What Women Want

Ch.2 – Creative Director

"Good Morning Mr. Cullen." Darcy greeted from behind the front desk. Edward ignored her and made his way to his best bud jasper.

"Hey man, I was at breakfast this morning and I heard that 'Miller' is shopping around. There looking for a new agency!" Jasper smiled.

"No sweat, I'm all over it." Edward reassured while punching the code into the main rooms security pad.

"I also heard that Bella Swan left BBD&O…"

"You're kidding! Did she quit or was she fired?"

Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that everyone over there is thrilled to get rid of her!"

"So much for female visions." Edward chuckled making his way up the ivory stairs.

"Yeah! ….. Um, so that girl we met at the club last night…" jasper turned to Edward. " nothing happened after she got in the cab right?"

Edward gave him a smug smile before continuing his way to his office.

Jasper soon caught up. "It did? Something happened? She said she had to be in bed early!"

"Hey, I had her in bed by eleven…" Edward let a successful smile slip onto his face.

"You're like a genius man!" jasper said, letting the awe clearly be noticeable in his tone.

"Oh what can I tell yah buddy, I'm blessed. And today is my lucky day! Not only is my Ex-Wife Rosalie getting remarried" Edward quickly checked his watch "right about now, in fact. But Carlisle called me this morning saying he needed to speak to me. He called twice to confirm."

"Call me when he makes it official!"

"Hey, it won't be as easy to suck up to 'creative director'"

"Ha, I'll make lunch reservations at 'The Drake' to celebrate."

"Don't count your chickens man!"

Jasper gave him a glare.

"Say about one a clock?"

Jasper chuckled and nodded.

*_*

Edward made his May up the stairs to his office nearly plowing down an employee, but he didn't even notice.

"Hey Melanie," Edward threw his arm over her shoulders "Do you know the difference between a job and a wife?"

Melanie kept her pace with his. "No, what?"

They got to Edwards office door and Edward finished. "After ten years the job still sucks!"

Edward laughed at his own joke and removed his arm from Melanie's shoulders as she giggled and walked off.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen. Hi!" Edwards assistant Leah rushed up to him with her hands full of files and papers.

"I put the deluxe story boards on your desk, picked up your shoes from Barneys, got your glasses fixed, there was no charge" She took a deep breath and continued. "Oh, and this morning's staff meeting was canceled and I picked up your cigarettes, there right next to your lap top."

"This morning's staff meeting was canceled?" Edward asked clearly confused.

"That's what I was told." Leah reassured.

Edward nodded for her to be dismissed and turned to Emily and Carrie.

Emily and Carrie were Esme's best friends from Las Vegas. They were clearly in there early seventies and extremely tacky. But Edward loved them all the same.

They were currently in his office chairs gossiping about god knows what.

"Good Morning Girls."

Emily and Carrie had been like mothers to Edward since Esme passed away.

"Good Afternoon" Emily corrected him.

"Anybody know why the staff meeting was canceled?" Edward asked making himself comfortable in his desk chair.

"Nobody told us." Carries said while handing and lighting him one of his cigarettes.

"Oh, But Carlisle did want to see you as soon as you got in. which I told him was twenty minutes ago."

Emily clarified while pushing him towards the door.

"I know" Edward smiled.

"You couldn't show up on time, the day you know you're being promoted!" Carrie Scolded while brushing of his jacket.

"Go get 'em!" Emily said while giving him one final push out the door.

Edward turned around. "Are you ladies going to be able to handle yourselves on the forty-fourth floor?"

"Honey, We were made for the forty-fourth floor!" they both spoke in unison.

Edward smiled and made his way to Carlisle's office.

*_*

When Edward got to Carlisle's office, Carlisle was running late and hadn't arrived.

But right before Edward was about to sit down the old owner of the agency entered.

"I'm Sorry Edward. I was in a board meeting that I thought would never end."

"No problem."

Edward took his seat as Carlisle moved to the chair in front of him.

"I saw the mark ups you did for Johnny Walker." Carlisle took his seat and turned to Edward. "They're fantastic!"

"Ah, that's my job." Edward smiled.

"So" Carlisle began. "You know I'm not great at speeches, but here it goes." He cleared his throat. "I've been in this racket for over thirty years. And let me tell you something it doesn't get any easier. In fact it gets harder and harder. The eighties were our glory days. They were all about alcohol, tobacco and cars."

Edward laughed from imagining Carlisle and cars. The man was obsessed with any vehicle that four wheels and an engine.

"Then in the nineties, men simply stopped dominating how the money was spent. We lost our compass!" Carlisle grunted.

"Women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four, are the fastest growing consuming group in the country."

Edward looked at his watch, quickly getting bored with the not important speech the old man was giving.

Carlisle continued unaware of Edwards boredom. "If This company doesn't evolve and think beyond the Swedish bikini team and beer…" he hesitated. "We could lose all of our business."

"Evolve? I'm not sure where you're going with this Carlisle."

"What do you know about Bella Swan?"

"Oh Man! I heard that She was a real bitch on wheels!" Edward chuckled.

"That's very funny." Carlisle said, completely stern.

"Yeah? Why?" Edward asked.

"Because I just hired her."

Edwards face fell. "To do what?"

Carlisle shifted and stood from his chair. "You know I love you Edward, but it's a woman's world out there. And getting into a woman's mind is not your strong suit. I mean sure, you can get into a woman's pants better than anybody I know. But her mind?"

Edward ignored him and asked his previous question, even though he was afraid to hear the answer. "You hired Bella Swan to do what?"

"I know she hasn't done much but-"

"Oh no! Carlisle! NO, NO, NO!" Edward croaked. "Tell me you did not make her creative director!"

"I'm Sorry Edward." Carlisle said as he sat back down. "She's coming down this afternoon. You should meet her. Come on, She's got what I need to keep this place a float."

"She's got what you need, meaning she's a woman?" Edward challenged.

"You know how we can compete with that?"