Authior's note; Many thanks to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter and to those of you who have added this story to their Favourites/Story Alerts Lists. I am thrilled that you are enjoying this story as much as it seems that I enjoy writing it. Bella arrives in Milan. I wonder what will happen and will Peter behave himself? Let's find out shall we? Enjoy.

Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight but this story owns me!

Agony and Ecstasy

Getting to know you

We touched down at Milan airport at about eleven in the morning. Fortunately the flight was comfortable and I had managed to get a considerable amount of sleep, plenty of food and drink and actually spent a fair amount of time chatting with Peter. He talked about Itay in general with such passion and fond memories. He had lived there most of his childhood and spent the large majoritiy of it living in Milan. He had been educated in England and America and had travelled extensively over the years for holidays and business. He spoke fondly of his parents and the idillic childhood he had with them before his father died suddenly when he was only twelve years old.

I was beginning to warm to him. It seemed that away from the confines of office politics, meetings and the pressure of keeping his Uncles happy with his business skills, he was actually a human being and very personable. But there was more, I could sense it and whatever it was, he was holding it back. He skirted around the reasons for his move to America, I could sense it. No one could love a country as he did and leave it without something life changing having happened. I would find out sooner or later. Over the next four days of our trip there was bound to be an opportunity to ask those questions and get straight answers.

We were met by another chauffer driven black limo that took us to our hotel. I sat like a child, watching in awe, as we made our way through the streets of Milan. I half turned my body to look straight out of the rear passenger widow and look at the sights of this beautiful city.

"What do you think then, Bella?" Peter asked, I smiled at the scenery that passed by.

"It's absolutely beautiful. How could you possibly leave this city? If I lived here I don't think wild horses could drag me away." He gave a small chuckle.

"It's a different matter when you live here twenty four seven, Bella. I must admit the city does have a lot more charm than Seattle. There's so much history attached to this city, in more ways than one. Of all the places I've visited, this is the one place in the world that I feel the most relaxed in." And there it was, once again the cryptic message that I'm sure he realised would not be lost on me

"Why on earth did you leave Milan, Peter?" I asked, not even turning to look at him as I spoke. The buildings and the bustle of the city held my attention for the entire journey. Just as the words left my mouth, I realised that I had called him by his first name. Until now I had either addressed him as Mr Edwards or by no name at all.

It seemed that the simple fact that he was more relaxed and talking freely instead of being an insufferable shit, had begun to seep into my subconscious.

I continued to fix my gaze on the streets of Milan as I mused over this slight shift in our relationship. His abrupt manner was probably all a facade after all. If I had to leave a city like this after years of living in it, I would no doubt be somewhat aggrieved and bad tempered about it. I would certainly find it hard to come to terms with.

"Family is very important to Italians. Family loyalty is something that cannot be ignored. When the head of the household says jump, then you ask how high as you jump. No questions asked." His words hung heavy in the confines of the limo. Not another word was spoken by either of us.

The limo finally pulled up to the main doors of the UNA Hotel Cusani. We were assisted out of the back of the limo and our luggage was carried inside. The hotel was situated near the Castello Sforzesco and the breathtaking Duomo. Peter pointed out the historic buildings to me and I stood for a moment transfixed to take in the sight and my bearings.

"I'll get the schedule of the meetings from the front desk, Bella and you'll be able to arrange to do some sightseeing while you're here." I turned to him and smiled. He motioned for us to enter the hotel. He didn't seem to be putting on an act, his change of attitude towards me I considered, had to be down to Marcus and that he was where he felt the happiest. Maybe working as Peter's secretary was not going to be so bad after all. It certainly would make life a hell of a lot easier for both of us!

We made our way to the front desk to sign in and were then ushered to the lifts to head up to our rooms. The hotel was extremely modern with clean lines and muted colours. It shouted luxury and certainly was the most luxurious hotel I had ever stayed at.

As we exited the lift at our floor and walked along the wall to wall carpeted hallway, I realised that the distance between the doors indicated that these were not just individual rooms but suites. Peter was the first to be shown his suite, three doors down the hallway from mine. Just as I reached my door, Peter called from his doorway to me.

"Bella!" I turned to look over in his direction.

"I'll knock for you in about an hour, if that's okay? We should have some lunch and go over the schedule together." I nodded in agreement to him and he smiled back at me, warmly.

