A/N: Mina is a brat. As always, I need a PLOT to even think about writing something. Edward and Benjamin are just cuties.

Heidi Delgado was an up-and-coming music artist who'd finally gotten her big break at the age of thirty-five, a rarity in the business. She'd come into fame quite suddenly and was in a unique position. She had more than a little negotiating power. The execs wanted her, but they were doing everything they could not to give her everything she deserved. The language of the contracts they were trying to push on her all but came right out and said her age made her less valuable. A week of intense and highly annoying back and forth, and they finally had paperwork everyone was happy with.

Had she asked, Carlisle would have gladly told her the best way to show her appreciation was to say thank you and get the hell out of his office. It wasn't that he wasn't gratified. He loved his job, and he loved this part best—knowing he'd made someone else's professional life a little easier and fairer. It was just that she'd decided to show her appreciation by coming over to his side of the desk and leaning up against it, tilting her head in that flirtatious way. And she wouldn't shut up.

He had rebuffed her advances, of course, and stood up from his desk to put distance between them. He'd tried to lead the conversation to a conclusion countless times. She wasn't budging.

To his immense relief, his intercom buzzed. To his immense delight, his assistant had fantastic news. "Mr. Cullen? There's a Bella Swan here to see you?"

"I'll come out to you, Alistair." Carlisle looked to Heidi, offering an apologetic smile he totally didn't mean. "Duty calls."

"Of course." Thankfully, Heidi followed him to the door without trouble. "I'm sure I'll need your help again soon," she said, walking too close to him.

Carlisle took a surreptitious step a few inches to the side so she couldn't brush up against him as she had been. "That's a certainty. Your career is on the rise. This contract should be renegotiated as your career develops."

He opened the door, all but forgetting about Heidi the instant he saw Bella standing by his assistant's desk. She smiled at him, and his answering smile was a little too big to be professional. He did his best to tamp it down, but gestured that Bella should come closer to him. She took a step toward him, but faltered as Heidi appeared behind him. Her eyes went wide with recognition.

Heidi, on the other hand, didn't seem to register that Bella even existed. Even as Carlisle put his back to the door, holding it open so she could leave, Heidi sidled up beside him. She put a hand on his arm and leaned in. "Thank you again for all your hard work on this, Carlisle. You don't know how much I appreciate this." She moved her fingers along his arm in an innocent yet suggestive way. "If there's anything I can do for you…"

Carlisle cringed and cleared his throat. He could practically feel Bella's eyes on them. He stepped to the side and reached behind him in a surreptitious motion, needing to touch her in some way. "It's my job," he said to Heidi.

Though he'd meant his gentle caress of Bella's hand to be out-of-sight and too small for Heidi to notice, he may have been too eager. Heidi's eyes darted to where his hand bent, touching the backs of Bella's knuckles. When she raised her head, her warm expression had turned ice cold. "Really?" she looked between him and Bella. "I'd have thought you were better than that."

Carlisle had to work to keep the grimace off his face. "I'm not sure what you—"

"Fine. We'll play that game, then." She glanced at Bella, and Carlisle hated the way she raked her eyes up and down her form as though appraising. "Let me tell you a secret about the music industry, sweetheart. Most of them are in it to get into the pants of barely legal teenage girls. The appeal is beyond me, but what do I know?" She shook her head. "Goodbye, Mr. Cullen. I'm sure we'll be in touch."

Carlisle released a slow breath as Heidi flounced away. That was going to be a fun complication to deal with. But, no matter. The moment she was out of sight, his priorities shifted to the woman standing just behind him. "Come in," he murmured, putting a hand to the small of her back to lead her through the door.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as they were alone. "She's…"

"Jealous," Bella filled in for him when he couldn't find the right words. To his surprise, she didn't look upset. In fact, she was grinning. "That's not the right word. I should be jealous. She's envious." Her grin turned downright gleeful. "She wants you."

Bemused, Carlisle studied her. "And this makes you happy?" He relaxed infinitesimally, confused but beginning to see he wasn't in trouble. He cupped a hand at her waist, bringing her closer.

