WARNING: The following story contains violence, coarse language and mature subject matter. Readers discretion is advised.

Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Twilight, so please don't sue!


The months began to pass quickly as I strengthened my relationship with Bella Swan. She began to trust and feel comfortable around me, which was a major plus. She told me almost everything she did with her day and I got used to her stopping me in the halls at work to talk to me or ask my opinion on something. So far I was doing my job very well and I was sure that soon I'd be able to find evidence against her and Newton. The case would be closed and I'd be free to go on to my old life again. But I had to admit that I'd miss staring at her amazing…assets.

In order to get her to trust me I tried my hand at romanticizing in a way that only a shy geek would. Normally I would seduce a woman by just smiling at her but this was more difficult. I had to be sly and wiggle my way into her heart as that awkward nerd who had a crush on her. She fell for it of course. What can I say? I have skills.

It was Valentines Day and I was on my way to work when I passed a street vendor selling flowers for the poor bastards that had to suck up to their woman to get something. I never needed anything to get something. The ladies just gave it to me for free. I just happened to be blessed with looks that made a woman fall wherever and whenever I told her to fall. But I realized that I didn't have my looks today so flowers would be my best bet.

I couldn't help but grin as I hid the single rose behind my back and went up to meet Bella at her desk. She was sitting there, busy clicking on her computer as she bit her lip in concentration. I clenched my fist, my knuckles cracking, as I strained to keep my hands at my sides and not launch myself across the desk to grab her. The woman was just too damn sexy for her own good. She looked up at me in surprise as I played my character. Ted was nervous at the moment because he had a crush on the receptionist. It was the regular plot for those cheesy romance novels that women seemed to love. Swallowing heavily I stuttered out my hello to her.

"Hi, Ted," she said with a kind smile. "What are you doing up here so early?"

"Well I…" I swallowed again. "I just thought I'd give you this." I thrust the rose out towards her, making my hand shake on purpose. "Happy Valentines Day, Bella."

She seemed shocked at first before a huge smile over took her face. Gently, she took the flower from me and laughed. "This is…this is for me?" she questioned and I nodded quickly.

She got up and I flinched as she stepped around her desk and threw her arms around my waist. This wasn't what I expected her to do and fuck me if it didn't feel amazing. I felt her whole body pressed against mine as she hugged me tightly, the top of her head just reaching my chin. Hesitantly I let my arms surround her as I gently hugged her back.

I'd never exactly been embraced like this before. Most women grabbed on to me for sexual purposes but Bella embraced me as if she really cared. Did the flower really mean that much to her?

"Thank you," she murmured as she stepped back. "Nobody's ever done something like this for me before."

I watched her pet the rose petals as surprise ran through me. Nobody had ever done that for her? I would have thought Newton would have given her something for what she did…or was she that easy? As Bella looked up at me and grinned I couldn't help but smile…genuinely. Just staring into Bella's brown eyes made me see innocence. There was no way she could be Newton's mistress. She was too kind; too good…she was too innocent.

But I couldn't judge her so quickly. She could be a wolf in sheep's clothing, as the saying goes. Who knew what she was really like under that innocent act. I'd had my fair share of snakes and cougars on the prowl, especially with my job. Unfaithful housewife? Check. Conniving little witch of a girlfriend? Check. Innocent women were hard to come by in my business. They all seemed to have a hidden agenda and that was the reason why I couldn't trust Bella no matter how she made me…feel.

"You're welcome," I murmured, our eyes locked as the blush filled her cheeks.

Someone cleared their throat loudly, breaking our contact. Bella flinched, her fingers gripping the rose tightly as she looked over my shoulder. I almost let out a snarl as I turned to see Newton standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Bella," he said through gritted teeth. "I thought I asked you for those clients' phone numbers?"

"Oh," she mumbled, ducking her head. "Sorry. I'll go get those." She took one more glance at me before scurrying around the corner and out of sight.

I was ready to throttle him for ordering her around like that but my brain stopped my body from moving in to get a grip around his neck. Instead we just glared at one another and it somehow reminded me of a National Geographic show. I could just picture two male lions snarling and roaring at one another, both desperate for the power.

"The male lion is a very dominant and protective animal. For mating privileges, the stronger and more intelligent of the males will triumph over the weaker. Here we have two lions, both eager to mate with the prized female."

I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Newton's gaze faltered for a moment before he finally gave in. "Get back to work, Cullen," he snapped. I could almost see what he was thinking as he narrowed his eyes once more before turning away and leaving me alone: Game on. I grinned and rolled my eyes.

"And as we predicted, the stronger male wins as the weaker retreats to the safety of his own den. For this male, the female is his for the taking." And oh boy would I like to take up that offer.

