A/N: You guys will not believe this, but my beta got this chapter back to me about three weeks ago, and I completely forgot about posting it until today! I'm so sorry, but here it is. Hope you enjoy!
"But, you're wrong! I didn't get to where I am today by sleeping my way there, I worked for it!" I yelled, struggling to get out of Jasper's grip. All I succeeded in doing was rubbing my erection against his. His eyes flared with desire and anger as he pressed me further back on the desk.
The sound of the door banging open caused Jasper to let go of me and jump backwards. We both stood there looking at Emmett as he stared at us in disbelief.
"What the hell is going on here?" Emmett yelled.
Chapter Two
Jasper and I froze, neither one of us responding to Emmett's inquiry. My heart was racing in my chest, and my erection was still throbbing in my pants. Stealing a glance at Jasper, I could see he was still breathing heavily as he rested back on the desk. I wanted nothing more than to look down and see if he was still hard, but with Emmett there, it was out of the question.
"I was going to say I was glad to catch you as I wanted to speak to you about a few changes in the handling of your account, but now I think we need to speak on another matter entirely," Emmett snapped out glancing between the two of us.
"That's funny," Jasper stated as he pushed himself off the desk. "I wanted to speak to you about the same matter. You first."
"Oh, no, no, no," Emmett said shaking his head. "You are definitely going first. This scene I walked in on here has to be explained."
Jasper turned to look at me and closed his eyes for a second before turning back to Emmett. "I'm not really sure what you think you walked in on, Emmett. Edward and I were just having a discussion about a few things, that's all."
"It looked like a little more than that to me," Emmett said looking over at me. "Edward, what do you have to say about what happened?"
Both Emmett and Jasper turned to look at me while waiting for my answer. Now, I was on the spot. If I told Emmett the truth about what had transpired between Jasper and me, it would not be pretty and I didn't want to be responsible for Emmett losing this account. If I lied about it, then at least Emmett got to hold on to the account and maybe, just maybe, it would give me a chance to prove myself to Jasper.
"Nothing happened, Emmett, we were just talking about some issues that Jasper has regarding the account," I responded.
"Edward, be honest with me," Emmett chastised me.
"Emmett, I…" I mumbled out.
"Emmett, don't take it out on Edward. None of this was is fault. It was mine, I overreacted about some stuff and took it out on him," Jasper interjected. "I will take full responsibility for my actions and hope we can talk and work through it."
Emmett looked back and forth between the two of us, silently assessing the situation. His gaze lingered on me for just a minute longer than it did on Jasper. I gave him a slight nod to let him know that everything was okay.
"All right, Jasper, well I guess now is as good of a time as any to talk," Emmett relented.
I turned to leave the room, and Emmett stopped me. "No, Edward, this concerns you also."
"It certainly does," Jasper agreed. "Please stay, Edward."
I settled myself on the couch while Emmett and Jasper remained standing on opposites sides of the desk.
"Jasper, I would like you to meet McCarty and Newton's newest account executive, Edward Cullen. He'll be taking over the handling of your account."
Jumping up, I gave Emmett a big hug. "Emmett, this is wonderful! Thank you so much for recommending me and going to bat for me."
"Well, Jasper," Emmett laughed, keeping his arm around my shoulder. "What do you think of your new account executive?"
Jasper straightened his tie and picked up his briefcase before answering. "If you think so little of my account that you would hand it over to someone who has so obviously used his charms to obtain this position, and who practices deceit to get something he wants, then I guess I will be taking my business elsewhere."
Emmett pulled his arm off of my shoulder and walked over to face Jasper. "Jasper, I'm not sure I know what you are talking about." Emmett was giving both Jasper and myself confused looks. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "Someone tell me now!"
Jasper walked over to the door. "Ask your assistant/account representative. Hopefully, you'll get the truth, which is more than I can say about myself." With that, he left the office. I sank back down onto the couch and put my head into my hands.
"Emmett, I am so sorry that this happened. Call Mr. Whitlock later and let him know that I am not accepting the position. Tell him I've resigned. Tell him anything, I just don't want you to lose this account," I sobbed out as my tears started to fall.
Emmett came over and sat next to me on the couch, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Edward, calm down, it's going to be okay. Look at me, and talk to me." Turning to look at him, he reached over to brush my tears off my cheek. Jasper picked that moment to walk back in.
"Sorry to interrupt this little 'conference', but I forgot my cell phone." He took his phone from Emmett's desk and strode to the door. "His kind I can understand, Emmett, but you?" Jasper whispered, shaking his head. "What about Rosalie?" Turning his back on us, he left the office for good this time.
Emmett turned to look at me with confusion written all over his face. "What the fuck is going on, Edward? Tell me what happened and what the hell he is talking about, now!"
Repeating the conversation that Jasper and I were having before he walked in, I left out the part about us rubbing our erections together. I didn't think that Emmett would be interested in hearing about that. "Obviously, we got our signals mixed up," I explained. "But I didn't do it on purpose, Emmett, honest. And, I don't know where he got the idea that I used my charms to work my way to the top. You know that's not true, I don't know why he would say something so mean. What did I ever do to him?"