"Well, I'm not thrilled that she wants you, but it's not exactly a shock. Have you seen you?" Her eyes traveled down, making him shiver as she drank him in. "Have you seen you in this suit?" She smoothed her hand down his chest. "Have you seen this big, impressive office? This is sexy as hell, by the way. Seeing you here. And what kind of peacocking is this, hmm?" She pulled away from him, going to touch the shelves that displayed pictures of him with well-known people. She picked up a picture and snorted. "This is random and amazing. How did you end up in a sandwich between Santana and Pink?"

Carlisle smirked but only shrugged. Bella set down the picture and stepped back into the circle of his arms, wrapping hers around the back of his neck. "You're a stud, Carlisle." She tilted her head up invitingly. "If I can't deal with the fact a lot of people are going to want you, I have no business being with you. I'll just have to remember that you could have had Heidi Fucking Delgado, but you chose me." That gleeful grin returned. "Heidi Delgado is envious of me. She's brilliant and talented, not to mention drop dead gorgeous, but right now, she wishes she was in my shoes. I'm not going to lie. That did amazing things for my self-esteem."

He finally gave in to the invitation of her upturned face, brushing a kiss against her lips. "There's no contest." He kissed her again, lingering this time. "There never will be."

He walked backward a few steps, bringing her with him as he leaned up against his desk. He widened his legs a bit so when she stood between them, all of her small form was nestled up against him. There, he smoothed her hair back away from her face and kissed her again. "What she said… You're going to hear that kind of thing a lot. And you're going to see it. She's not wrong. It happens all the time. The men of this industry find increasingly younger girlfriends." He cupped her cheek, looking her in the eyes. "You're young and so beautiful, Bella. You would be a decoration to so many of the men in this industry. But not me. Never me."

They'd talked about this day. They'd been together for almost three weeks now, and though he'd invited her to his office many times, this was the first time she'd accepted. She was putting on a good show, talking the talk of the confidence she absolutely deserved to feel secure in, but it hadn't reached her eyes.

She sighed, wrapping her arms around him and holding tightly. "This place is fucking intimidating. It's swanky, your office is huge—"

"It's not that big." Not compared to some of the others who had been there longer.

"—and you meet so many crazy talented people. I mean, look." She gestured to the wall. "You have multiple degrees. More than one. I don't even have one."

He had to smile at her mini freak-out. "I know. You're impressive without a single degree, swanky office, or celebrities shaking your hand. Imagine what you'll be when you have all those things."

"Except the celebrities part."

"Ah, see. The next time I'm at one of these parties where these kinds of photos get taken, you're going to be right there with me." The idea gave him immense satisfaction. He'd always liked the idea of sharing his life with someone that way. Not as a trophy, as he knew many people would believe she was, but someone who would take pleasure in his accomplishments.

It had been a long time since someone he cared about was proud of him.

Carlisle pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, smiling wider at her bewildered, wide-eyed expression. "Besides, if you do become a campaign manager—and I have every confidence you'll do everything you set out to do—then who knows? I bet you're going to add presidents to your wall. Foreign dignitaries." He waggled his eyebrows. "The Queen of England will think I'm nothing but your arm candy when we meet her."

Bella snorted. She straightened his tie, smoothing her hands along the expanse of his chest. "I suppose if you're the best I can do…"

Before he could snap back a retort, she kissed him. It was a hungry, heated kiss that caught him off guard in its intensity. He groaned against her mouth, pulling her tighter against him. She tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Have I mentioned how hot this is?" She rumbled the words against his lips. "Like the damn suit wasn't bad enough. Christ, you're...powerful." She spoke between kisses and nips, marking a trail up to his cheek. "Have you seen your desk chair? It's a damn throne." Her lips tickled his ear. "I want to ride you in that gigantic chair."

Lightning went down his spine, shooting straight through his dick. "Fuck, Bella."

"That's the idea." She pulled back slightly, wrapping his tie around and around her fist.