Other than the Valentines Day stunt, I had found another way into Bella's heart without losing my character. It was about a month after that day when I was late getting up to the executive floor. I had that itching to see Bella again. To talk to her. It was weird but my detective brain listed it as merely the need to solve the case and discover if she really was what she claimed. I checked my watch as the numbers on the elevator went up. It was very close to the lunch break, which meant people would be pissed to see me there with mail while they were eating. It was a little secret Emmett had let me in on. But it wasn't my fault that the mail was overloaded today and I was handing out more than a hundred letters and packages just in the morning. I never believed that it could be so tiring.

The ding of the elevator made my heart leap and the opening doors made me twitch in anticipation. I pushed my cart out; ready to give Bella that nervous smile when I turned to see…that she wasn't there. Feeling deflated, I looked around to see if she was hiding somewhere but it was empty. Where was she?

Instead of waiting around I went to do the rest of my rounds, spending a bit more time than I should have on the floor. It was odd because the workers weren't eating lunch when it was obviously that time of the day. Shouldn't they be in the break room chowing down on some good old, artery blocking fast food? But there they were, typing away in their cubicles and ignoring as much as possible. All except for Angela who smiled and thanked me when I handed her a package. She even asked me (shyly of course) how Ben was. I was nice enough to answer her even though I felt sick from all the blushing and stuttering she was doing when we talked about Ben. It was obvious they both had a high school crush on one another. Why they didn't just go out, fuck and get it over with was beyond me. Course I wasn't into the whole sentimental shit.

I knew I was being mean by thinking those things but I couldn't help it. I'd been around treacherous women my whole career so it wasn't easy for me to trust one. Besides, it was all for the job. It wasn't like I was going to see Angela or Bella again.

Speaking of Bella, I had finally finished and was on my way to her desk. But as I turned the corner it was still empty. Where the hell was she? Then my detective brain gave me an answer. Her apartment is close to here because…? I left the cart and walked casually towards Newton's office. His door was closed but I could hear him screaming at some executive inside as the man tried to keep the peace. "I don't care what the fuck you do but I want that new program on the shelves by Christmas!" he yelled. The other man muttered something about an insufficient number of hardrives and Newton started up another rant that I wasn't in the mood to hear.

Coming back to Bella's empty desk I found myself leaning over it to look at what she had. My rose had died a while ago but she still had the water glass that she used to keep it in on her desk. Her computer was off and probably password protected so I skipped that and searched the pictures in the frames instead. Lots were just of friends and family but only one had Bella in it. She was sitting between two girls, all of them grinning at the camera with their arms around one another. The most important thing that the male in me picked up was that they were all in swimsuits and looked like they had just got out of the water. Bella's suit was far more conservative compared to her friends (the short black-haired girl had a polka dot bikini and the blonde had one in red). Yet she still looked hot, especially with her pale skin against the navy of the swimsuit. That was one moment when I wished I could just jump into the picture and be there. The bead of water caught dripping down Bella's neck in the picture made me want to li…

The sound of the elevator doors opening made me jump and flip around to face the intruder. Bella came stumbling out, out of breath and loaded with paper/plastic bags. She was even caring four cardboard drink holders with what looked like steaming coffee. They tipped dangerously and I instinctively ran forwards to catch them. She squeaked as my hand shot out and grabbed the falling drinks before sighing it relief. "Thank you!" she gasped.

"What is all of this?" I questioned, yanking the heavy bags from her as well as two of the drink cartons.

"You don't have to do that!" she cried as I took them off her. "It's really heavy!"

I just smirked and lifted them easily over to her desk as she bashfully followed me. They weren't heavy for me but they would be for her. I wondered how she found the will to carry it all. As soon as everything was safe from tipping over, I turned to smile at her. "You didn't answer my question."

She sighed, rubbing her face as she began to unpack the bags. "Lunch," she finally answered.

"No offense," I chuckled. "But do you normally eat this much?"

She laughed, the sound like music to my ears. "Oh no. It's for the office." She nodded towards the workers cubicles. Some of them must have smelt the food or heard the disruption because I could see their heads peeking over their walls.

"Is that in your job description?" I asked seriously, my voice low.

She paused; staring at the salad she'd just unpacked. "Something like that," she mumbled. I watched as she took some of the meals and went off to deliver them, her body slouched. She looked so tired and I couldn't help but feel for her. It wasn't fair that she had to do it all on her own…and that gave me a great idea.

The next day I finished my rounds fast and went to find Emmett before lunch. He was already eating in one of the meeting rooms; a newspaper in his lap as he munched on what looked like a home made sandwich. Apparently Rosalie was quite the housewife. He looked up when I entered and smiled. "Teddy!" he laughed and I fought the urge to chuckle and roll my eyes. The name I would never live down. "What can I do for you?"

