Stephenie Meyers owns Twilight - I just own this story. Many thanks to my betas Ange and Kirsten!

Rated M for a reason ;) Please don't read if it offends you.

Chapter 24 – Touch and Go

EPOV

It was late on a Monday afternoon, and since I was flying back to the east coast, I'd lost a couple of hours. The first thing I was going to do in the morning was head over to that damn cemetery. When I checked online for the operational hours, the office closed by three o'clock in the afternoon for some reason, making my visit over there a moot point. I knew Jasper wouldn't be there, but hopefully Aro Tanner's gravestone was. A lot of emotions were running through me because if I did find it, it was possible my mother was out there suffering somewhere; that is, if she hadn't died of an overdose already.

All these years had passed, but my mother's memory was still an open wound for me. Could I have done something to save her? Why didn't I keep her away from that madman before things got too far?

I had to stop thinking about it, or I'd lose my mind. Tomorrow was another day, and hopefully I'd get some answers. After my plane touched down, Emmett had a limo waiting for me which gave me time to contemplate my next move. The search for Jasper had been going on for a few days now; my best guys were on it, but so far, nothing had turned up in proving any clues on his whereabouts. I was pretty exhausted from the three hour flight, so my bed was calling my name.

The limo pulled into my driveway, and I saw Emmett's car sitting there. Great, just what I needed. He got out greeting me and grabbing one of my suitcases while talking at the same time. I knew what he was going to say; I'd heard it for the last few days which made being around him pretty intolerable as of late.

"How was your flight?"

I mumbled that it was fine as we climbed up my porch stairs.

"You wouldn't believe it unless you were there to hear it, man. They loved you guys. They compared it to an old episode of 'Moonlighting.' Have you given it any thought yet? C'mon, Edward. It's a great opportunity for us. So, whad'ya say?" Emmett asked me as he paced around my living room table.

I had been home all of one minute now, and he was trying to persuade me to work with Bella Marie. I hadn't talked to her since our argument backstage, but I knew she was back at C&M. There wasn't a waking moment when I hadn't thought about her and that rotten Jimmy Tanner screwing me behind my back. To think I pledged my undying love to her too; I was such a complete idiot.

I sat my luggage down inside the front door toying with the idea of pushing Emmett out of it. "Em, you do know she's conspiring against us, probably to overtake our company with Jimmy, right? She's been working with him all this time to get in my good graces, not to mention getting in my pants too. She's our mortal enemy now, and all you can think of is getting the two of us together – for what exactly?"

"Listen to me, Edward. We don't know for sure if she's in cahoots with James or not. What I do know is she has worked hard for our company bringing us in a couple million dollars worth of business. We have offers from four different companies asking for you two to host their next conventions, and once everyone knows you're from C&M, our company will skyrocket in sales. We wouldn't just be known in the south, but all over the nation; possibly internationally. We can take C&M public!"

My heart wasn't in the business anymore; hell, it wasn't anywhere. I couldn't give a damn about anything except finding Jasper. He was my first priority; that and finding James so I could shoot him dead.

"What's that saying about keep your friends close and your enemies closer? I believe you also told me you were going to keep a close eye on Marie so she could lead you to James. What happened to that idea?" Emmett walked into my kitchen, opening up the refrigerator to scrounge for food as usual.

It was time to tell Emmett that Marie and Bella were one in the same. I sat him down, spilling my guts about her, letting him know how devastated I was when I saw her and Jimmy together.

"I'm still not ready to be around her yet. I've got our security detail on her to see if she meets up with him. So far, there's no word on them hooking up." My hands ran through my hair as I sat down on the barstool next to the kitchen counter. "How could I be so far off base with her? I really liked this girl, and she took my heart out of my chest and stomped the hell out of it."

Emmett went back over to the refrigerator and pulled out some lunchmeat, cheese and mustard and began to make himself a sandwich. After making the largest one I'd ever seen, he took a huge bite and sat down next to me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, she had us all fooled. She's a pretty good actress, I'll give her that. I pegged her for a smart cookie but to get mixed in with a scumbag like that . . . he must be promising her something really good. Speaking of which, if she is working with him, she has to know where Jasper is. I'm telling you, Ed, you need to go to her. Play her like you think she's playing you. Get close to her, sleep with her again, hell read her texts while she's taking a shower. Do what you need to do to get our buddy back."

Em's absolutely right. I needed to suck it up and put on my acting face just like she had done with me. Evidently, she didn't have a problem bedding me, leading me on and even telling me she loved me too. Bella Marie better watch out because here I come, and there's no time like the present.

