitement, but this time he was determined to sweat it out. He'd never cared much about the company; his family was the reason he was here instead of completing number thirty-seven on his "list of things to do before I die."
Edward Cullen studied her from across the conference room table. She had her head resting on her folded arms across the cold wooden table. He took the time this morning to try and figure her out. He wondered what her made her act acidly and bitter toward men. She had came in this morning with dark circles around her eyes, must of not gotten much sleep last night he thought. Maybe some one broke her heart. He decided only only way to find out. "Bad breakup?"
"I beg your pardon?" she replied, lifting her head, giving him a look that said "what the hell do you want".
"I said, bad break up?" he replied "Because you look like hell" She shot him a angry pissed off glare.
"Well, excuse me Mr-Know-It-All. Not every one can look perfect 24/7. And for your question. None of your damn business." Oh fire and spunk he thought, he liked that.
Bella Swan wasn't the sort of woman that men noticed at first glance. At first glance, a man might overlook her-dismiss her even. The second time, Edward had noticed the "I'm bookish" stiffness-the social difficulty that came from being highly intelligent. The third glance turned his head and made him wonder why the world didn't pay more attention to Isabella Swan. He settled back in his chair, running a hand through his already mess hair, the old wood squeaking under his weight.
"I don't mean to be rude, you're very hostile toward anything male and you certainly aren't happy."
Edward was new to his father's company-Cullen Beds Inc-but Bella was even newer. Ten days ago she'd come on board, and it was only in the past week that he'd began to analyze her. I guess that's what happens when you have nothing better to do.
"You've sat around and contemplated what you've assumed is the absolute misery of my love life, and you've divined all this in short time since I've started?"she asked, leveling her brown gaze at him as if he was the scourge of the earth, which in a perverse way proved his theory.
"I'm intelligent, not completely understanding of the working of the female mind, but I think that's an impossibility. So, to answer your question, yes."
"A woman must have a man to be happy. Is that what you think?" Her eyes flashed and came alive. He liked it when she was angry.
"No, but it doesn't hurt." he smirked.
She arched a dark brow, not quite as well as he could, but the intent was there. "You've absolutely right. And if you must know, I castrated the last one." Then she took a sip from her Starbucks coffee cup, two drops leaking onto her shirt. She didn't even notice, just put down her cup and started determinedly at the blank sheet of paper in front of her.
He didn't believe her for a moment, but protective male instincts made him press his legs together. That would be a mans worst nightmare.
Oddly enough, he found himself compelled to talk to her, compelled to garner her attention. "You know, I think I watched a movie about you on Lifetime."
She lifted her head again. "Very funny smart ass. If you don't mind, I don't think the workplace is proper forum for a conversation on my personal life."
Edward shrugged. "I was curious, that was all."
She tapped her pen on the long wooden table, not meeting his eyes. "Why did your father invite you to the product launch meeting? I wasn't aware that the Director of Security would be involved."
Edward winced, and he was sure she noticed. "With Angela's broken leg, I think my dad wants everyone to pitch in and help cover for her. Even Security," he added, more sarcastically than necessary, which ruined any effort at a nice recovery.
Director of Security, my ass she thought. Being offered the gimme position had been a low blow for Edward, but he could prove to his father that he'd underestimated him.
"So, you're going to work on the product launch?" she asked, either overlooking his sarcasm or else not noticing it. He'd bet good money it was the latter.
"If I'm needed, sure." The new Dream-scape line was scheduled for product launch at the ISPA trade show in Las Vegas three an a half months from now. Edward has hoped to be part of the project.
She nodded coolly and stared back at the paper, dismissing him.
But he wasn't ready to be dismissed. Yet. "The new mattress is ready to go?"
"Certainly," Bella said.
He wanted to ask more questions, ask how many lines were on the yellow legal page, ask her if she hated all men, or should he take it personally. Before he could annoy her further, his father-Carlisle Cullen-walked in, and that was Edward's cue to sit back and watch the show taking out his written notes for the meeting, not sure what he'd be doing , but he still wanted to be prepared.
Edward's father was the undisputed head and Edward's brother, Emmett, was the hair apparent to Cullen's Beds. Edward clenched his folder a little tighter.
Carlisle Cullen sat down at the end of the conference table, situating his slim frame into another old chair. His blond hair, that was beginning to turn gray with age. but his dark blue eyes were full of humor and youth. He settled back, sighing in relief when he finally got comfortable. "As soon as Emmett comes in, we'll get started"
Emmett trundled in ten minutes later, late as usual, then sat down at their father's right hand.
Carlisle Cullen put on the bifocals that Edward knew he hated and looked at his meeting agenda. "Edward, glad you could join us. Got big plans today?"
"I thought I'd write some new security procedures," he answered, mostly as a joke.
"Procedures, huh? Good, good. Let's get started, shall we?"
And for the next forty-eight minutes, Edward might as have been wallpaper. His father asked Bella all sorts of questions about the launch, what media contacts they had, shipping timetables and meeting plans.
And absolutely nothing about security at all.
Edward carefully took his notes and folded them into a paper airplane.
He could be in wild wonderful West Virgina right now, breathing fresh mountain air at the D&K ranch, number thirty-seven on his list of things to do before he died. But he'd put that off, because he thought it was important to be here-for the company, for his family.
He almost laughed. His mother seemed to be the only one who truly was glad to have him back home. His father was to busy to worry about little things like that. It was sad really when you thought about it.
While the others were occupied doing real work, he got up and walked to the windows. For a while he simply stared out of the diamond panes at the modern gray lines and squares that made up the skyline of downtown Seattle. He was slowly going out of his mind.
The constant drumming of the rain on the rain on the roof should have been relaxing, but instead his knee got stiff. The same knee he'd broken when he was working as a ski instructor in the Alps.
Absently he rubbed the stubborn ligament. He had thought coming back home would be right thing to do. Helping out his mother and father, easing their burden while mother recovered from being deathly ill. Some new strain of flu, the doctors had informed us.
For once he'd thought he could come back and help, take the painful job and try to pick up the pieces. But everyone in his family seemed smiling and cheerful, as if nothing had happened. Everyone except Edward.
Even if she was almost over her sickness. It had left her slightly weakened but nothing to bad. His family meant every thing to him.
What do think so far? I plan this to be a long story. I have several chapters all ready written out. If I get reviews, the sooner I'll get the next one out. I just have to edit it some. Your input is very important to me. you as the readers made this worth while. Thanks.