Chapter 3

Atlantic City

"Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold but with you forever I'll stay
We're goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold so put on your stockin's baby 'cause the night's getting cold
And everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back

Now I been lookin' for a job but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end
So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him
Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your hair up nice and set up pretty
and meet me tonight in Atlantic City"

From Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen; off Nebraska, 1982

March 2011

Atlantic City

"Edward, I'm not kidding. You need to fix this. Now!"

Edward Cullen stared across the large oak desk at the leggy blonde across from him. Her legs were crossed, and her top leg swung impatiently as she awaited a response.

Rosalie Hale was a goddess in her industry. Women with talents like hers were incredibly hard to find, and Edward didn't want to lose her. However with talents like hers came arrogance. She was good- she knew she was- and she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted, every single time.

As a Casino Hostess, Rosalie's job was to draw in high rollers, compensate them with hotel rooms and free meals, entertain them, and above all keep them playing. She was beautiful, tall, blonde, voluptuous, and smart as hell. Her violet eyes drew people in and held them there. Men and women alike were at her mercy when she flashed her award-winning smile.

Edward's gaze shifted to the woman sitting next to her, who was also strikingly beautiful. He hadn't been formally introduced yet, and he hadn't learned her name. She was pale, and her mahogany hair framed her face, making her dark blue eyes pop out as she stared at him with a penetrating gaze. She wasn't smiling, but he found himself drawn to her somehow, as if she possessed a power beyond his control. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts and focus.

"Excuse me, Miss…?" he paused, realizing he didn't know her name.

"Wagner," she answered curtly. "Call me Heidi." She had a slight, though not overt, German accent that only added to her attractiveness.

"Okay, Heidi. You said that Mr. Volturi hired you himself?" Edward asked.

"That's correct. He told me to report here today to meet with you."

"He didn't mention that you'd be stopping by. As you can see, we already have a fine Casino Hostess, so you can certainly understand that I'll need to contact Mr. Volturi to see if a mistake has been made regarding your employment here."

"Of course," she said with a wave of her hand. Edward looked pointedly at both girls, who didn't move an inch in their seats.

"I'd prefer to make this call in private, if you'd be kind enough to wait outside?" Edward asked, gritting his teeth. "I'll have Angela call for you later." Angela was Edward's administrative assistant, and he was thankful daily that he'd found her. She was organized, sweet, and professional, and she knew how to work hard. She never complained about long hours. Edward adored her.

"Whatever," Rosalie muttered. "Just fix it."

Heidi grabbed her clutch and brushed past Rosalie on her way out the door. Edward overheard Rosalie mutter "bitch," under her breath and he rolled his eyes. The claws had certainly come out today.

"She probably fucks the clients," Rosalie said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared daggers at Edward.

"Out!" Edward shouted, pointing to the door. He was certain he'd never fire Rosalie, because she was that damn good at her job, but she really had a way of getting under his skin.

As soon as his office door was shut firmly behind the girls, he leaned forward on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Over the past week, at least five other people had shown up at his office door claiming that they'd spoken to Mr. Volturi and were hired for high-ranking -and high paying- positions in the casino; most of the positions they were hired for were positions that either didn't exist or were already filled.

Aro Volturi was an entrepreneur that Edward had met several years ago in Las Vegas. He owned many casinos and businesses down the Las Vegas strip, and decided to branch out to Atlantic City for reasons he didn't care to share with anyone. Volterra was the newest addition to the Atlantic City strip, replacing an older casino that had recently gone out of business due to the failing economy.

Edward was hand picked for the role of casino manager by Aro himself. Edward's father, Carlisle, was well known and respected in the casino business, and he always pushed Edward to join in his footsteps. The work was hard, and the hours were grueling, but Carlisle loved every minute of it. His ultimate dream was to earn enough to open a hotel-casino with Edward one day.

Edward eventually succumbed to the pressure of his father, even though the casino business wasn't his first choice. As a gifted pianist, Edward wanted to be a classical musician since he was a young man, but Carlisle convinced him that there was no money in such a profession, and that he wouldn't support Edward down that path. All that ever mattered to Carlisle Cullen was money.

After calming himself, Edward picked up his office phone and dialed the now very familiar number that would allow him to reach Aro's personal cell phone.