. . .

It had been a very long time since I set foot in the C&M building which was apparent when most of the employees cranked their necks around to look at me. Emmett thought I was here to make good with Bella Marie, so he let me use his office since he had a business trip planned to the Caribbean. We had quite a few shipments coming in over the next few weeks, and we couldn't afford for anything to go wrong, so he offered his services, for which I was grateful.

Stepping off the elevator, I pulled down on my shirt sleeves making sure I looked my best. My navy blue Armani suit screamed sex appeal which I had counted on to win Bella Marie over. She had left so suddenly in Vegas, and although I knew why I didn't want to see her anymore, I didn't know why she couldn't see me. What difference did it make that I was part owner in C&M?

I was proud of what Emmett and I had accomplished in the short time this company had originated, so I had nothing to be ashamed of. Did she have regrets about what James was making her do? Nothing really made sense, but I was about to find out.

Alice was the first one to greet me as she saw me coming down the corridor.

"Wow. I'd never believe it unless I saw it with my own two eyes. Edward Masen actually steps foot in his own building. It's a miracle." Alice walked up to me, giving me a big hug.

We talked for a few minutes, and I could tell there was something she wanted to ask me.

"Spit it out, Alice. I can tell you're dying to ask me something. What's on your mind?" I asked her as I sat down on the corner of her desk, taking a look around for a certain someone.

"You can't fool me, Edward. I know why you're here; you want to see her as much as she wants to see you."

"Excuse me? I'm not here to see her. Emmett asked me to come in here and check on things for him while he's away on a business trip. He actually had to arm wrestle me, and unfortunately I lost, so here I am."

"Uh-huh. She's denying it too. She's in her office if you want to see her. Make something up if you have to, but I don't see what the big deal is. You two are a piece of work." Alice sighed as she sat down in her chair, wheeling it around back toward her keyboard to start typing.

Alice was very insightful, but she didn't know the real reason I was here. It definitely wasn't to see her in the way she thought. I would be here to watch every step she made because I knew she'd slip up at some point. She'd lead me to Jimmy, I knew that for sure.

I stood up, smoothing out my jacket and braced myself for this conversation. I had to put on my best face when all I wanted to do was find Jasper and my mother alive. I swear if Bella Marie had anything to do with my mother, I'd kill her with my bare hands. Deep down, I really didn't believe she did, but I had to keep remembering her with James and him kissing her hand before she left. It really made my blood boil.

Taking a deep breath, I put my hand on the doorknob of her office door. Before I turned it, Alice spoke up.

"Oh, Edward, can you take it easy on her? She hasn't been feeling all that well since we got back from Vegas. I think she's caught a flu bug or something."

"Uh, sure." My body tensed up for some reason; making me think she had this odd sense of control over me. That was about to end. "Hey, Alice? Please hold Ms. Sw-, I mean Ms. Dwyers's phone calls, please."

I barged right in her office without waiting for a reply. Shielding the door with my body, I gently locked the door behind me. She was leaning against her desk, pencil in mouth, and her glasses halfway down her nose. Her hair was up in a bun, but some pieces of hair had fallen out and were curled up next to her ears. Damn, I hated when she had that librarian look; this was going to be tough.

Alice was right about her being sick though. She looked quite pale and thin, just like I noticed in Vegas, and she had lost a few pounds. Bella peered up at me over her drooping glasses, and I could see the dark circles under her eyes. Looks like someone else wasn't getting any sleep either. Her eyebrows rose up from seeing me standing in her doorway, and she immediately pushed her glasses up her nose, taking the pencil out of her mouth to speak.

"Mr Masen . . . wow, I didn't expect to see you here. This is quite a surprise."

It appeared she was in the same mood she left with me in Vegas, hence the formality.

"Yeah, I decided to keep a closer eye on things around here – especially since Emmett's away on a business trip." I figured I might as well be blunt with her, letting her know who was boss around here, and that I wasn't planning on taking any bullshit from her.

She saw right through me. Giving me the once over, she finally spoke. "I see. You don't trust me. I can't blame you, seeing how I've not been honest with you. However, I can say the same about you. A bit hypocritical, aren't we?" She moved slowly around her desk, taking the pencil from her hand and putting it behind her ear. Why did that gesture make her look so damn sexy?