As I entered, I was shown the various areas of the suite and then left alone, so I decided to quickly unpack my luggage and have a shower to freshen up properly from the journey. I wraped myself up in the lovely towelling robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door and towel dried my hair as I walked around the suite, taking in the very smart sophistication if the rooms and the lovely view onto the square. I felt very spoilt by having a suite. I would have been more than happy with a smaller room as long as it had a double bed.

The very large bed and bedroom furniture were screened off from the rest of the suite by a wall of obscured glass sliding doors framed in cherry wood. There was a comfortable sitting area at one end of the living area with a flatscreen hung midway on a wall and at the other end a square dining table with four chairs that could double as an impromtu meeting table. The bathroom was beautifully tiled in white and yes, the shower was a very relaxing place to be. The whole suite was decorated in soft white with cherry wood furniture that contrasted pleasingly.

I dried my hair quickly and allowed it hang loosely for the afternoon and put on a simple navy skirt and cream coloured, silk blouse that I had bought the day before, compliments of the Company.

There was a knock at the door that I could only assume was Peter.

"It's only me, Bella." Are you ready to go and get something to eat?" Peter's muffled voice filtered through the wooden door as I slipped on my shoes. I grabbed my purse from the end of the bed and smoothed down my skirt as I opened the door to him.

"Yep, I'm ready!" I answered smiling. He stood for a moment, his eyes unfocused and then as if he suddenly realised that he was blocking my exit, stepped to the side and gestured for me to walk ahead. I smiled my thanks and we made our way down to the hotel restaurant.

Peter placed our order, obviously in perfect Italian and produced from the inside pocket of his dark blue suit jacket, a folded piece of paper and flattened it out before him on the table. As he took a sip of his water I looked around the room. It again, like everywhere else in this hotel was decorated in muted tones and familiar cherry wood tables and chairs. The tables were dressed with crisp white linen and laid as if for a banquet. I sighed inwardly with relief that my first trip abroad was going to be such a happy memory in the years to come and wondered briefly if all the company employees were privvy to such luxury wherever they travelled. I had absolutely no doubt that it was so.

"Right, Bella." Peter began, bringing my 'surroundings filled' mind back to the table. "The first meeting is at ten in the morning. We have one of the small conference rooms booked for two hours and then the rest of the day is free." He looked up at me from the piece of paper and I acknowledged his words.

"You did bring a suitable dress for the evening, I take it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows to magnify his question.

"Of course, Peter! Do you doubt any woman would pass up the opportunity to wear a gratis given dress for a special occassion?"

His face relaxed and a broad grin emerged.

"I woudn't expect anything less, Bella. For a woman to pass up the opportunity of wearing a new dress for whatever reason would be like a man turning down a beautiful woman's invitation. Unthinkable." He chuckled lightly as he sat back in his chair, allowing the meal to be served.

I registered a slight blush rise in my cheeks. His words had caught me off guard and as he noted my embarrassment he smiled at me in a very unfamiliar way. I had never seen him, until now, so relaxed and almost playful. Even the couple of times that we had met socially, before he became my boss, I hadn't seen him like this. Then he only made me feel uncomfortable but now he was somehow different.

I really didn't have any reply at that moment and decided to let the moment pass and began to eat.

"So, what are you going to do with the rest of your day, Bella?" He asked, as he busied himself with pouring the wine and eating enthusiastically.

"Well, I think it would be a waste not to do some sightseeing. I'll pick up a map from the front desk once I've eaten. Where do you think I should start?" I looked at him from my plate of colourful and flavoursome spinach and ricotta cannelloni.

"Without a doubt the Duomo. It might be a good idea if you wore something a little more comfortable for sightseeing though. You turn heads enough as it is, Bella. Going out as you are, you would more than likely cause an accident!" He laughed freely, as once again my cheeks coloured, I was positive, a deeper shade than before.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I really shouldn't make you blush like that. But seriously getting changed would be advisable. Would you like me to arrange a guide to take you to some of the sights?" I looked at him, slightly taken aback by the offer.

"No." I answered slowly. "I'm sure I won't get lost. I am quite capable of reading a map you know." I huffed jokingly, feeling myself relax into the easy atmosphere that was now beginning to evolve between us.

