Thanks to everyone who has rec'd WCB so far! Much love.

CHAPTER TEN.

BELLA
The couple weeks following our blowout (pun intended) were probably the most awkward two weeks of the twenty-nine years that I have been on this planet. I mean, that weekend was fine - Bossman was cute and attentive and it made me wonder whether he'd already given us a label, but the second he walked into that fucking building on monday morning, the 'Edward' I knew had vanished, and 'Assward' had taken his place.

Dick.

One minute he would demand that I do something for him and call me Isabella, and the next he would work some cheesy magic - curl the hair around my ear or some shit - and call me a pet name or five. It didn't help the case when it felt like I was walking on egg shells the entire time. And let me tell you, they were some large fucking eggs.

"Good afternoon; Brandon and Cullen agencies New York, Isabella speaking. How may I help?" It was a very mundane phone call from a client who required some information without me having to transfer them through to Edward. It was as I flipped through the paper document beside me that I heard the ever so slight squeak of his glass door.

"Yes, Mr. Dorman," I spoke politely into the receiver - doing my best to ignore my one-man audience. "Your last payment was on April 2nd for a total of twenty-five-hundred."

"I see. And how much is still standing?"

I searched down the paper to where his original number was written and worked some very quick mental arithmetic. Edward stood beside me and gently, gently stroked up my arm. I found it exceedingly difficult to stay cool, calm and collected. It was the lightest touch that made my... girly bits go wild!

I cleared my throat. "Your new total is sixty-seven hundred."

"Okay... and when does that need to be paid off by?"

I fought back the urge to tell him that if he looked at the fucking email I sent he would have seen all these answers written down for him. "You have until September 2nd, Mr. Dorman."

"Yes, yes - of course. Can I pay some off now?"

"Absolutely. I don't deal with the payments and so I'll need to transfer you to a different department. Is that okay?"

The old fucker sighed loudly. "I suppose so, yes."

"Thank you. Please hold on."

I placed Mr. Dorman on hold and then keyed in the number that rang down to banking. Once I knew he was successfully put through I hung up my own phone and practically collapsed on the desk. Edward continued his teasing, but his hand moved to my back and the tease quickly turned into a comfort.

"Awkward customer?" He asked.

"Mr. Dorman. You say one thing and it goes in one ear and out the other. Maybe your words get lost in translation from all that fucking hair that sticks out of them! I swear you could braid those beasts!"

Edward let out a hearty laugh. "He's one of our more loyal clients, Bella."

"I know that." I scrubbed my face with finger tips. "So you would have thought he'd know the answers by now."

"Oh, baby, don't get worked up over it."

Er... excuse me?

Bossman say what?

Not even an hour ago he was demanding me for coffee, now he's acting like my friggin' boyfriend and calling me 'baby'. What gives, Bossman? Why do you gotta be so confusing, huh?

Oh, I know... He's after something, isn't he? A little summin summin to pass the time?

"I'm not getting worked up over it," I said with a sigh, "I'm just tired."

Before I knew it Edward pulled me closer so that my head laid against the bottom of his stomach. "Am I working you too hard?" He stroked my pony tail. As much as I didn't want to admit it, his soothing touch worked wonders, and my arms somehow came to wrap around his waist.

"No - don't worry about it."

"Will you tell me if I do?" His question had me thinking. I was working the same that I always did, and so why only then was he concerned about how much I worked? It didn't make any sense.

"Would it change anything?" I bet you it's just so that he gets some action. Horny bastard.

He stood back from me and stared down with an unreadable expression. "Of course it would - if I'm working my staff too hard I want to know."

Well you weren't complaining the other week, Boss.

"Have I complained in the five years I've been here?"

Edward laughed lightly and tapped my shoulder, "you mean apart from the time you broke down crying a month after you started?"

Yeah, thanks for that. "Okay, forget that part." Until that point, I hadn't realized how mentally draining this job was. So a month into practically working every day I was exhausted and let my emotions get the better of me. I had a feeling that Edward never imagined me staying as long as I have done.

He moved his hand from my shoulder around to my waist so that I was hugging him once more. "I'm only kidding, Bella."

Just as I made myself comfy against him the phone rang again.

See if it is Mr. Dorman... I won't be a happy bunny.

I lifted the phone and spoke my perfected line; "Good afternoon; Brandon and Cullen agencies New York, Bella speaking. How may I help?"

"Bella?" The voice was soft and gentle, and I knew who it was instantly.

"Lily? You okay kid?" It was only just midday; she wasn't supposed to finish her class till five. Edward went back into 'Boss mode' and stared down at me in confusion. He was thinking the same thing I was.

"Yes. Um, is my Dad there?"

I peered up at Edward. "Absolutely, hang on a second." I covered the mouth piece with my hand and whispered, "Lily wants to talk to you."