I decided to play this cool, being the arrogant fucker that I was, and slicked back my hair with my fingers and walked right up to her. We were inches apart when I spoke. "Look, let's cut to the chase here, shall we? We don't trust one another, but we're going to have to work together. Don't you think we can get along and be professionals?" My hand touched her right shoulder, and I let the back of my fingers slowly slide down her arm. I knew she was definitely a professional; at what I wasn't sure yet, but I'd find out if it killed me.

She shivered at my touch; her eyes closing as her breathing sped up. I could tell she had some feelings there which confused me even more. If I hadn't seen her with James, I wouldn't have given a shit about the alias because I pulled the same thing on her. This was different; Jimmy was my nemesis, and I'd be damned if I ever let him get the best of me.

Her eyes finally opened, right after I picked up her hand and brushed it up against my lips. The same hand that he had kissed just a week prior. Staring into my eyes, I could see the lust building up in them; we had been together enough times that I knew that look of desire.

"Please don't do that, Mr. Masen. It's not appropriate in the workplace, don't you agree – especially if we're going to be professionals? Your words, not mine, by the way. And I told you I can't see you anymore." If she knew Jimmy, I was pretty sure she knew about my organized crime ties along with my drug rings, so why would she give me up so quickly?

With that being said, she took her hand away and moved toward her chair, but I was having none of it. I grabbed her arm, spinning her around and with my lips right up against her ear I whispered, "That's bullshit, and you know it."

She jerked her arm back, releasing my hold on her. Her hand reached up under my chin, pulling my face down and squeezing it ever so slightly while staring straight in my eyes. "I'm usually true to my word. Do you doubt my sincerity, Mr. Masen?"

Without looking away from her, I gently spoke, "I'm beginning to wonder if you have a sincere bone in that skinny body at all. What are you still doing here anyway? Because I don't believe you care one iota about this company let alone anything else besides yourself."

Within seconds, my right arm was twisted behind my back, my whole body slamming down hard against her desk. The next thing I knew, she was pulling my hair back, forcing my head to look forward right at her computer screen.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I barely got the words out of my mouth as I could hardly breathe in the position she had just put me in. For a small woman, I totally believed she could handle any size person that got in her way. She had me in an arm lock with her knee in my back, and I was totally immobilized from it.

"I want to show you something. Do you see that spreadsheet right there with over forty dealerships lined up on the left? In the next column, you will see their orders for the next two years along with our projected profits after the gross. I have been on the phone with these companies since day one, hammering out the deal of the century for us, and all you can say to me is that I don't care about this business?" Her words were coming out of her mouth loudly and with such conviction, she almost had me snowed.

My eyes scanned the spreadsheet on the screen; I recognized all the dealerships, some of which I had been trying to sell to for years but had not succeeded. How did she do it? The sales figures were anything but insignificant too. By these figures, we had stood to triple our profits within the next two years, sending us to the top of the luxury car chain.

I felt her grip loosen on my hair and her knee adjusting ever so slightly in my back, and that's when I decided to make my move.

My left foot hooked into hers, causing her to lose her balance and grab the side of the desk. Her hand no longer clenching my hair, I twisted my body around, grabbing her so that her back was pushed up against the desk, and I was now in control. The surprised look on her face said it all. I could tell she wasn't used to losing power over anyone, so it came as a shock I could hold my own against her.

"How does it feel now, Bella Marie? To finally lose control and have someone else hold the reigns over you is something you're not used to, I can tell." I took my foot and spread her legs apart, shifting my body between them and leaning over her.

"Let's get back to the issue at hand, shall we? You can't see me anymore because of . . . what? Because I'm your boss now?"

Her breathing was frantic, but her eyes still sparkled. I didn't give her a chance to answer. I scooped her up, smashing my lips to hers. My hands went to the back of her head, pulling out the hairpin to let her hair cascade down her shoulders. She responded by kissing me back too; weeks of sexual tension being released in a few short minutes. I pressed myself harder against her; the hardness in my crotch rubbing against right where she needed it. My hands moved down to the hem of her dress, feeling her thigh high stocking clips and ripping them off. She reached for my belt, unbuckling it as fast as she could while grazing her fingertips over my ever growing erection.

We stopped kissing long enough to catch our breath and for me to pull my pants down. With my boxers down, I could see her eyeing her prize as I pulled her panties over to the side. No need to mess with taking them off; it took too much time. Grabbing her legs to put them around my waist, I rammed into her as she cried out, her noises spurring me on to only go faster. She arched her back, meeting me thrust for thrust, while her heels dug into my back.

