I walked into my office at the top floor feeling so giddy.

Oh…

The card dealer last night looked absolutely delicious last night.

I remembered everything with perfect clarity.

I doubt she was someone that I could ever forget.

Flashback:

"How's the game going? What do you suggest I place against my competition?"

"Um… well… I um… maybe… um... try…" She was stuttering and blushing fiercely at my attempt at flirting. It was definitely working.

So throughout the night, rather than go back up to my office at the top floor and work, I stayed here playing poker, blackjack, roulette, dice, whatever my dealer had to offer at her table, even after more players came and left, so that I ended up alone with her.

I flirted with her constantly, and she did the same.

I'm sure she noticed my eyes roam over her body, because I felt hers do the same with me.

I checked my watch.

2:30 am.

I better leave. I'd just finish my work tomorrow.

"Well, I'd better leave. Goodbye,"

I checked her name tag and one last look at her cleavage before I headed out.

Her name was burned into my mind.

Jessica…

End flashback

Aww…

Jessica. That sounded like a beautiful name.

I spent one of the best nights of my life with her.

She turned my purgatory into heaven.

Or so I had thought…

"Good morning, Angela," I greeted my assistant cheerfully, with color in my usually pale cheeks.

"Good morning Mr. Cullen. You look… good this morning." She sounded shocked.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

She seemed even more timid and frightened than usual. Something was definitely up. That much I could sense.

"Angela…" I warned. "You better tell me what you're trying to avoid. Don't put a damper on my euphoric mood."

"Well, Mr. Cullen, sir, um, you received a lawsuit." And from there she paused, seeing disbelief cross my features. I quickly composed myself.

There were always complaints saying that the slot machines cheated people out if their money, but it was rare that someone would actually file a case.

"What do they want, now?" I asked, irritated.

"Well, a Miss Jessica Stanley, she was a card dealer working the shift last night, over at table 24, where you were at last night," she reminded me.

"Ah, yes, Jessica. What about her?" I asked, a smile coming to my lips.

"She's suing you for sexual harassment from last night."

"WHAT?!" I roared angrily, knocking my papers off my desk.

She flirted back.

Was that the only reason? To get money?

That's it. I've had enough of these games.

That's all they ever wanted.

Women who threw themselves at me only wanted money.

I'm off women forever. They are the vilest species to ever exist!

"I called a lawyer in for you, sir." Angela said, still frightened at my reaction.

"Fire that sl-," I stopped there before I spoke the words that my father taught me to never speak aloud. I was to never disrespect women – not even ones that had wronged me.

"Fire Miss Stanley, and she is never to enter my building again!"

"Right away, sir," Angela said before scurrying towards the door.

"Oh, and sir? The lawyer I called for you is waiting outside."

And then she was gone.

How could this have happened?

I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open.

Who could possibly be calling? Don't they know not to aggravate an already angry lion?

"What?" I answered gruffly.

"Edward, is that how you great people?" my mother chided from the other end, a smile in her voice.

"How are you, dear? Your father worries about you, and how you've been running the place. Have you met anyone special, darling?"

"Actually, yes. And I just fired her for trying to sue me for sexual harassment, which is the blackest blasphemy I've ever heard! So now, I have a meeting with a lawyer Angela had called in for me."

"Oh, I like Angela. I'm sure she brought in only the best. Good luck, sweetie. You better bring that lawyer to meet us so we can discuss this, together. Be sure Emmett knows what's going on, though I'm pretty sure Alice knows!"

My mom hung up.

I chuckled to myself.

Of course Alice would know. She knew all the gossip. Best sister ever, I thought to myself sardonically.

And Emmett. Oh no! Emmett. I groaned internally.

He would never let me live it down for this.

He was my older brother, but irresponsible. Well, lazy being the better word to describe him. He didn't want to take the responsibility off being in charge of the entire hotel and casino. He decided to settle for CEO of one of the gambling departments.

I shook my head.

"Well, here goes nothing," I whispered to myself.

I walked out of my office into the anteroom, where Angela's desk was located.

