Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just decided it was time to shake things up a bit in her characters' world. And I wanted a bitchy Bella, so here we go!

Oh, and all of the references used in this story in relation to the advertising and marketing company and accounts are only used here for entertainment purposes; no copyright infringement intended.

Thank you to the following people: Angelicwish, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide this insecure writer with loads of feedback, advice, beta services and great conversations, and to my Jennay- Love you! A special thank you to Forever_Liz, Megsly and barburella, and my new ficwife SusanAshlea for being awesome in general. You guys help me work through my plot and skittle me silly. Love you all!

Again, I must apologize for any delay and off-schedule posting. For the past four weeks I have been relegated to writing chapters at work, after-hours, while I pine away for the new laptop that is taking its sweet-ass time to get to my house. Now that my new lappy Milan has arrived, things will get easier.

In case any of you are wondering, here are some fics that are completely devastating me right now (please go check them out on FanFiction or Twilighted) –Tre by my sweetie Megsly (update soon!); The Blessing and the Curse by The_Black_Arrow and The Misapprehension of Bella Swan (Regarding the Inferior Intellect of Hockey Whores) by hunterhunting. My list of favorites is getting ridiculous. Just read these. You're welcome.

This is the last Bella POV chapter for a little while. I think it's time we see how Sweetward's been dealing with this drama. Though, at least this time, he's creating some of it for a change!

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Chapter Twenty-eight: I'm sorry...

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

Edward's hand was warm over mine, and the combination of the chilled beer bottle and his comparatively hot hand was strangely heavenly. And emptied my brain of all coherent thought.

"Um, well…" I began, stalling to regain my concentration. This conversation needed to happen. Now. Forget about Edward's hands and mouth and eyes and how much you've missed him.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not quite sure where to start," I said. I wiggled my fingers under his and he let go of the bottle, seemingly surprised we were still touching. Once I'd released my grip, he took the beer and drank from it like he was parched. "I guess I wanted to apologize for…well, for lots of things. I've been thinking, and I wish I could take back a lot of it."

Edward's eyes left the bottle and met mine.

"Are you moving to Portland?"

"Wh-what?" I asked, stunned by the strange question. He simply looked at me. "Um, no. No, I'm not moving, Edward. Why?"

"I don't want you to," he said quietly, peeling the label. And then, so softly that I almost missed it, he added, "and I wish you weren't going to be working in Portland, either."

"Edward, I don't want to leave, either, but it just makes sense," I reasoned, feeling like I should be touching him to soothe him as I said this. "It's only two-and-a-half hours away. I'm going to commute."

"It's too far away," he mumbled. Then he straightened up on the stool, appearing to gain some focus. "And you say you're not moving now, but how long do you think you'll really want to commute five hours every day? What's keeping you from eventually moving there?"

"My life is here, Edward," I answered. "My friends are here; my father is here. And you are here." Unable to meet his gaze, I busied myself with flattening the pizza dough. Regardless of how Edward felt, now he at least knew that he was one of my reasons for not running away to Portland. With no response from Edward, I slipped the dough onto the pizza stone, loaded the toppings, and slid it into the oven.

"I was kind of hoping you'd say that," he said when I turned around to him again. His expression was guardedly hopeful. I took another beer out of the fridge and motioned for us to sit in the living room. Edward flopped onto my couch and I sat at the other end, facing him.

"Edward, I haven't been very careful with your heart," I began. "And it seems I've forgotten how to use my own." His confused expression would've made me laugh, were it not for the topic of discussion. "I needed a reality check - a personality adjustment. So…thank you." Only silence came from the other end of the couch, so I kept going.

"Edward, I love you…with everything that I am. My happiest moments are the ones you've been a part of," I said. "And I feel like this chip I carry on my shoulder gets a little lighter when you're around. Then when you…when I left …nothing made sense. This past weekend, it was like I was doing all of the things I should have been, but I wasn't really there.

"It was like all of the air was sucked out of the room. It scared the shit out of me, Edward. Now, even just being in the same space as you…I feel better. And knowing that, how much I needed you, frightened me most of all."

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but I had to finish before I completely lost my nerve - and the point - so I held up my hand.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but please let me finish," I pleaded. Thankfully he acquiesced and instead finished his beer.

"Being in love with you does strange things to me - it makes me utterly irrational, entirely unpredictable, insanely jealous, ridiculously insecure…but it also makes me want to be a better person, if that makes any sense at all," I said, leaning a bit closer. My fingers gripped the couch cushions, since I didn't know if I should act on impulse and touch him instead. Focus.

"You told me I was scared, and you were right. I'm scared of everything: loving you as much as I do, needing you so much, hurting you so badly that we can't get back what we had. But I can't be afraid for the rest of my life, and I'm tired of running. I've been carrying around these ghosts for so long, and I think I'm finally ready to let them go."

Finally, Edward put his hand over mine and coaxed my fingers away from the fabric of the cushion. His thumb, forefinger and middle finger massaged my hand and I sighed in the relief his touch provided. It felt like a lifetime of days had passed since I felt his skin on mine, instead of just a few. I am his. Edward seemed to take in all of what I'd said. It had been one of the hardest things I'd ever done - to throw all of my baggage out like that and admit to it - and I was nervous.