"Oh, God, yes! Don't stop. Please don't stop."

I had no intention of stopping; I was going to get as much pleasure out of this as I could. The feel of her body next to mine again was amazing even though I knew she was probably out to get me. Thoughts of her betrayal only made me drive into her faster like I was trying to fuck her out of my system or something. Not that it would help any.

I wanted to give her the illusion of us getting back together to gain her trust. Jimmy needed to be found which made this encounter all the more exciting. I'd screw her in more ways than one in the end.

Her hands grasped the side of the desk as she held on tight, knowing she was getting the ride of her life. I grabbed both of her legs, bending them close to her chest for a deeper angle. After watching our bodies connected, she leaned up, pulling my face closer to her.

"I've missed this so much. Feeling you so deep inside me is unlike anything I've ever felt before. I need you, Edward. I shouldn't feel this way, but I can't help it anymore." Right after those words came out of her mouth, she shivered, and I knew her orgasm was close.

Remembering who she was and who she worked for, I plunged into her as far as I could go, like I could magically fuck all my troubles away. I knew that wasn't possible, no matter how hard I wished it was true. I did tell this woman I loved her less than a week ago, and those feelings didn't just change overnight no matter how hard I wanted them to go away.

My hand moved over the neckline of her dress, pushing it aside. Her bra moved down as my hand yanked it as well, making her breast readily available for me to take in my mouth. Just as I took it in, sucking and licking her nipple, Bella screamed out, her body quivering against mine. Her walls clenched down around my cock, making me hit my orgasm as well. I leaned down kissing her swollen lips one more time before I pulled out of her. It was rough, needy and frantic, but we both craved it like nothing else in the world.

We laid there for a minute, catching our breaths and realizing what we had done in her office, no doubt, when reality set in about what had just occurred. I pulled up my pants while she fixed her dress when she spoke up.

"You can stop calling me Bella Marie. It's just Bella."

I finished tucking in my shirt when I asked her, "Is that your real name?"

She didn't acknowledge me one way or the other as she pulled out a mirror in her purse, fixing her makeup and putting her hair back up in a bun.

My suit looked decent as I saw my reflection in the mirror on the back of her door. I buttoned up my jacket as I stood and made my way out of her office. Deciding to play with her a little bit, I left her with something to remember me by.

"Nice work on those dealerships. It shows a lot of initiative on your part, and I'll make sure Emmett is notified immediately of your accomplishments. However, I need you to work late every night this week. Emmett told me we have quite the list of potential clients interested in us after the showcase which will require us to dig in our heels and work out the details of how we're going to handle all of them. I expect you to be here checking in with all of them to research their needs and requirements. I'm sure this won't be a problem for you."

After that, I turned around and left, shutting the door behind me.

I headed over to Emmett's office trying to get a handle of everything going on in my life when my cell phone blared that familiar ringtone I had longed to hear. Pulling my phone out of my pocket quickly, Jasper's name reflected on the caller ID, making me breathe a sigh of relief.

Trying not to sound too overjoyed because it could've been stolen, I let it ring a couple of times before I answered it.

"Hello?" My heartbeat pulsed so fast I thought I might pass out.

"Well, if it ain't my old buddy, Eddie boy. How's it goin' there, bro? Been sellin' a lot of cars lately?" If I thought my heartbeat was fast before, it was nothing compared to what it felt like now.

"What the fuck are you doing with Jasper's phone, you prick? Where is he, and what have you done with him?"

"My, my. Someone's awfully touchy and accusatory. What makes you think I've done anything with your sidekick, Batman? I just found this phone lying in a ditch and started dialing the numbers in the contact list. Funny thing though, your name was his I.C.E. number. How ironic is that?" Jimmy laughed hard in the phone which made me want to punch him all the more.

"What the fuck do you want from me? You've killed my best men, then my ex. Now, you've got my right hand. Apparently, I've got something you want so name your price." I slipped inside the closest door I could find which happened to be a storage closet so no one could hear my conversation with this lunatic.

"Hmm. Now what could Eddie Masen have that I would want. That's a very interesting question, and I'm so glad you asked it. First things first though. Remember when we were teenagers, and you were in need of some quick cash because your sorry excuse for a mother couldn't provide for you? Well, ole' Jimmy here, out of the kindness of his own heart, let you in on his little business so you could feed and clothe yourself. And how do you repay me? You go out and steal my business right out from under me. Now, I gotta tell you Eddie, I'd say I owe you big time. Whad'ya think?"