"Edward!" Aro exclaimed jubilantly as the call connected. "I was just about to call you. I'm sending a woman to you today, a wonderful girl named Heidi. She'll be a great addition to your staff."

"We've met," Edward said curtly. "You understand that we already have a Casino Hostess? The budget I submitted before our opening day clearly only covered one. I don't think it's fair to let Miss Hale go at this stage. Volterra has only been open a month and she's already brought in many high-rollers; she's more than earned her pay already."

"Then keep her on. Keep them both!" Aro exclaimed. He had quite an eccentric persona, almost always happy, even in the worst of conditions. Edward questioned his decision-making frequently, finding it hard to bite his tongue when needed.

"The budget I drafted -which you approved- calls for only one Hostess at this stage. If I take on another, I'll need to make some serious rearrangements, and we're already cutting our budget thin as it is."

"You're a smart kid, Edward, that's why I hired you. You'll figure it out. Let me know what you decide to do. Let Miss Hale go, or find a way to keep them both, but Heidi stays. The woman is a gold mine, trust me on this."

Edward's fingers found the bridge of his nose again and he pinched hard. "With all due respect, sir, you hired me to be the General Manager of Volterra. My job duties include personnel management. Why put me in such a role when you clearly don't trust my judgment and feel the need to override all my decisions?"

"Edward, you were hired because your father is a legacy in this business, and I see raw talent in you; but you are very young and have hardly any experience! You're doing a wonderful job so far, but you have so much to learn. First lesson- don't question my decisions. At the end of the day, it's me who signs your checks. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," Edward muttered. "I apologize."

"Good. Is that all?"

"For now, sir," Edward answered reluctantly, though his heart had much more to say.

A click on the other end of the line signaled to Edward that Aro had ended the call. He groaned in frustration, regretting the decision to come on board in the first place.

Aro, as the owner of the casino, had his hand in everything regarding Volterra.

Volterra was opened at midnight on Valentine's Day the month prior. The casino had quite an unusual theme, which was Aro's brainchild. Volterra was vampire themed. Edward hated the idea at first. Most casinos had a theme of some sort, but vampires?

Unfortunately, Edward didn't really have a say in the matter. Everyone had a boss to answer to, and his unfortunately was Aro Volturi.

Aro insisted that Atlantic City needed something new and vibrant. He knew the theme would attract a younger crowd, and he was right. The dimly lit casino's walls were shrouded in red and black fabric. The table games had a deep maroon, velvet-like fabric, as opposed to the classic green. Red wine was served out of glass goblets at the tables for those who wished, though other drinks were also available and served by nice looking women clad scantily in short black dresses.

Even Edward was forced to play a minor role in the theme. When he arrived in his office the first day, he found his office closet full of high-end black suits and silk shirts colored black, crimson, and maroon. He was told in no uncertain terms that he was always to look his best, and wear only the clothes provided to him, which he found rather odd. His attire did fit in well with the surroundings though.

There were two venues in the casino that were an instant hit. One was a high-end steakhouse known for pushing the envelope for cooking rare meat. The chefs cooked their steaks as raw as possible without violating health codes. The other venue was Club Venom, which in the first week of opening became Atlantic City's most popular nightclub; people lined up around the block to get in.

After finishing his call with Aro, Edward looked at the clock and groaned. That infuriating man had put Edward behind on his rounds. Every day at three o'clock, he liked to make rounds in the casino for a couple of hours. He was already a half an hour behind schedule. Edward liked his routines; they kept him focused and grounded. He never liked to feel like he was in a rush, which was exactly the way he felt just then.

Because Volterra was so new, and new employees were starting every day, Edward felt it was important to stay visible. He visited every area of the casino daily, from the cash cages and blackjack pits to the small restaurants and gift shops.

Forcing a smile the entire time, Edward made his way to the casino floor. After speaking to a few employees and glad-handing a couple of high rollers, he realized how quickly the hour had passed, and he made his way up to security for his daily four-thirty meeting.

The first person Edward hired when he signed on to manage Volterra was Emmett McCarty, now the Chief of Security. Edward was impressed with Emmett's interview. His size was intimidating enough. He was six foot five and brawny, a solid wall of muscle. He was thirty-years-old but his face was innocent like a child's, with his big blue eyes and dimples. His curly dark hair framed his face. He was smart as well. He'd worked in the business of casino security for twelve years, since he was just out of high school. This was his first posting as a Chief, and he was already excelling in the role.

