Enjoy :)
Chapter 10
It was Friday, my last Friday before my break. I needed to get away, needed to clear my head. The evening I spent with Bella yesterday just added to the confusion. My opinion of her turned around in a little more than twenty four hours.
On Wednesday I told Alice that I had really concerns that Bella wasn't right for the team, she was a psychopathic job hunter who'd stab anyone in the back to get up the ladder. On Thursday I was walking Bella home from the pub, completely and utterly bewitched by her.
I really needed a break, I must be under too much pressure at work or something. I'd never transformed a relationship round that quickly before. I was mistaken about Bella, she was a nice woman. I can't really remember why I had been so hard on her in particular. But I was sure that phase was over.
I was still dreading going into work. I imagined the discussions after we left the bar together. I don't think they would have been along the lines of "Awww... He's a good boss for taking Bella out". Alice especially she was hyper about Bella before and despite our differences we were as close as brother and sister. I can't imagine what rumours she spreading about last night.
The confusion still reigned in my head during the train ride and then walk to the office. I just had to get through today, then I'd be away, alone and able to think.
My heart stopped, restarted and then skipped a couple of beats as I rounded the corner of the front of the office. Bella was standing outside, looking radiant. She was obviously waiting for someone. She was looking in the other direction from where I came from so I had a moment to stop and recover myself.
I walked toward her half hoping she was waiting for me, half hoping she was looking out for someone else. I called out when I got close enough "Morning Bella" she jumped and looked startled for a moment, then to my relief she smiled openly.
"Morning Edward" she started "I was just waiting for you" she smiled again, dropping her eyes a little "I was wondering if I could repay that coffee from the other day?" What the hell? Which coffee? I suddenly remembered there was more than one occasion where I had bought Bella a coffee. I looked blankly at her. I remembered the first occasion, when I'd knocked straight into her on exactly this spot, the first time we'd touched and I'd smelled her perfume.
Her face dropped "I wanted to make up for Alice's outburst, I was about to leave when you two came in so I wasn't going to get another one but you got me one so I thought I should pay you back for it, and for the drinks last night"
"There's no need honestly Bella, but I wouldn't say no, I can't resist a coffee especially a free coffee!" I grinned and I took her by the arm this time. I felt better already, Bella's face lit up and I was with her. The office faded behind us both in memory and in reality as we walked down the street together toward the coffee shop.
I had a sudden and nasty feeling, I didn't want to go into the usual coffee shop, I didn't want to see Leah, or more accurately, I didn't want Leah to see me, us, together. I was too late, Bella had already guided me to the door and was half way through before my realisation struck.
Leah glanced at the door and smiled as Bella walked in, I followed and her face brightened. "Edward! Morning honey! The usual?" Leah called out.
"Morning Leah, how's my girl this morning? Yeah, the usual, times two" I glanced at Bella. Leah nodded acknowledgement but the chat stopped. Bella had sat down at a table a serious look on her face for some reason. I thanked Leah and headed over and sat down.
"You look serious, something wrong Bella?" I asked hoping the answer was no.
"Yes and no" Bella replied cagily "I got you something, for your trip, but I'm not sure I can give it to you, you being my boss and all"
"I'm sure it would be fine, rules on gifts only really apply to receiving gifts from customers or suppliers. In case you're taking it as a bribe!" I said chuckling but touched.
"It's nothing big, just silly really and you probably have one already so you don't have to accept it if you don't want to" Bella said blushing. She rooted around in her bag for the present.
I was always fascinated by how much a woman could put in a hand bag, at one point I thought she going to fall into it. She eventually emerged, relatively unscathed from her bag and put a wrapped up package on the table.
It was about six inches long and two wide. She slid it over the table. "You'll need the bag for it as well, you'll understand once you open it" she smiled.
I took the gift, gently lifting it, it wasn't heavy. I looked at her and she gave an encouraging smile and a nod.
I peeled back the dark blue paper and was left with a simple black box. I lifted the lid and peeked inside carefully. The gift that Bella had said was not much had cost a small fortune, I'd been eyeing it up in the outdoor shops myself for weeks ever since I chipped the blade of my old one.
Only Alice and Jasper knew about my old hunting knife, only Alice would have told Bella to get one, fuck knows how she picked this one.
Bella looked concerned "Is it ok? Alice said you broke your old one and the guy in the shop said it was one of the best ones they had, something about it being ceramic?"
"Yes" I said still slightly shocked "ceramic blade, it stronger, sharper and lighter than the steel versions, Bella I can't accept this! I know how much it's worth!" I said still shocked at the price tag of the gift for me.