Emmett sighed. "It's all making sense now, Edward. It's not you he's upset about, really it's not. He sees how close we are, and he doesn't trust it. The first thing he is thinking is that there is something going on between us for us to be so close and for you to have moved up so quickly. This is all my fault."
"No, it's not, Emmett!" I exclaimed. "You are not at fault here. Jasper is for jumping to the wrong conclusion about the situation and then running out before we could even defend ourselves."
"You don't understand, Edward. If I had told you about the promotion yesterday, before you met with Jasper, this wouldn't have happened, but I wanted it to be a surprise. If you had known, you would have been able to enlighten him. There wouldn't have been any misunderstanding then, you understand?" Emmett responded sadly.
"I guess you're right. But, hindsight is 20/20, and he still should have given us a chance to explain things instead of automatically thinking the worst." My anger at Jasper was building by the minute. Not only did he disrespect me and upset me, now he was causing Emmett distress and he was just an innocent bystander in the massacre that occurred.
"Don't worry about Jasper, Edward. He'll come around, you'll see," Emmett soothed me.
"There's no way I can work with him, Emmett. He despises me! The fact that he thinks the only reason that I got this promotion is because I'm having an affair with you sickens me. I want nothing to do with him because there is no way I could work with someone who thinks that way," I spoke truthfully.
"Edward, I think it's time I give you a little bit about Jasper's personal history. Not many people know this, so I'm going to ask you to keep it under your hat. The only reason I'm even telling you is so that you understand why Jasper reacted the way he did today. Do I have your word that what we speak about stays between us?" Emmett inquired.
At first I was tempted to tell Emmett to forget it, that I didn't want to hear anything that might absolve Jasper of his bad behavior. But, my curiosity got the best of me and I found myself agreeing to keep everything confidential.
"About a year ago," Emmett started. "Jasper was involved with one of his employees, and they became engaged. She was one of his senior managers, and he was so blind in love that against his better judgment and that of his board of directors, he promoted her to Assistant Vice President of Research and Development two weeks before the wedding. It was kind of a wedding gift for her. A week later, she called off the wedding and wanted nothing more to do with him." Emmett stopped talking and got himself a bottle of water from the fridge.
"That's awful, Emmett," I murmured in disbelief.
"It was awful, Edward. Jasper tried to fire her by showing that it turned out she was just in the relationship to advance herself in the company, but she retaliated by suing him for sexual harassment and discrimination. They've been battling the case in court for the last six months. He's been very upset about it. It was a big blow to his ego both personally and professionally," Emmett finished.
Flabbergasted couldn't explain how I felt at that moment. "I didn't know any of that. No wonder he is so judgmental about things. While I understand him a little bit better now, I still think I should decline the position. The damage has already been done."
"Absolutely not, Edward. You deserve this position. I will speak with Jasper, and explain things to him. If he is still adamant about it, I'll reassign his account to one of the other reps. Why don't you take the rest of the day off and celebrate?" Emmett suggested. "I think the break will do you good."
"Thanks, Emmett, but I really don't feel much like celebrating," I mumbled sadly.
"Take the break then and do something fun to cheer yourself up. I don't want to see you again until tomorrow." Emmett dismissed me with a wave of the hand.
"Okay, I guess I can use the time to come to terms with everything that's happened. See you tomorrow."
Sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea, I was going over everything that had happened with Jasper and me since we met last night. While I understood his being upset at the thought that his account wasn't being given the prestige and attention it should have gotten, it still didn't excuse his behavior towards me. That was just down right rude.
The phone rang startling me out of my reverie. It was Margo, from the office. "I just heard the good news, Edward! Congratulations! Lucky for you Scott got an offer elsewhere. Aren't you excited?" she gushed.
"Yes, Margo, I'm thrilled," I replied.
"Well, you don't sound it. Getting to work with Jasper Whitlock, I'm so jealous!" she continued.
"Thanks, Margo, I guess it hasn't hit me yet about both the promotion and getting to work with Jasper Whitlock. It's a lot to take in, you know?" I responded.
"I can only imagine. We all heard about the big blowout between you, Emmett and Jasper Whitlock. What exactly happened?" she asked.
"Well, I really don't want to talk about it, suffice to say that he is judgmental and chauvinistic and I couldn't give a hoot whether or not I ever saw the man again," I snapped out.
"Ooooh, sounds like you've got the hots for him," she joked.
"That's the furthest thing from the truth! The man is an ass who jumps to conclusions and judges people without bothering to find out the truth," I yelled.
"I can see this is a sore topic with you, Edward. Let's drop it and we'll speak tomorrow. Maybe we'll go out this weekend and celebrate," she suggested.