Edward was shocked to find out that Emmett was single. Edward insisted he was just playing the field, but after a few weeks of working with him, Edward suspected that he was into Rosalie.

Good luck, Edward had thought when he made that connection. That's a lot of bitch, even for someone your size.

In stark contrast to Emmett was Maggie, the Assistant Chief of Security. She was a bit younger than Emmett, only twenty-two and fresh out of college where she'd obtained a degree in forensics. She was having trouble finding a job in her field, and was very honest with Edward from the start that she was only looking for temporary employment until a more appropriate position opened up elsewhere. Edward had appreciated her honesty and hired her on the spot.

She was a slight woman, standing only just over five feet tall. She had shocking red hair that framed her pale face in tight ringlets, and light blue, almost gray, eyes. Though she wasn't physically intimidating like Emmett, she excelled in other ways. Edward learned quickly that Maggie's real talent was dissecting people's expressions and body language. She was a virtual human lie detector, highly intelligent, and no-nonsense. She grew up in Cork, Ireland until her parents moved her to the United States when she was fifteen, and still had a fairly thick accent that took Edward and Emmett both some time to get used to.

Together, Emmett and Maggie were pure gold. Maggie would sniff out criminals and wrong-doers, and Emmett would dole out the justice. Not that it was anything like old Las Vegas mob movies; there were no secret rooms with no cameras to torture cheaters. Emmett's presence alone usually forced perpetrators to go running for the door as soon as they were approached.

Edward found both of them with their heads close together staring intently at one of the security monitors. He approached them from behind and saw they were looking at a blackjack pit.

"Zoom in on table three," Emmett told her, and she complied. After hitting a few buttons, the image zeroed in on the dealer.

"What's going on?" Edward asked.

"Not sure yet," Maggie answered. "I'm just getting the feeling like there's something up with this man. I haven't seen him do anything, but there's something about his stance that's bothering me. He's acting very… guarded."

"Just keep an eye on it," Edward said. "And look at his background check again, see if we missed something. See what you can find out."

"On it, boss," Emmett replied with a mock salute.

"Anything else I need to be aware of?"

"Nope, nothing major. It's been kind of a slow day actually, much to Emmett's dismay," Maggie responded with a shrug, her eyes still fixed on the monitor in front of her. "We did have someone try to steal a shot glass from the gift shop. That's about how interesting our day has been so far."

"Nothing wrong with a slow day in security, as far as I'm concerned," Edward responded. He was about to ask another question when the door to the security room banged open.

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy," Edward groaned as Rosalie barged into the room, calling his name.

"I've been looking for you for over an hour!" she yelled.

"Well, I wasn't aware I had to report to you," Edward retorted. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want. What did Volturi say?"

Edward noticed that Emmett was watching their exchange intently out of the corner of his eye. He definitely wants her, Edward thought.

"All you need to know is that for right now, you still have a job and so does she. You're going to have to learn to share. Clean out a space in your office for her, and I'll have Angela order a computer for her."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she screeched.

"Rosalie, you should be happy you have a job at this point. If you keep disrespecting me, you might just find yourself without one. Go back to work."

"Whatever," she muttered, storming out the door. Emmett couldn't keep his eyes off her.

"Man, I love to watch that woman leave," Emmett muttered. Edward raised his eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"Alright, I'll be around for a while if you guys need anything," Edward said, turning to leave. As he walked out the door, his cell rang. Seeing that it was Angela, he flipped the phone open.

"Cullen," he said, using his automatic greeting.

"Mr. Cullen, I'm sorry to disturb you, but your mother has called five times already today, and she's demanding that I contact you. I know you told me not to bother you with her calls, but she's being rather insistent, and quite frankly tying up my time. What should I tell her? She's on the other line now."

"Just put her through to my cell, and for the love of God, don't give her my phone number," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose once more. "Oh, and before you hang up, could you try to locate Ms. Wagner and direct her to Miss Hale's office? They'll have to share for now. And go ahead and order her a computer too. I doubt the ladies would be too fond of sharing one."

"She won't be hard to locate, sir. She's been sitting in my office for an hour filing her nails," Angela said in a near whisper. In her normal voice she said, "I'll put your mother through now."

