The Last One – Chapter Four
"I see the office is nearly empty," Mr. Cullen said, leaning against the door jamb of his office.
"Mr. Morrison let everyone leave early." Bella powered down her computer. "I had to finish the notes on the Browning account you asked for before heading out. I'll be here Monday to help with your conference call with Toshiro Industries."
He seemed surprised. "All the employees have the day after Christmas off."
She shrugged. "But not you."
"Yes, but I wouldn't want to keep you from your family."
Bella tried hard to keep her emotions from etching her features, but failed. "My son is leaving tomorrow and spending the rest of his school break with his father's family in Montana." She managed a small smile. "I have no other family."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Swan. If you're sure, I could…" His jaw clenched for a moment. "I could use your help."
Bella leaned against her desk, watching him. "Did that hurt to say?"
"That I was sorry?" He shrugged, the sleeves of his impeccable suit shifting around his right wrist for her to catch a glimpse of ink. No way—is that a tattoo? Maybe he spilled some ink on himself; that must be it. She did not need anything else to fuel the growing attraction; his hair was enough."Miss Swan?
"Ugh, not that part. The 'I could use your help' part, I mean. Did it hurt?"
Mr. Cullen tried to hide a smile, failing when she held out a plate of cookies for him to take one. "It was rather painful."
She waited until he bit into the cookie. "I'm going to remove that stick up your ass one of these days, sir." Her words had the desired effect she was looking for; he had been blushing earlier when she asked about his hair.
"Good luck with that, it's been up there a while," he admitted, rolling his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Miss Swan."
She emphasized all the syllables. "Is-a-bel-la."
One of Mr. Cullen's genuine smiles was devastating to her. "Merry Christmas, Isabella."
"Merry Christmas," she said softly, pointing to a small box on her desk. "I left you a gift."
As if he knew she had gotten him something, he nodded and smiled. "I bought you something too; well, for you and your son. It should arrive today." He knew about her son and didn't seem to have a problem with it. Nice. Most of the time, it sent men running, even former employers.
"Thank you, Mr. Cullen. Until Monday."
He nodded once again. "I'm looking forward to it."
Bella didn't know what to say to that, deciding to take the elevator. Her ankle still sore from her stumble earlier. She wasn't sure what she enjoyed more. The constant sparring that kept her on her toes, or the moments where Mr. Cullen unclenched and seemed like a nice guy after all. Maybe there was a happy medium they could find, and with that thought, she found herself looking forward to Monday, too.
.
.
.
Bella needed to get her hands on the hottest book in the season for her son. It was one of the few gifts Jared really wanted. But then she realized all the local bookstores and Amazon were sold out of it. She had hoped James would have better luck, and could afford one of the pricey ones on eBay. He probably hadn't even looked, considering his schedule in the ER. She walked quickly down the street; thankful for the extra pair of boots she had brought with her to work.
She had received word from her friend Alice as she was leaving the office. The bookstore her best friend worked at had another shipment of the book coming in at five, and she told Bella to hurry since she was unsure of the number of copies they received. The store wasn't crowded, thankfully, but she could see several people near the children's section toward the right of the store. She all but ran, squeezing in between two women, and grabbed a copy, tugging on it, only to find Mr. Cullen, holding the other half of the book. She looked down, his hands nearly engulfed hers, on top.
It was the last book, too.
She tipped her chin up, daring him to challenge her. "As you can see, I got it first, sir."
"What if I said your job depends on who takes this book home?"
He wouldn't dare; he needed her. "I'd say stick the job where the sun don't shine, Mr. Cullen."
"According to you, I already have something up there," he huffed, taking a step closer. "I need this book."
"Careful, my mama bear instincts are stirring."
He looked at her, from the top of her head to the toes. It was a short trip, but she owned her curves and petite frame. "Should I be scared?"
"Are you scared of your mother?" she asked, already knowing the answer. His mother's calls always went straight through, unless he was in a meeting. Even then, the moment Bella informed him of a call he missed from his mother, he was quick to return it.
The women she squeezed through earlier laughed out loud, full of life and warmth in their chocolate brown eyes. "There's no doubt about it, honey. He's scared of her, so he should fear you, too."
"Don't you back down now, girl. Get that book for your boy." They laughed again, leaving Edward and Bella to their sparring match.
"Let me have the book, and I'll give you tickets for you and your son to Disneyland for three days."
As nice it would be, she was no extortionist, but...she wanted to see how far he was willing to go for the book. Who was it for? "Does that include hotel and flight accommodations?"
His eyes narrowed. "Did anyone ever tell you you're an expert negotiator?"
"Yes."
"Economy seats and a hotel down the street."
She pulled on the book hard, sending him almost stumbling into her. They were so close she could smell the lingering scent of his cologne, feel his breath skim along her cheek. "On second thought."
"Fine, business class and you can stay at one of the park resorts."
"You can get the book cheaper online," she said, letting him have it.
"I could, but not in time for Christmas. My nephew wants it, and I don't want to disappoint him."
"I need the confirmation for tickets in an email before the end of the day. I'd like to show my son where we're going during spring break." She planned to indicate his offer wasn't necessary, her son would understand, but she wanted to maintain her upper hand.
"Do you always get what you want, Isabella?"
She planted her hands on her hips. "You have the book, of course not."
"Something tells me you won this round," he said, holding up the book. "Despite my promise for Disneyland tickets, are you sure about this?"
"I guess," she said, shrugging. "I'm not going to spit in your coffee or something, if that has you worried."
"It wasn't until now."
She grinned. "Admit it, Mr. Cullen. You like me."
His eyes went hard, her words triggering a few forgotten memories. "If you love me, Edward, you'll buy me a new…" More coming up too quick for him to bury them. "I didn't mean to forget to take my pill…"
"Did you arrange for us to bump into each other here? Did you manipulate the situation so that you can get a free trip for you and your spa—"
"If you value your balls, you will not finish that sentence." Bella squared her shoulders. "Keep the fucking book and your Disney trip. In fact, I qu–"
"Bella?" Alice joined them; even though, Bella was standing toe-to-toe with her boss. "I thought I heard you. Did you get the book?"
Mr. Cullen straightened. "I'm afraid I grabbed the last one on the shelf."
"Oh," Alice said, her gaze bouncing between the pair. "I can ring you up, if you'd like?"
"Yes, please." He looked at Bella once more. "Isabella."
"Miss Swan," she hissed at him.
"I see."
Edward followed Isabella's friend to the register and felt his tie become a noose. He had lost his control, allowing his past to mingle with the present. Something he was regretting already and he had no idea how to fix it. He had gone too far, disgusting himself with his reaction. Irina had destroyed all his trust in women, in general, and it wasn't fair to someone as innately good as Isabella Swan.
"I don't know what happened in your past, Mr. Cullen," Alice said as she processed his credit card payment. "Just know it's going to take a lot to earn her trust again."
"I didn't ask for your opinion," he snapped, still angry with himself. Taking the book and walking out of the store, he regretted his words and actions even more the second he had a chance to breathe.
It was too late to take it all back; worse, it would be days before he could find a way to make it up to Isabella.
AN: Sorry! There had to be a tiny bit of angst. Now we know have an inkling of why Edward has such a hard wall up. Thanks to Midnight Cougar for your help. See you tomorrow.