I looked at her seat automatically, to find it was empty.

Where was she?

Oh, right. I sent her off to fire that dreadful woman.

I heard the rustle of fabric to my left where a woman sitting on the coach had gotten up.

She smiled as she greeted me, and extended a hand in my direction.

"Good morning Mr. Cullen. I'm Bella Swan, Angela's friend. She called me over earlier, saying she had a case that she wanted me to handle for you."

After shaking her hand, she handed me a business card.

Isabella Swan

Attorney at Law

"So you're my lawyer?" I asked, looking at her for the first time.

I mean actually looking at her.

She was much shorter than me, with a pale heart-shaped face, deep chocolate-brown eyes that led into her soul, dark mahogany brown hair, and altogether, dazzlingly beautiful.

My eyes raked over her body on their own accord.

She was wearing a light beige skirt that ended just above her knees, a dark blue shirt that covered her arms completely and dipped down into a V, showing off her clavicle, and hugged all her curves, and black ballet flats. She had the upper half of her hair swept up into a bun, while the lower part flowed past her shoulders, just above her lower back.

All in all, the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.

The memory of Jessica's features was instantly dimmed in juxtaposition to the lovely creature before me. Now, what I once thought of as beautiful, I thought of as ugly and disgusting. What ever did I see in that woman in the first place?

I snapped out of my trance slash ogling and reminded myself that I had officially sworn myself off of women.

"Yes. I'm your lawyer if you hire me to take your case. Angela told me it's very rare that you get a lawsuit, but it's usually about things like slot machines, correct? She said this case was different?"

"One of my employees is charging me with sexual harassment. But, for the record Misses Swan, is completely wrong."

"It's just miss," she corrected me.

I nodded my head. Really?

I thought that a woman like her would surely have been taken.

Best to not think about it. She is no concern of mine.

"Well, you said that you are a friend of Angela's?"

"Yes."

"Well, if you are a friend of hers, surely you must be good at what you do," she blushed and looked down, "so I'll hire you."

She smiled. So breathtaking. My heartbeat sped up.

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, Miss Swan, call me Edward, since we'll be working together a lot now," I told her, giving a grin.

She blushed. I liked that reaction. I winked back at her, deepening her red.

But it just so happened that Angela walked in and caught that.

"Edward," she told me sharply, being the only one in the office besides my family, and now Bella, that could call me by my first name, "no hitting on my friends!"

"Just introducing myself to Miss Swan."

"Call me Bella."

"Bella, can we go down for some brunch and discuss this?" Angela asked my new lawyer.

"Actually, ladies, do you mind if I join you? After all, I am the one being charged, not Miss Weber here."

"Actually, Edward, I think it'll be Mrs. Cheney soon," Bella informed me.

"You're getting married, Angela?"

"Yes, sir."

"Since when? Why haven't you told me? I thought we were closer friends than that," I joked.

"It was just last night that he proposed," Angela said, blushing.

"Well, Ang, you gotta show me your ring," Bella said excitedly.

Angela held out her hand and they both cooed over the shiny rock.

I honestly didn't get it. Oh well. Same way I didn't get Emmett and his video games.

"What about you, Bells? When are you going to get married?"

"Ang, when I get married, you're going to be one of my bridesmaids," Bella said.

"Miss Swan, you're getting married, too?" I did my best to hide the hurt in my voice.

"Bella. And no, it's just us girls fantasizing. Being a workaholic doesn't allow me to have a social life, or a life at all outside of work," she said with a laugh.

I loved that life. It was the sound of light silver bells ringing.

I laughed with her in complete understanding.

"I get what you mean."

"Let's go discuss this now."

See? I got Bella in here now!

The card dealer wasn't who you thought it would be, was it?

I promise, more is coming, but I don't have a lot of time to update everything like I want to, and trust me, I don't want to – I NEED to!

-Sami the Samtastic one, with a crazy, outta control imagination where everyone gets blown up cuz I'm so morbid, but I don't write that.

If you got any requests, I'll fulfill it.

Me lurvs you! And Santa is always watching! I gotta write that for a fanfic!