Fucking hell. I knew he had been pissed at me at first for taking over a few of his clients, but they kept calling me because he couldn't handle the load. He was the one who kept slipping up, missing drops and not collecting money on time. All these years, and he was harboring ill will over it still? What a fucking psycho!

"What is it you want, Jimmy? I'm not going to get in a tit for tat game. Just tell me what you want for me to get Jasper back. If you tell me he's dead already, I will hunt you down personally, and not only kill you, but everyone you hold dear. Trust me."

He had the gall to laugh for a few seconds before answering me. "That's quite ironic there, Ed. You see you and your family think you can just go and off anyone who doesn't give you what you want. Well, you've got another thing coming. Now I'm the one in charge here, and we're going to do things my way from now on. I'm calling the shots; not you, so here's the way it's going to work. I want everything you took from me and more. I will have your business; both of them, and everything you 'hold dear' because I have something you want. Your life will be made a living hell just as mine has been for the last ten years, so buckle up, Eddie boy, it's going to be a thrilling ride."

With that being said, the fucker hung up on me.

"Dammit!" I screamed out loud before I walked out of the closet. Jimmy was playing me like a fiddle while I sat by and did absolutely nothing. This was stopping now. I pulled out my phone calling the one source I knew would want him dead more than me.

"Hello?" Eleazer answered on the second ring.

"It's me. Edward. Listen, I know the man who killed Tanya. The problem is I don't know where to find him. He's here in Miami though, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to hunt him down and skin him alive. You with me?" Walking to Emmett's office, I closed the door behind me.

Eleazer didn't hesitate for one second. "The only thing I ask is you let me do the killing. How'd you find him?" For the first time since Tanya's death, his voice had a hint of excitement to it.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to keep that under wraps. Just trust me when I tell you I will stop at nothing to catch this prick. It's a long story; one I will promise to tell you about as soon as I can, but right now, we have to concentrate on finding him first. Can you round me up some men?"

I knew Eleazer had access to many henchmen during his years in the business. He could call in a few favors here and there. Together, we could build up an army to take Jimmy's soldiers down one by one, leaving the best for last.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it, Edward. Where do we start?" Eleazer asked as his voice picked up volume.

"Let's meet at our usual place down at the pier. I'll fill you in on everything then. Can you be there in an hour?" I asked him as I loosened my tie around my neck. Suddenly, the room got a bit warmer which I wasn't sure if it was the temperature or my blood pressure.

"Sure thing. I'll have a list of people ready for you along with some new surveillance equipment I've acquired."

"Great. I'll see you in an hour then."

"Hey, Edward?" he asked, pausing for a second.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for looking into this. I don't know how you did it, but we're one step closer to getting this asshole off the streets. I'm looking forward to it."

I gulped as the words he spoke sent a chill down my spine. I hated using Eleazer, telling him to round up some men to help me hunt Jimmy's ass down when I was the reason his niece was dead in the first place. If I had told him Jasper was missing too, he might figure it out. Hopefully, he'd never have to know.

"Me too, Eleazer. Me too." I hung up the phone, wincing at what I'd just done, but it had to go down this way. The more help the better.

I stood up, running one hand through my hair and the other in search of my cigarettes. Pulling the pack from my jacket pocket, I grabbed one out, sticking it in my mouth as I made my way over to the closed door. Just as I grabbed the knob Bella was beginning to knock.

"Whoa. Excuse me!" She exclaimed as her hands went down by her side.

"Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?" I asked her through my cigarette – filled mouth, taking it out only after I spoke.

"What? No, I just needed some files from Emmett regarding the Ferrari account. I was hoping you could get them for me." She had some strands of hair hanging down around her face from our earlier encounter which made her look sexy as hell.

"Well, have Alice get them for you. I'm just leaving for a meeting." I locked and shut the door behind me, walking right past her when she spoke up.

"Stressful day, Mr. Masen?" She asked, her eyebrows arching in the process.

"Excuse me?"

"The cigarette. You only smoke when you're stressed."

"Don't worry about me, darling. I can take care of myself. You just run along and get to work, okay?"

The pissed off look on her face was completely worth the banter. Yeah, I think I was going to love coming back to work.

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I had a completely different ending for this chapter but after my friend read it, she gave me some good suggestions and I changed it around. Thank you to everyone who has me on story alert and fave author!

Reviews: *Would be awesome and appreciated!* I finally got a bunch the last time so it's good to see that you all like the story! I'd especially like to know if you like the way things are going because they're really about to take off.