Edward hung up and less than a minute later his cell was ringing again. He'd been avoiding his mother's calls for over a week, and didn't think it was right to make Angela deal with her incessant calling any longer. "Yes, mom?" he answered, annoyed at her persistence.

"Edward! I've been trying to call you all day. I've been so worried about you. How are things?"

"I've been busy. Things are fine here. You don't have to worry."

"Well, I just can't believe you would just up and move across the country. Are you ever going to come back to Las Vegas? Your father and I miss you terribly."

"I'm sure you miss me terribly. Carlisle's made it clear what he thinks about me, and I assure you, he doesn't miss me."

"I wish you two could work this out so you could come home."

"It's not like I ran away. I was offered a job that I would have been foolish to refuse. Carlisle should be proud. I joined the casino business, just like he wanted."

"He wanted you to join the business in Vegas, Edward, not New Jersey! And he does miss you. He's been different ever since you left, so quiet. He's just so sad and angry now and I can't get through to him. You should talk to him- please?"

"I'm not ready yet," he answered. He glanced at his watch; it was nearing five o'clock already. "Mom, I have to go. Umm… how's Alice?"

There was silence on the other end, and Edward knew that she was planning her answer carefully. Finally, she said, "About the same, I guess. Still resting."

Resting… Edward scowled, hearing that his mother was still in denial about his little sister's condition. She was the one person that he actually missed when he made the decision to leave Las Vegas. He worried about her daily.

"Okay, mom. I love you. Tell Alice the same when you see her next."

"I will. Edward, please call me once in a while, let me know you're okay?"

"Okay," he promised reluctantly, as he snapped his phone shut. He felt terrible about shutting out his mother, but he was also cautious about what he said to her, because she never kept a thing from her husband. He vowed not to dwell on it though, as he checked his watch again.

At five o'clock every day without fail, Edward sat down at the Twilight Lounge, a bar nestled just off the casino floor. Every day he ordered the same drink- Johnnie Walker Blue.

He figured that most men would be making their way home by now, maybe to see their wives or girlfriends, but not Edward. Most nights he burned the midnight oil, sometimes not even bothering to leave his office to sleep. And now that he had to rework the budget to accommodate Heidi, he knew tonight would be no different. His five o'clock scotch was the only slight indulgence he allowed himself during his busy workday.

Working such long hours created a fairly lonely existence for Edward, but one that kept him busy. More importantly, it kept his mind off what he left behind in Las Vegas.

He sighed and began to make his way to the bar.

On the Garden State Parkway, Bella stared out over the impressive skyline of Atlantic City, thinking only one thing.

It's too much…

At first glance, the city reminded her of Las Vegas with it's towering hotel-casinos and bright lights. The sign they'd just passed under proudly stated "America's Playground."

As they entered the city and neared the famous boardwalk, she realized the place was actually quite desolate. It was an off-season, she reasoned, and too early in the day. It was a weekday, only a little after four o'clock. People were probably just getting off work and haven't hit the slots yet, and the bite in the March air was still a bit too much to attract the beachcombers. The tourists were probably all inside.

She sighed and leaned her head on the passenger window of the old Honda Civic Jasper had bought, after selling Bella's truck to a junkyard. Her truck was long ago deemed too poor in gas mileage for the amount they traveled. The car wasn't exactly purchased legally. Jasper didn't even have a license, much less be able to legally buy an automobile. He always drove carefully though, never attracting attention, and the old Honda proved to be a reliable vehicle for the past few years.

"Where are we headed?" Bella asked, after noticing they had passed several suitable motels to stay in, as well as a few casinos.

"Volterra," Jasper answered. "It's a little farther down the strip."

"Volterra?" Bella asked in surprise. "Isn't that the place they just opened up?"

"Yeah, about a month ago."

"You don't waste any time," Bella commented dryly. "Is there a plan, or are we playing straight?"

"We're not going there to play," he said. "At least not today, unless you want to. I'm meeting James outside the third floor poker room at five."

"Seems like a pretty crowded and high profile place to be meeting someone about a shady business deal," Bella commented with her eyes narrowed. She had made no secret that she thought this plan of Jasper's was bad news, but he was determined. She didn't have the heart or means to leave his side though, so she went along with it despite her protests.

"It's not a shady business deal," Jasper argued. "I think he can really help us. And he wanted to meet there because apparently he has other business there as well. You can play straight if you want while you wait, but I think it's best if I meet him alone."