Edward took the phone without a seconds hesitation. "Lillian? What's wrong?" I watched his tense features relax. "Oh, okay good... when is it? Tonight?... Right, let me ask Bella." It was like a game of fucking pass the parcel with that phone. "Are there any meetings booked for this afternoon?" He asked me. I checked the diary and shook my head no. "That should be fine, Lillian. Is this your first one?... Excellent, I'll make sure we are there... Okay, goodbye."

"What is it?" I asked once the phone had been placed back onto it's handle.

"Lillian is taking part in her first match this evening and she wanted us both to go."

"A match already? She's only been there three weeks!" That felt awfully quick to me and too sudden to get kids into a ring.

"I know," he said with a shrug, "but we don't make the rules. If they are ready then they are ready."

I couldn't complain about that. After all, he does know the sport slightly better than I do. "What time does it start?"

"She said to be there for three-thirty - wants me to meet the coach or something. So make sure I have no conference calls, or anything that may take a long time, past two-forty-five."

I saluted him with two fingers. "You got it, Boss."

He winked at me before he turned round on his heels and headed back for the office. I may or may not have had my eyes surreptitiously trained on a lower region of his body... What? I'm only human. And that man has the finest ass...

You know what to do with that big fat butt...

...wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

0-0

"Good afternoon; Brandon and Cullen agencies New York, Isabella speaking. How may I help?" If I had to say that line one more time that day I would have cracked. A Hulk rage would have erupted from my tiny body. I spent more time on the telephone than on my computer in the seven short hours I had been in the building.

"Bunny!"

Oh Christ.

And I thought it couldn't get any worse. My dear mother was on the other end, cheering out the nickname she gave me twenty-five years ago.

"Hello mother."

"Oh, Bunny, how are you? It's been so long since we last had a chit-chat."

"We spoke four days ago, Mom. Remember?" Then again, it was midday when I phoned her, so she would have been on her fifth or sixth martini. Possibly seventh if she was having a good day.

"Oh! You know me, Bunny - Miss Scatterbrains! But how are you anyway? Enjoying a relaxing day off?"

Part of me wanted to curse in frustration at how often I needed to repeat myself to her, but I couldn't help feeling concerned. Surely she couldn't have had that much to drink already - not enough to make her forget what day it was.

"It's Wednesday, Mom - I'm at work."

"Then why are you at home?"

"I'm not... you phoned the office."

"Oh... anyway, there was a reason why I rang. Y'see Phil has to go away for a week with work," my step-dad played for some baseball team in Florida. They thought they were the bee's fucking knees and the new Boston Red Sox. They really weren't. Even I could hit a ball and run to a marker. Doesn't make me Babe Ruth. "And he doesn't feel comfortable leaving me on my own - bless his sweet heart. So I thought I could come and stay with you! We could have a nice week together, Bunny. What do you say?"

I say hell and no.

"I don't think that would be possible, Mom. I'm very busy here."

"But you don't know when it is! Surely that Boss of yours can give you a weeks vacation to spend time with your elderly mother."

"You're forty-five."

"Exactly. Elderly. Now, put me on the phone to Mr. Cullen so I can give him a good tongue-lashing."

I'll give him a tongue-lashing...

HEY-OH!

*Cough* sorry, act professional. "He's a very busy man, Mom. I'll put a request in later on, okay?"

"Make sure you do, Bunny."

"I'll ring you as soon as I know. But I need to be somewhere now, so I have to go."

"Yes, yes - you go and be the hard-working young lady that you are. Love you, Bunny."

I rolled my eyes one final time at the over-used nickname. "Love you too, Mom."

0-0

Josh was Bossman's driver for the day, and at three o'clock precisely he was parked outside the office block. "NYC Bootcamp please, Josh." Edward was always very formal when speaking to his staff - apart from me.

"Sir." Josh acknowledged with a nod of his head. All you could hear were the ticking of the turn signals as Josh swerved onto the road in search for the bootcamp.

"So how long has it been?"

My question broke Edward from his concentration, he looked up from his BlackBerry with a startle. "Huh?"

"How long has it been?" I repeated.

"Since what?"

"Since you last took part in a boxing match."

Edward stared off into space - his eyes squinted closed in thought. "Well I left the sport fifteen years ago... but there has been the odd charity fight since then and that was 2008? 2009? So we're looking at least five years."

"Do you think it'll be strange walking in there?"

"Nah - the strange thing will be seeing Lillian fighting in the ring."

I spotted the care and concern he held for his daughter, whether he had admitted it to himself or not. "Why do you call her Lillian?"

Edward looked at me with a crease on his brow. "Because that is her name..."

"Yes, but has it not come to your attention that you are the only person to call her that? She hates that name, Boss."

He gazed down at his lap, but I knew he wasn't properly looking. "Oh. I never knew that..." Edward seemed to have taken that genuinely to heart. I placed my hand over his and squeezed it in support. He seemed weak and vulnerable for the first time.