"I can assure you, Bella that there is no doubt on my part about any of your capabilities. Marcus in no uncertain words, put me firmly in my place on that score. I don't suppose you had realised to what extent you are valued within the company and especially to those in charge?" His question hung between us, heavy and loaded.

I was totally unable to answer him. I dropped my gaze from his and turned my attention to the remainder of my food. Of course I knew how much I had been valued by one particular person and the memory of that made my stomach flip.

Peter leaned forward in his chair and placed his fork down on his now empty plate.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He began in a hushed tone. "I really have embarrassed you now. I can't believe that my Uncle has not, until this week, acknowledged to you, how valued you are. That was the reason why you were not transferred with Jasper. Who else was going to keep me in check so diligently?" Even though his tone was light, mentioning Jasper's name at that moment made me feel that all I wanted to do was take the first flight home. Back to my bed where he was still fast asleep.

An unfamiliar heaviness settled in my stomach and I placed my fork down on the unfinished food and took a small sip of my wine.

"I'm sorry, Peter but if it's alright with you I'll go and get changed and do some sightseeing. As I stood from the table, Peter rose slightly from his chair. His manners were impeccable.

"Of course, Bella. There's no point in wasting what little time you have here in Milan, sitting here with me. Would you like to meet for dinner? It might be a good idea to do so, so that we can go over the key points of the meeting in the morning." I nodded to him and turned to leave.

"Bella!" He said softly. I halted at the edge of the table and looked over to him, once again seated. "I'm sorry." And he was. I could see it in his eyes. But I was not sure what it was he was sorry for. A myriad of emotions ran through me at that moment. I gave him a small forced smile and left the restaurant to go back to my room.

Indeed, how much did he know? The fact that he was well aware of my relationship with Jasper, meant that without a doubt so was Marcus. To my way of thinking everything seemed to have been planned. From Peter being moved from his beloved Italy for whatever reason to Jasper being promoted and moved to another building and not allowing me to work along side him. None of it added up to being unplanned. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that none of it happened by chance. But I was not going to get any answers by reacting towards Peter the way I had. Yes, he had embarrassed me and caught me totally off guard. That was not going to happen again.

The chance to walk around in the bright sunshine and take in the atmosphere of the streets of Milan, re-invigorated me. Having changed into jeans and a sensible pair of shoes, map in hand, I made my way along the streets to the wonderful sight of the Duomo. I stood outside of the building for a moment reading the information about its history. This was something that I wanted to share with Jasper and so I took my cell phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and pressed his speed dial number.

His familiar voice at once calmed me. I instinctively smiled.

"Hey, darlin'."

"Hi, Jasper. Guess where I am right now?"

"Well, I would like to think that you are in Milan but I take it by the noise in the background you're not indoors." I laughed lightly feeling any anxiousness dissipate at his words and the sound of his voice.

"To be precise I am standing outside the Duomo just about to go in and have a look around." I answered excitedly.

"Wow!" He began. "I've never seen that place. Only pictures. I take it the city is beautiful?"

"It is, darling. Maybe we should put this city on our list of places we should see together."

"Duly noted, Bella. So, I take it that the flight was okay and that Peter is behavin' himself?"

"Yes, the flight was extremely comfortable and yes, Peter is behaving himself. He's a very different person in more familiar surroundings. He's being an absolute gentleman. Milan must agree with him."

"That's good to hear, darlin'. Can I ring you later, in my lunch break? That will make it about nine over there. Is that okay?" I smiled at the thought of hearing his voice at the end of the day and exchanging news.

"That would be a perfect end to my day, Jasper."

"Right, we'll talk more then, darlin'. I want a detailed description of the places you see today. Your news will be far more interestin' than mine, that's for sure."

"Okay then. Speak to you later, Jasper. Have a good day." I began to walk towards the entrance of the Duomo.

"Later, Bella. I love you." He whispered

"I love you too, darling." I whispered back and ended the call as I entered the building.

When I finally returned to the hotel some three hours later, my feet felt as if they had walked miles and I probably had without actually realising it. The city was far too awe inspiring to calculate exactly how many miles I had walked.

I was handed a message from the front desk as I made my way over to the lifts. It was a note from Peter that he had booked a table for half past seven.

That gave me precisely half an hour to freshen up and change. No problem. Since I was not a particularily high maintenace kind of woman, I would certainly be ready and taking my seat at the table by that time.