"I don't want to play today," Bella said. "I want to see what this is all about first, and get a feel for the place first."

They were silent until they reached Volterra's parking garage. Jasper opened Bella's door for her, and she got out. They walked together into the casino, and after navigating the maze of slot machines that greeted them inside, Jasper caught sight of the bar in the corner. "Why don't you wait in there?" he suggested. "I'll go find the poker room, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," Bella said reluctantly. "Be careful."

"Always am," he said, leaning in and kissing her forehead gently.

Bella settled in at the bar and surveyed her surroundings. She was suddenly feeling very self-conscious and underdressed. The men and women around her were all dressed to the nines, mostly about her age or slightly older. Bella wore only a pair of jeans, a warm hoodie, and some sneakers. She tried to make herself invisible to the other patrons as the bartender approached her.

"Hi, I'm Sam. Can I help you?"

"Whiskey on the rocks?" she requested. Sam nodded and turned around to grab a bottle from the shelf while she waited.

"You look like you've had a rough day," he commented as he poured the drink.

"I've had better," she admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I appreciate the whole friendly bartender routine, but no thanks," Bella answered with a small smile.

"Suit yourself," he said cheerfully. "Let me know if you need anything."

Bella nodded and took a sip of her drink. Lost in her thoughts, and her concerns about what Jasper was up to, she barely noticed the man who pulled up a stool beside her.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen!" Sam exclaimed, reaching across the bar to shake his hand.

Mr. Cullen, Bella thought. Must be important. She watched as Sam passed a drink to the man. He'd obviously started pouring it before he even sat down. Bella rolled her eyes and began to play idly with the stirring straw in her drink, thinking about how nice it must feel to be recognized and waited on. By Sam the bartender.

Just like Cheers…

She didn't listen while the men exchanged a few words. Instead, she stared straight down at the bar, her arms folded in front of her. To her relief, the man seemed to be oblivious to her presence, or at least as reluctant to make small talk as she was. They sat in comfortable silence until Bella felt someone bump her chair from behind. Startled, she jerked from the slight impact, causing her drink to slosh right onto the sleeve of Mr. Cullen.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, frantically brushing the liquid of the sleeve of his seemingly very expensive suit. She opened her mouth to offer to pay for the dry cleaning before she realized she was woefully low on cash. "I… I…"

Panicked, she figured somebody in such an expensive suit, who was easily recognized by the bartender, would be a pompous ass and yell at her, so she braced herself. She looked up at the face of the man and gasped at what she saw.

He wasn't the middle-aged stuffy man she'd imagined in her mind. Instead, she found herself staring at the face of the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. His hair was the color of a shiny penny, his face flawless and chiseled, and had eyes the color of the rolling hills of Ireland. When he opened his mouth to speak, she gaped at his perfectly white teeth, which showed through his crooked smile.

"It's quite all right; it's just a suit," Bella saw he was gazing intently at her, but it wasn't an uncomfortable stare. "I'm Edward Cullen. I manage this place."

"This place?" Bella asked. "You mean the bar?"

He chuckled. "No, uh, the whole casino. And the hotel."

"I'm Bella," she told him, thinking he looked rather young to be managing the place. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault," he said, still smiling. Bella relaxed when she determined he wasn't angry.

His cell phone rang loudly, startling them both. He reached into his pocket and looked at the caller id. Bella could swear his eyes turned dark as he glared at the screen and hit the silence button. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were emerald pools once more.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Bella, but I have to go. Will you be in town for a while?"

"Probably so," she answered.

"Well then, I hope to see you around. He reached out to shake her hand, and she offered hers to him. She blushed when he bent to kiss her hand. When his lips contacted her skin, she felt an electric tingle like she'd never felt before, coursing through her body. As she watched him walk away, all she could think was, What the hell was that?

She snapped out of her trance as soon as he was out of sight and mentally kicked herself. She realized that she'd been speaking to the manager of the casino, a stupid move on her part. If he ever saw her in here again, he just might remember her, and that could be problematic. Jasper would be pissed.

Gone were the brief fantasies she had of running after him and begging for his number- a move that would be very out of character for her. Instead, she vowed that she'd forget about him. To protect the life she lead, she would have to forget 'Mr. Cullen' ever existed.


A/N- Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing so far! Your kind words keep me motivated to keep typing! Let me know what you think! Please?