"Don't beat yourself up - we still have over a month before she goes home; use that time wisely."

The moment Josh pulled up outside the bootcamp and Edward secured a deal with when to be collected again, the vulnerable man was forgotten about it. Bossman had to walk into that building not only as a parent, but also as an idle of the many child boxers he was about to encounter. I know that if that were me I would have been shitting myself. Majorly.

Entering the gym hall we were welcomed by the crowd of parents already surrounding the ring. I spotted two boys fighting in the middle and a referee dodging their moves.

"Dad! Bella!" Lily appeared from no-where suddenly. She ran over and instantly gave me a hug but when she stepped to Edward you could see the hesitation - could she hug him? Would he allow it? Lily chose against it, even though Edward stepped forward to receive her hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!" She was wearing a pair of orange and black, baggy shorts that stopped mid-thigh and a black crop top which reminded me more of a training bra I used to wear when even my Dad had bigger tits than me.

"Mr. Cullen." A familiar, deep voice broke our little conversation. We all turned to greet her coach-guy... James? Jack? Fuck only knows. "My name is Jacob Black," (close enough), "I'm Lily's coach." He held out a hand; expecting Edward to shake it. But Bossman doesn't shake hands unless he knows them, or he's closing a deal. Jacob retreated his arm awkwardly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Bossman being Bossman, he nodded his head. "Mr. Black."

A loud cheering from the ring brought it to our attention that the previous fight had finished. Jacob touched Lily's arm, "you're up. Ready, Little Miss?"

"Yep!" She nodded with a wide smile and shoved in her mouth guard.

"Kick their ass, Kid!" I winked and lightly punched her shoulder.

"Good luck." Edward added after me. I guess that was kind of supportive... for him anyway. With a nervous smile, Lily was off with Jacob over to the ring to get ready. We followed on afterwards and managed to score a place to stand on her corner of the ring, beside Jacob. Lily stepped through the ropes and began to loose up her muscles. She pounded her glove-covered fists together.

"Where's her headgear?" Edward demanded.

"Amateur headgear was banned last year, Mr. Cullen."

"I don't care. I don't want her in there unless she is well protected."

"Edward." I hissed, cupping his balled up fist. "Just leave it."

"I don't like this, Babe." Because he looked so cute when worked up, I rose on my tip toes and kissed his cheek sweetly. That seemed to calm his mood somewhat. The cheering began as Lily and her opponent, Maci, were introduced.

"Focus Lil', focus!" Jacob shouted as the match began. Maci stepped forward and swung the first hit, but Lily dodged it and issued her own which caught Maci's upper arm. From Edward's reaction and his subtle fist pump, I knew when to celebrate.

"That's it, Lily; you've got this." He mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

And it did, in fact, look like she had it. Until the end of the first round. Her face was red and flushed - she panted loudly to retain her breath. Lily's ginger hair had turned brown with the sweat that sleeked it back.

"What are you doing?" Jacob suddenly demanded. "You're losing it out there!"

"Hey." Edward stepped closer to the rope that separated him from Lily and Jacob. "Don't you dare speak to her like that." I wanted to stop him before things got ugly, but personally Jacob was acting like an ass and could do with a threat. Dick.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen, but she won't learn from being sweet-talked."

Oooh fuck. Say goodbye to your head, Jakey Boy.

Round two started and Lily was no-where near as strong as she was when the fight began. Maci was on top form and dodged every one of Lily's jabs. But instead of Jake calling words of comfort like Edward and I, he stood there, arms folded, watching the battle commence. I watched the young girl in front of me fall weaker and weaker.

"Guard, Lily." Edward urged. His hands shook with nerves. "Remember to guard." However the weaker she grew, the easier it was for Lily to forget those vital moves. Edward must have seen the move coming before anyone else, because instantly he was breaking past to the ropes and shouting "LILY! BLOCK!" But before his words were noticed, Maci's fist came up and connected straight at Lily's temple. Her knees buckled and my girl fell to the mat with a loud slap.

My stomach jumped to my mouth when she didn't move for a few seconds. Edward leaped into the ring and crouched down at his daughter's side. He brushed her hair with the back of a hand. I had never seen Bossman look so scared yet angry at the same time. With her safe in his arms, he left the ring. I noticed how Jacob cowered back as soon as she had fallen.

"Is she okay?" I asked as I ran to keep up with his fast pace.

"Unconscious - no doubt a concussion. Get Josh on the phone. Now." He lowered his head to hers and kissed her cheek. "You'll be okay, Lily. I've got you... Daddy's got you."

0-0

Kind of a filler, but this leads to something important ;-)

I can now announce that I have a Christmas project which will start posting December 2nd! It's called 'All I Want for Christmas' and it's the damn cutest thing I've written in a long time.

Either put me on alert if you haven't, or join RosieRathbone FanFiction on Facebook for updates and the banner that I have released :)

Thanks for reading. Thoughts?

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