"Well I was wondering if I could start lunch earlier today?"

He frowned. "What's up?" I had to hand it to him. He looked genuinely worried.

"I just thought Bella might need some help getting all those lunches for her co-workers," I answered with a shrug.

Emmett stared long and hard at me, his chewing stopped. "You want to help Bella?" he asked me slowly.

I scratched the back of my neck and shuffled my feet under his steady gaze. It almost felt like I was a bad student sent to the principal's office to be punished and I didn't like the feeling. I wasn't intimidated by anyone…except Emmett apparently. "Sure," I said, clearing my throat. "I mean, she looked tired the last time I saw her. I thought I could help her out?" Why did that sound like a question?

He stared at me for a few more moments before a large grin appeared on his face. He scared the shit out of me when he jumped out of his chair and grabbed me around the waist, lifting me off the ground in what seemed like a bear hug. It felt more like he was trying to crush me to death.

"Teddy!" he laughed loudly, putting me back on my feet so I could rub my sore ribs. "That's a great idea! You know you're not like the other guys. Giving up your lunch break to help another. Real great, Teddy! You're the kind of guy I'm looking for!"

Raising my eyebrow in confusion I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was babbling on about but instead Emmett pushed me out the room. "Get out of here, you knight in shining armor!" he laughed. "Go help out our damsel in distress." And then he slammed the door in my face. What the fuck just happened?

I asked myself that question over and over again as I took the elevator up to the executive floor. Why was Emmett so pleased about me helping Bella? I thought he was suspicious of me. The way he looked at me when I came into the meeting room made me believe he wanted me dead…but apparently not. Was I being used in some sort of sick joke or something? It just confused the hell out of me…and I hated that feeling.

The doors opened with a slight ding, allowing me to get off. As soon as I stepped off, Bella looked up from her desk and smiled. My answering grin was a reflex action…of course.

"Ted?" she asked with surprise as I leaned against her desk. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," I said with a dramatic sigh. "I thought you could use some help."

Bella blinked in surprise. "But…" she started. "But you have to work. What about Emmett?"

"I finished early," I said with a shrug. "And Emmett is suspiciously all for my helping you." I raised my eyebrows and she blushed, muttering something about matchmakers. Maybe I could use Emmett's pressuring to my advantage. "Will you let me help you?"

She bit her lip in thought before answering. "I guess," she murmured with a small smile.

I watched as she stood, fixing everything on her desk before putting her computer on stand by. She reached for her jacket hanging off her chair but I'd already raced behind her and snatched it up. I held the coat open like a true gentleman and she giggled gently, stepping into it and buttoning it up. I patted her shoulders lightly as she whispered her thanks. As she stepped away, heading for the elevators, I couldn't help but feel the loss of her so close to me. I wanted to take off her jacket only to put it back on so I could touch her again. Instead, I shook my head and jogged after her.

We left the building together, talking about completely random topics from the weather to television shows. I was actually amazed at how much Bella and I had in common. I actually found my real self coming through in our conversations and it scared the crap out of me every time I caught myself giving an opinion a normal nerd wouldn't have. I knew that I had to be Ted but Edward was slowly making an appearance. It was hard to fight the want for my real personality to come through. I found myself wanting her to like me, which was very dangerous territory. She was an assignment and that was it.

During the outing, we stopped at many nearby restaurants and fast food joints to pick up different meals. I was amazed at Bella's memory as she rattled off the toppings for someone's burger by heart. Even I couldn't remember everything she told the cashiers. She also seemed to know the employees by name. How long had she been doing this job? I couldn't help but feel anger for her. It was unfair in every way.

When we went into the small restaurant called La Bella Italia, I couldn't help but notice my companions' deep inhale and sigh of ecstasy. Was she a lover of Italian food? The guy behind the counter was quickly filling up a Styrofoam container filled to the brim with spaghetti as Bella stared (longingly?) at the lasagna in the display case. I felt that she was going to order it for herself but she paid for the spaghetti with a drink and moved out of the store. Where was her lunch?

I was desperate to ask her that question but she talked the whole time as we walked back to the building (mostly thanking me for helping her). I couldn't get a word in. Was she avoiding the inevitable question? Nonetheless, I felt better after helping her hand out the meals to the lazy bastards on the executive floor. All except for Angela who had brought her own lunch but thanked Bella profusely when she bought her a can of soda.

When I left to find my own food I noticed Bella sitting behind her desk with just a coffee. I desperately wanted to tell her she was coming out to lunch with me and there would be no refusing but I caught myself and stepped into the elevator instead. As the doors closed I knew there was one thing I needed to do…in order to get her to trust me of course. It was time to lay on the romance – nerd style.