His cock knew the answer to that question, especially the way she was pressed up against him, her body rubbing him in all the right ways. His actual brain, though, struggled to think through the logistics. "Uh," he began eloquently.

Before he could remember if he had any appointments or if he'd told Alistair to hold all his calls, his office door burst open. Bella gave a startled yelp and pulled away from him.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Emmett said in his too-loud voice.

Behind him, Alistair pressed up onto his tiptoes to be seen over his shoulder. "Sorry, Mr. Cullen. Mr. McCarty didn't exactly ask me if he could go in."

"Of course I didn't ask you. What would be the fun in that?" Emmett asked between chortles.

Though he was flushed just about as red as Bella, Carlisle also couldn't help but be amused. Emmett was obnoxious, but, well...he was Emmett. He finger-combed his hair, knowing exactly what he looked like.

Emmett turned his attention to Bella. "Sorry to interrupt your, er, important business meeting. I've been trying to get Carlisle to set up a double date so we could get to know the lovely lady who has our boy positively glowing these days."

Carlisle wiped a hand over his face. Emmett had yet to stop razzing him about the bounce in his step and the fact he hadn't really stopped smiling in the last three weeks. "Are you done?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to glare.

"Yeah, right." He gestured over his shoulder with his chin. "Come on. Let's get lunch. Then you can tell me the story of how you crazy kids got together."

Carlisle glanced at Bella, raising a questioning eyebrow. Her cheeks were still bright red, her hair hectic—he guessed she hadn't been the only one doing the mauling—and there was an uncertain look in her eyes, but she gave him a quick nod. Brave girl.

"Okay, fine," Carlisle said, turning back to his friend and coworker. "Give us a minute."

"Only a minute? Because if you need to finish—"

"Emmett."

His friend flashed a faux-angelic smile. "I'll meet you in the parking garage in ten."

When he was gone, closing the door behind him, Carlisle slumped against his desk with his hands over his eyes. He had to fight the urge to giggle like a schoolboy.

"God, Carlisle, I'm so sorry."

The sound of her voice had him lifting his head, eyebrows raised. "Sorry? What for?"

"I shouldn't have attacked you like that." She pressed her palms to her overheated cheeks. "I just got… I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. That was so unprofessional. In your office. What did I think, that this was a porno?"

Carlisle pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. If they were going to meet Emmett on time, she really needed not to mention porn. He'd confess to harboring the odd office fantasy. What he wouldn't give to see her spread out on his desk…

Shaking his head hard to dismiss that delightful image, Carlisle reached out. He took her hand and pulled her close to him. "Emmett is literally the only person who would have walked in like that. Alistair could have stopped anyone else." He traced the line of her chin, flashing an impish smile. "You think it isn't all kinds of hot that you want me like that?" He kissed her, a short but deep kiss. "You think I don't have a problem keeping my hands to myself all the damn time?"

She shivered, kissing him back, teasing his lips with her tongue. "So, you're saying I should come back to the office on a day Emmett is gone?"

He moaned into her mouth. "Bella…"

Minutes passed as he kissed her. Three weeks later, and he had yet to get over the fact he could have this. To have her in his arms, her lips moving with him. It had to be a dream. He was still waiting to wake up.

Bella broke their kiss with a sigh, though she didn't move away. He could feel her hot breath against his mouth. "We need to leave before he comes back in here."

Carlisle grumbled. "If we must."

She kissed his cheek and disentangled herself. "I want your friends to like me." The flash of uncertainty was back, and she wrung her hands. "I'm going to feel like a kid at the grown-ups' table," she muttered, mostly to herself.

He took her hand, stopping the frenetic movement, and kissed her knuckles. "First of all, if any of us is a child, it's Emmett. Secondly, don't worry. You're incredible, and if they don't get that, then they aren't worth a second thought."

With a soft, shy smile, she reached up and combed the fingers of her free hand through his hair. "I love you."

He didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing that.

A/N: One more chappy, folks! Thanks for sticking with.