"Great, thanks. See you tomorrow." Hanging up the phone, I couldn't wrap my mind around Margo's accusation. How could she even suggest that I had the hots for him? Granted, he was as handsome as all fuck, but what an asshole he was.
The morning came way too soon, and the minute I walked in, Patty grabbed me. "Emmett wants to see you in is office asap, Edward."
"Thanks, Patty. Do you happen to know what it's all about?" I asked being in no mood for more drama.
"No, but I'll tell you this, Mike Newton and Jasper Whitlock are in there, too," Patty gushed.
"Oh no!" I groaned. "Why me?"
"You'd better hurry. They've been in there for a while now waiting for you," Patty informed me.
Dropping my things off at my desk, I straightened my suit jacket and ran my fingers through my hair. I was determined to be as professional as I possibly could be. Jasper was going to see that I wasn't going to let his threats and prejudices get to me.
Striding into the room, the three men stood when I entered. Emmett pulled out the chair closest to him and motioned for me to sit in it.
"It's good to see you, Edward," Emmett said. "Have a seat here. Would you like some coffee before we begin?"
Sitting in the seat next to Emmett, I declined the coffee and placed my hands in my lap to maintain my semblance of calm.
Mike Newton sat down and turned to me. "Hello, Edward. It's nice to see you as I haven't for a while. My travels keep me away from the office so much. How have you been?"
I liked Mike Newton, as he was a really nice man. He was older than Emmett, maybe sixty to Emmett's forty, and he was the big brain behind McCarty and Newton. Mike did all of the traveling to meet with out of state clients. When he was in the office, he was always cheerful and pleasant, and he brought a smile to my face now.
"Hello, Mike. It's good to see you, too. I'm doing well, thanks for asking," I replied. Turning to face Jasper, I took a deep breath. "Hello, Mr. Whitlock, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Jasper looked over at me and, even sitting down, he was very imposing.
"Hello, Mr. Cullen. Now that you're here, maybe we can get on with this meeting?" he questioned, looking to Emmett. "Do you wish to begin?"
Emmett cleared his throat. "I've brought Mike up to date on all that's been going on. Obviously, there has been a very big misunderstanding here. Since it's my fault, I don't want to see Edward penalized for it."
"I'm willing to hear what you have to say, but I make no promises about changing my mind," Jasper stated honestly.
"Fair enough," Emmett agreed. "Edward is being promoted to one of the account executive positions. One of his accounts is going to be your account. He has obtained this position based upon his own merit and nothing else. When I told you that our new account executive would be meeting with you, I meant Edward. That was my first mistake, as I should have told Edward about the promotion beforehand so that he would have been able to clarify that information for you. As for Edward and me, there is nothing going on here but a very good boss-employee relationship, which has turned into a very good friendship. He is also very close to my wife, Rosalie, and my two children. Any questions?" Emmett looked at me, Jasper, and Mike in turn.
"While I trust your judgment, Emmett, I find it hard to believe that you would turn over such a big account to a novice without some kind of ulterior motive. How do you explain that?" Jasper inquired.
Emmett turned to face Mike. "Do you want to handle this one?" he asked.
Mike got up from his chair and began walking around the room. "It would be my pleasure. Mr. Whitlock, I know that you don't know me very well, but I hope you trust my judgment enough to be open minded about what I say. I've known Mr. Cullen since he stared working here six years ago. He started out as a receptionist as he put himself through college. He was then promoted to a junior executive assistant position. Once we realized what a creative mind he had, we had him transferred over here working directly with Emmett. Working on our advertising layouts was a big responsibility, but he handled it beautifully. He has been very helpful to the whole staff and I mean it when I say that not one proposal has left here without at least one of his ideas incorporated into it. As a matter of fact, the proposal for your company was made up almost wholly of Mr. Cullen's ideas with a little finessing from Emmett and the rest of the team. I think that he has proven that he deserves this position and I am positive he will do a wonderful job with your account if you let him."
When Mike finished, he took his seat and motioned to Emmett to speak. "Thank you, Mike, I couldn't have said it better myself. Edward is there anything you'd like to add?"
After thinking for a moment, I gathered up my courage to speak. "Yes, there is. While I'm very lucky to work with people who respect me and who appreciate my work, I don't think I could work with someone who was always wondering how I earned my paycheck." I looked over at Jasper as I made that last remark. "If Mr. Whitlock can put all of this behind him and start over again, I guess I'd be willing to try it."
Jasper returned my stare for a moment before responding. "Since I am a fair man, and out of respect for both Emmett and Mike, I think we can give it a try. But I'm warning you, I am a very hard taskmaster especially when I don't trust someone." Standing, he continued speaking as he made his way to the door. "That concludes my participation in this meeting. Mike, it was a pleasure meeting you. Emmett, I will be speaking to you. Mr. Cullen, I expect you in my office 9:00 a.m. Monday morning to finalize the details of this proposal. Enjoy your weekend." Leaving the office, he slammed the door behind him leaving the three of us to look at each other and shrug our shoulders.
It was going to be a long weekend.