So the next day I came up before lunch and helped her get the meals again. She was still surprised but seemed happy to talk with me. But this time, instead of going to get my own lunch after our outing, I went back to the Italian place and picked up some lasagna and some fancy red wine before retuning to the building. Stepping into one of the meeting rooms on the mail floor I found Emmett lounging in one of the chairs. He looked up when I came in, his eyes going to the bag and bottle in my hands.

"Is that for me, Teddy?" he cooed sarcastically. "You shouldn't have!"
I rolled my eyes, setting everything down on the table. "No," I chuckled. "I just thought Bella would like some lunch for once."

Emmett sighed and shook his head. "She's not eating lunch?" He got to his feet and patted my back. "This'll be good for her. You just set this up and I'll go get her."

"I'm just worried about Newton," I admitted. I didn't want to get Bella fired. She worked too hard for this job…Err, I mean…he wouldn't fire his mistress, right?

"I got you covered," Emmett said with a wink. He headed for the door before stopping and smiling at me. "You're good for her, Ted. She likes you, trust me. Good luck, buddy."

I didn't know what I was more surprised about, Emmett calling me Ted or Bella's apparent feelings for me. Did she really like me or was that just Emmett getting me worked up because if she did like me then…that would help with my job. Right? That's why I was so excited. But I couldn't linger on either of the thoughts because I had a woman to romance.

She came down just as I finishing up. Bella walked through the door and stopped dead, her mouth hanging open. The feeling of being unsure wasn't even acted. I actually felt that way and the rubbing of my neck seemed like a reflex now. "I thought you'd be hungry," I stated.

"You…you did all this…for me?" she asked.

I shrugged like it was no big deal and that's when she ran over and hugged me tightly. I liked the feeling, just like last time. She was warm, soft and so small in my arms. I couldn't help but hug her back, my cheek resting on her head. My heart thumped unevenly in my chest and I got a very odd warm feeling. Fucking emotions. I felt like a damn woman and these feelings were more dangerous than any kind of weapon.

Our outings to collect the executives' meals and our own lunch became an everyday occurrence. I continually changed up our menu so we never got bored. One week it was Chinese and the next it was Mexican, there were just so many foods to choose from. But she always thought it was hilarious when I brought wine and poured it in the coffee mugs we found in the cupboards. Emmett, of course, was no where near our lunches and I continually thanked him for keeping an eye out for Newton who had no idea what Bella and I were doing. I would have thought he would question why she wasn't with him during their lunch break but I got my answer one day from the woman herself.

"I can't believe you would do this for me," she laughed one day as we dined on some Indian chicken. The spices were so hot that we both were glad I'd decided to buy milk for our drinks.

"Haven't you been out on dates?" I questioned with a smirk.

She blushed and laughed. "Well sure," she said. "But no one has ever gone this out of their way for me."

I frowned, wondering why Newton hadn't at least got her dinner of some kind. Was it really just a quickie? Looking at Bella across the table, I couldn't see her as a one night stand girl. She looked like she easily got attached to people. "Maybe," I started. "You've been choosing the wrong guys."

Her little smile faded and she looked back at her food. "I guess," she murmured.

After that conversation we stayed off the topic of relationships. Instead I got her to tell me everything about her without giving away too much about myself. I told her what building I lived in and she excitedly told me we were in the same building. I acted surprised, since I already knew that fact, but allowed her to tell me all about her apartment. Apparently it used to be owned by her grandmother…I'd have to have that checked out by Seth. She looked truthful but I couldn't help but feel that Newton bought it for her or at least owned it.

Soon I began walking home with her, saying good night as she got off the elevator and went to her apartment. We were slowly making progress during these few months and I could see that she was trusting me more and more. But I still hadn't learned anything about her personal relationship with Newton. Whenever he was brought up she'd change the subject, looking uncomfortable. Was she really his mistress or was there something else going on? I knew one of the ways to get an answer to my question. It was time to break into Bella's apartment.


Author's Note

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. EVERYTHING has been so hectic lately. I'm working on final projects for my classes so I'll be able to graduate high school! Don't you guys want me to go to college for jounalism where I will learn to become a better writer? Well you should. Here's how busy I am: I have a History test on WWI-WW2 next week. My Film Studies last project is due next week (which includes a report on James Cameron and Avatar complete with slideshow presentation). My History final project on Elizabeth I is due the week after that (which includes a 6-8 page essay and a slideshow presentation) as well as another essay on Nazi propaganda. My Prom (sweet!) is that same week and then I have two exams to complete during the two weeks after that. I'd say after the 23rd of June, there will be more chapters up. Then I can breathe a sigh of relief and RELAX! Sorry. I needed to rant.