"Don't be silly, of course you can Edward. I couldn't get hold of pepper spray, something about only police being allowed it" Bella grinned
"Pepper spray? Why would I need that" I asked confused
"Bears, remember?" Bella half asked
I laughed out loud, I couldn't help it "you're priceless Bella, I could kiss you!" I smiled
She smiled sweetly and blushed. "I'm not sure THAT would be appropriate!"
I gazed at her momentarily caught in her eyes, I pulled my stare away before it became too obvious and blushed myself. I realised I wanted to do, now. I wanted to cup her face and pull it close to mine, smell her sweet perfume, brush my lips against hers gently and kiss her... It obviously showed in my face as I was pulled out of my thoughts by a loud bang as two cups of coffee were forced onto the table.
Leah stared at me, annoyed "roll your tongue up Edward" she shot a withering look at Bella "I don't work in an office but I think fraternising with your staff in a public place is probably considered a no no" Leah smiled a sweet smile, radiantly even.
"Leah, ahh... I think you have got the wrong idea here" I stuttered. I fucking knew we shouldn't have come in here.
"Oh probably" Leah answered still with that smile lighting up her face "but I wouldn't want to see my favourite man in trouble now would I?" She did something then that blew me out of my socks, she ran her long smooth fingers down the side of my face. I felt the warmth of her finger caress from my eyebrow, down my cheek and jaw. She held a finger under my chin and lifted my face to hers, that smile had turned in what I could only recognise as a lusty stare. The crooked half smile knocked me for six but her smouldering eyes bore into me whipping me away to a deserted island with only the two of us.
"No, no trouble for my favourite man" she breathed huskily. She removed her finger. As soon as she did, I felt like I'd be punched. The friendly smile returned and she turned to include Bella "so you two kids be careful ok!" With that she turned, the smile still on her face.
"What the fuck was that about Edward" Bella asked sounding shocked and more than a little annoyed
"Umm... ahh... I have no fucking idea" I said, not turning back to Bella but following the gorgeously swaying hips and body of Leah strutting back to the counter. Her long, black, silky hair moved in contradiction to her hips hypnotising me.
"Edward!" Bella said snapping her fingers "we should go"
"Umm... Yeah" I replied shaking my head "we should go right now!"
Bella seemed pleased at this response and before I knew what was happening she'd bundled her present into her bag and grabbed her coffee in one hand and my hand in the other.
I felt another shock course through my body as our skin touched. Christ on a bike, I couldn't take much more of this. I stood up compliantly and for reassurance I was still actually alive more than anything I squeezed Bella's hand. She smiled a dazzling smile at me and pulled me a little closer.
"Get your coffee Edward" she said as if speaking to a four year old, which to be fair, was probably appropriate. I did as I was told and felt her pulling me toward the door.
As we got there she stopped, pulled me closer still so our bodies were almost touching and poked her head around my shoulder brushing it with her cheek, "thanks for the coffee Leah, and the show" she smiled widely and pulled me through the door, clenching my hand in hers.
We got about 100 yards down the road before Bella stopped turned to me unexpectedly. I was still reeling from whatever happened in the coffee shop.
"Edward, are you seeing Leah?" She raised an eyebrow as she asked "in secret I mean?"
I choked "not that I know of" I responded honestly, but cryptically not really aware of why, if I didn't know better I would have sworn two extremely attractive women just fought over me, but this was real life, stuff like that just didn't happen.
Still confused as hell, my head reeling I missed Bella's next comment "sorry Bella missed that one" I smiled
"I asked whether you liked her" Bella said
"Well yeah, of course she's a nice girl, I've known her for ages" why Bella wanted to know if we were friends was beyond my mental capacity at that particular moment.
"Oh" was the simple response. Bella turned toward work and I dumbly followed after her. I was broken out of my thoughts when I glanced at Bella.
Her walk, although not as alluring as Leah's, had a certain flow to it, it was a self assured walk, one which made my heart flutter. I really couldn't take much more. I closed down my brain and jump started it with a mental slap. I felt the components that made me slowly restart and get up operating temperature. Shit, fuck and bollocks! Bella's question suddenly hit me again, why the correct response was important was not immediately obvious but the need to set the record straight was. I was a couple of steps behind so lengthened my stride to catch up.
I lay my hand on her shoulder gently "Bella, wait" I said lamely removing my hand only when she did as I asked
"Sorry mental outage for a moment, to set the record straight, do I like Leah? Yes, as a friend" I smiled pleased at my restarted brains ability to function as requested.
Bella nodded and smiled, she moved a little closer, took my arm and we resumed our walk back to the office.