By half past I was showered, changed and indeed sitting down ready for my evening meal. After all the fresh air and walking I had managed to do, I was ravenous.

I opted for a steak meal, as did Peter.

He asked me what I thought of Milan and he listened intently as I gushed about the beauty of the place. He smiled as I spoke, seemingly proud that a first time visitor had enjoyed themselves so much. He in turn told me of a few friends that he had called in on and had shared a bottle of wine with. It seemed that he had a wide circle of friends in and around Milan that he hoped to see while he was here. Our conversation was relaxed and the feelings of embarrassment that I had felt earlier were now a distant memory.

"Right, I suppose we had better get plenty of rest. Once you're ready in the morning, someone at the front desk will show you where the meeting is being held." He stated as we finished our coffees. I left the restaurant, eager to get back to my room to take Jasper's call, leaving Peter to enjoy an after dinner drink.

I had just settled myself in the sumptuous bed when my phone rang. We talked about the rest of my day and I did share with him as much detail as possible about the places that I had visited. Unfortunately his day had not been very eventful so far but he had managed to get out of the office to have his lunch instead of staying in.

I snuggled down into the bed as we said our good night's.

"Sweet dreams, Bella." He whispered.

"You too, darling. I really do wish that you were here. Everything would be much more fun with you here."

I could hear him smiling down the phone as he spoke. "The only problem with that, darlin' would be that only stayin' for a few days would mean that we wouldn't get out of the hotel at all. We would need to stay at least two weeks to make the whole trip worth while."

"Umm, that sounds like heaven to me. Can we do that when I get back? Stay in bed the whole two days?"

"Your wish is my command, Bella. I'll make sure that I get plently of supplies in so that we don't need to leave the apartment at all over the weekend."

"Good. I look forward to it. You haven't disappointed me yet."

"And I don't intend to, Bella. Shall I ring you the same time tomorrow?"

"Well, we have an evening at the Opera organised. The Italians certainly know how to have meetings in style don't they?" I chuckled.

"Okay, I'll ring at eleven your time."

"That'll be fine. I'm sure we'll be finished by that time."

"Okay then, Bella. Sleep well. I miss you."

"Oh believe me, Jasper this bed is very lonely without you."

"And so will mine be later. Good night, darlin'."

"Good night, Jasper. Love you."

"And you." I smiled as I ended the call, placed my phone on the nightstand, switched the light off and turned over on my side, almost immediately falling into a deep sleep.

The morning meeting went very well. Peter made sure that after the initial greetings were out of the way the rest of the meeting was undertaken in English.

Peter wrapped the meeting up after two hours.

He turned to me after the clients had left the room.

"Well, Bella the rest of the afternoon is your's now. We need to meet in the lobby at five, ready for the opera. Signore Russo and Signore Moretti will meet us at la Scala, with their wives. I believe they all speak a certain amount of English, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Remember, if you do get stuck with understanding something then I will be there. Don't hesitate to ask, right?" I really was beginning to get used to this helpful side of Peter's nature. I just held on to the hope that it would continue when we returned to Seattle.

"No problem, Peter. I know how much you enjoy translating for me." I joked. "I think I'll go and have lunch somewhere outside of the hotel today and then have a rest."

Peter nooded his agreement. "That sounds like a very good idea, Bella. Have you ever been to an opera before? It is quite lengthy and of course it will be sung in Italian, the original language of opera. Tonight we will be seeing Carmen."

"Yes, I have seen a couple of opera's and Carmen is one of my favourites. I'm sure I'll be fine. Even if I don't understand the words, I know that the music and the beautiful costumes will hold my attention."

"Okay, then." He smiled and held the door open for me as we left the room."I will see you later, five o'clock in the front lobby."

I nodded to him and we parted company in the lobby. He walked over to the reception desk and ordered a taxi as I left the hotel and made my way down the street and headed to a small cafe that I had passed by the day before.

I sat at one of the tables in the sunshine and successfully ordered lunch and an iced coffee. I sat back and enjoyed watching the people passing by, many of them were tourists but there were also the business men in their extremely smart suits relaxing during their lunch break and of course immaculately dressed women in their designer clothes. I promised myself a trip to the fashion area of the city the next day as long as time permitted.

After lunch I made my way back to the hotel and to my room. I settled down on the bed and very soon fell asleep.