The rest of the morning consisted of the dry political manoeuvring that was required to successfully deliver projects. The stuff that bores the shit out of even the most deluded project managers.
This consisted in part reporting of status to Carlisle. After the dry shit was out of the way Carlisle turned to me with a sly looking in his eye.
"So any people problems?" He asked
"Not that I'm aware of" I answered honestly
"So what I've been hearing from Billy is wrong?" Shit...
"That depends on what you heard"
"That you have a high performing team member who is considering jumping ship to Jake's team because you are isolating her... or him" he raised an eyebrow
I wished people would stop fucking doing that. "I think Jake is doing what he can do to poach my staff, in his defence, I'd do the same thing if the positions were reversed"
"Interesting thought, your team is safe then?"
"Yes, unless you tell me to release someone and give me good reason for doing it, my team is complete and settled in... at all levels"
"Good, I assume that Alice is aware of any potential poaches?"
No, but she fucking would be in five minutes "of course" I lied instinctively covering my own ass and Alice's.
After I escaped I went straight to Alice's desk. She wasn't there, fuck... I looked up, she was with Bella chatting animatedly by the water cooler. Typical.
"Ladies, I trust you're both well, and fully occupied with work related tasks and indeed that this conversation is work related" I smiled
Alice looked angry, I braced myself for being on the end of another verbal bashing but apparently this time at least I was not the focus of that annoyance.
"Of course boss, what else" Alice smiled
"Bella excuse us, I need a quick word with Alice, I'll give her back in just a moment"
Bella smiled sheepishly and returned to her desk, my eyes followed her progress across the office heart thumping. I snapped back to Alice who seemed not to have noticed, thank god for small mercies.
"About Bella... I was wrong... she's in the team, temporary or permanent, which ever she prefers, protect her from Jake while am away"
"Of course" Alice nodded
"Thanks, please resume your work related discussion at your leisure, anything comes up or you think of anything you need to know for covering the next couple of weeks let me know."
"Edward, can I ask something personal?" Alice looked at me seriously
My stomach lurched. Alice had never asked if she could ask me anything as long as I'd known her so whatever was about to flow from her mouth was either very serious or very very personal or both.
"Sure" I said with mock calm while my heart was thumping through my ribs.
"You do realise that Bella likes you, right?" Alice said glancing over my shoulder presumably at Bella
The relief must have been obvious on my face because Alice's went dark
"Yeah, sure I am! I like her too. If this about all that stuff before, I'm over that, ok" I smiled happily
"Edward, wait a second I m..." Alice was cut off, again another new experience for me, Alice usually rode rough shot over everyone else so it was refreshing to see her stop talking mid sentence.
Bella bounded up from behind me "I hope this is work related chatter" she flashed a smile in our direction. I had become more and more interested in her smile over the last few days. The way it lit up her face was a sight to behold. I found myself on the now familiar but still confusingly uncomfortable train of thought about her looks.
She really did look very good today, her long hair had been pulled up messily at the back in the haphazard fashion so some strands fell slightly down yet the contrast between that and her perfectly arranged features was stark. I pulled myself back before I gave into the urge to push a small errant lock of hair behind her ear to complete the almost angelic picture in front of me.
As if she read my mind she, herself noticed the lock and gracefully swept it back, curling it softly around her ear. As she did so I was hit yet again by her perfume, I blinked to right myself before I literally collapsed. I realised I'd done the action so many times with Bella recently she must think I had some kind of tick.
I snapped out of my reverie when Bella's smile drooped slightly making it look uncomfortable, not the kind of smile which should grace a face of such perfection.
In a lame attempt to reverse it I blurted out "no actually we were talking about you!" then smiled "I was just telling Alice we were best of friends now"
Bella's smile faded a little more and she looked at Alice pointedly "and who started the conversation about me?" She asked still looking at Alice
"It was Alice!" I pointed "well, this is uncomfortable, I'm going to get back to work, speak soon! Oh by the way, Bella, do you fancy a drink after work? We can finish our discussion from the coffee shop this morning and... stuff" I smiled widely
Bella's smile returned "yeah, I'd really like that" she looked down blushing lightly.
"Cool, pick you up around, well, four! My last day, I can leave early!" I grinned and throwing a wave even I thought was lame, headed back to my desk.
I picked up a strained conversation between the two before I was out of ear shot, I couldn't hear the words but the emotions were obvious. Bella was pissed and Alice, I wasn't sure about her.
I understood her emotions when she slunk back to her desk five minutes later looking like she'd had a sound verbal beating. She was sorry.