When I woke up feeling rested and refreshed I had exactly two hours to get ready. In order to make sure that I gave the right impression at the meeting this evening, I decided that high maintence was called for. I showered and dried my hair thoroughly, pinning it up and out of the way. I painted my nails and then went all out with the makeup. Once I was dressed and had put everything I needed in my silk purse, I stood in front of the full length mirror attached to the wardrobe door and slipped on my shoes.

I smiled at myself. I really had done a very good job and hoped that Peter would approve. Even though this was not a date with him, I was representing the Company and going to be spending the evening at the opera with him. I didn't want to disappoint him or feel as though I had let him down in any way.

I double checked that my hair would stay in place for the evening by shaking my head slightly. Everthing stayed intact, thank goodness! I then made my way down to the lobby.

Peter was already there waiting for me, looking very smart in an black evening suit and uniform black tie. I noticed that the tie was slightly crooked.

He nodded to me and seemed to smile his approval. "Will I do then?" I asked, holding my arms out at my sides and did a small twirl.

"You certainly will, Bella. They will be mezmerised by you. That really is a lovely dress." He said warmly.

"Your tie is slightly crooked, Peter. May I?" He nodded to me and I stepped forward and stood infront of him and quickly straightened it for him. His breath fanned across my forehead and he smelt very good. I was beginning to see why Tanya was so attracted to him. He was no doubt as charming with Tanya all the time, as he was being now.

I stepped back from him once the tie was set at the desired angle and he held up his arm, bent at the elbow, for me to take.

I slid my arm through his and we made our to the front of the hotel where a limo was already waiting for us.

A short ride later and we arrived at la Scala. It was a beautiful, imposing building and exactly what an opera house, in my opinion, should look like. Peter escorted me into the foyer. Almost immediately Peter was approached by two men dressed in evening suits, closely followed by two beautifully dressed women.

"Signore Russo and Signore Moretti!" He greeted the men enthusiastically. He had obviously met them before, probably when he had lived in Milan. He introduced me to the two men and they greeted me by kissing the back of my hand. It was such a familiar greeting now, yet still made me smile timidly.

Peter then greeted the wives and introduced them to me. As it turned out Signore Moretti's wife Sofia spoke very good English and we chatted about my thoughts of Milan as we made our way to the restaurant area to have something to eat before the peformance.

As we ate we talked about Seattle and some of the places that both couples had visited in America over the years. The conversation was light and very pleasant. It really didn't feel like a meeting at all compared to the one we had had in the morning.

After the meal Peter led the way up to to the box that was owned by the Company. Peter explained to me that the Company had a made a considerable donation towards the recent restoration and new building project in 2004. So of course because the box was owned by the Company it meant that any employees who happened to be staying in Milan were able to make full use of going to the opera and inviting clients. It was a good way of keeping everyone happy and judging by the smiles on the faces of Signore Russo and Signore Moretti, it worked!

We made ourselves comfortable. I took off my jacket and placed it over the back of my chair. Peter opened a bottle of champagne that had been left for us to share. We toasted each other and to future business between the two companies.

I heard the door open behind me and a small gush of cool air blew across my shoulders and made me shiver slightly.

Suddenly my entire being stilled. I only registered the mearest hint of my shallow breaths. My heartbeat loudly in my ears. I held my glass firmly for fear of dropping it.

I felt his presence behind me. I didn't need to turn to see that he was there. Our group fell silent for a split second as if a person of great importance had just entered the box.

Signore Moretti shifted his gaze from my face to the person standing directly behind me and gave a polite nod of his head.

His tone was gentle yet commanding evoking emotions that had lain dormant deep within me, to stir once again.

"Good evening everyone. Bella." I closed my eyes momentarily. As my name fell from his lips I was already beginning to fight the battle that had begun warring between my logic and my now waking emotional turmoil.

I still couldn't move from my place. It was as if I was frozen in time. I felt his fingers trace lightly down the nape of my neck. And I knew that he would feel the goosebumps that formed beneath his finger tips.

And then his breath fanned over my shoulder as he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"I trust you are well, Bella. You cannot imagine how much I have missed you."

End of Chapter

Author's note; I know, I know. I am horrible and you all hate me. But you do love this story don't you?! Press the green button and make me smile! Take care until next time.