"Thank you for being open with me," he said, and I sighed in relief. He squeezed my hand slightly and added, "I can imagine how difficult that must have been for you. It means so much that you trust me with those things, Bella.

"I need to confess something, too," Edward continued. "You really pissed me off that day, throwing Tanya's text in my face, using it as a weapon. I was so angry that you didn't trust me, and I let that anger take control. Don't you know that I would never do anything to hurt you? Tanya means nothing to me. Nothing."

"I know that, Edward," I admitted, ignoring the sting of his words. "You've done nothing to cause me to doubt you." For a moment I focused only on our hands, carefully choosing my next words. "This weekend I had a lot of time to reflect, and I realized that I need to make peace with myself - let go of the past and any expectations I had for myself back then. I need to accept who I am now and where I am in my life. Until I'm able to do that, I'm afraid I can't give you what you need - what you deserve."

Feeling very exposed by my last statement, I dropped my eyes away from Edward's and instead focused on his hand. With both of mine I turned it over so that his palm was exposed. Using the tip of my finger, I traced the creases in his hand - his life lines. They were long and defined, and this mindless activity brought me a strange sense of comfort.

"Bella, you shouldn't have to be alone, just because you haven't got it all figured out yet," Edward said, interrupting the silence. "No one's perfect. And I want to help you make peace with whatever haunts you. We can do it together."

His desire to be with me, in spite of it all, brought tears to my eyes. The depth of Edward's unconditional love for me, his acceptance and willingness to help, touched my soul. I smiled as an errant tear made its way down my cheek, before wiping it away.

"You make me feel like I'm capable of anything, Edward." I said and chuckled, adding, "and I'm not used to that. I'll promise to work on getting used to the feeling." He smiled, taking my face in his hands, his eyes locked on mine. So much like jade today.

"So, are we…better?" he asked. I nodded. "Good. Because I love you. And I want you in my life."

"I love you too, Edward," I whispered, leaning toward him. "And I want you in my life, too. Always."

"Promise?" His lips brushed mine gently, and I might have passed out for a second.

"Promise," I managed, before initiating another kiss.

My lips molded to his perfectly; the sensation was like coming home after a lengthy trip. The resolution of the conflict between us seemed to heighten our need for each other, as if we had both suddenly realized our mutual cravings. I couldn't help the sighing moan that escaped, and the sound activated Edward's hands.

They moved from my face down to my neck, his long fingers igniting my skin as he went. His hands skimmed my shoulders, as his tongue stroked mine inside my mouth. I held Edward's face to mine, relishing the sandpaper of his stubble and the hard line of his jaw under my fingers. I kissed him as hard as I could, so glad to be back in a place where that was possible. But I needed more.

"Edward, please," I almost whined when he moved his lips to my neck. On cue, Edward gently pushed me back so that I was reclined, but did not stop his teasing assault on my neck. My hands found his hair and his hands found the buttons on my shirt. This man is so talented - unbuttoning my shirt without looking.

Once my shirt was open, his lips disappeared, and I looked up to demand why, only to find him openly gaping at me, his eyes dark and hungry.

"God, Bella, what is that?" he asked incredulously. Confused, I looked down and remembered that I'd dressed with purpose that morning. The dark blue silk brocade fabric, covered in delicate cherry blossoms, always made me feel powerful, confident and secretly sexy. It had taken some getting used to, but now when I wore it, it felt like an armor of sorts, and it comforted me. And no one had ever seen it. Until now.

"Um, well, Edward, it's a…" I never finished my sentence. Edward pulled me quickly off the couch and got on his knees. My heart stuttered and doubled its pace at the sight of him in that position before me. With a slightly mischievous smirk, Edward tugged off my shirt and placed his hands on my hips.

"Can I see more?" All I could do was nod in reply. Edward unzipped my skirt and slid it off my hips, his eyes growing wider as more of the dark fabric and eventually the black lace thong, garter straps and thigh-highs were revealed. Then he sat back on his heels, his mouth open slightly, and I giggled nervously. The noise brought his attention back to my face.

"Yeah, I like corsets," I said, a bit embarrassed. "I needed to wear this today. I was so anxious about talking to you, and-"

Edward's mouth silenced mine, effectively ending my babble. His hands moved slowly up and down the brocade, over the steel bones and down to the edge of the corset, which rested just above the widest part of my hips.

"I love corsets," he breathed into my mouth. I grinned as I kissed him again. This was going to be good. "Wait. Let me rephrase that. I love you in a corset." Edward wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him, and I could tell he was serious. With his hardness obvious through his pants, suddenly I was eager to even the score, and I began to loosen his tie.

"You are completely overdressed, Mr. Cullen," I said with a wry smile, pulling his tie from his collar. "Let me help you." I unbuttoned his white shirt and slid his cufflinks through their holes, letting them drop to the carpet. The shirt quickly joined them, along with his belt, shoes and socks. The site of Edward, barefoot, in only his tailored pants, did funny things to my stomach - and other parts of me - and now I was the one ogling.

"Perfect," I might have murmured, before separating Edward from the rest of his clothing. Once he was naked, my stockings, heels and thong were no match for him, and soon all that stood between us was this article of clothing that was currently impeding me from taking a much-need deep breath. Sexy or no, it, too, needed to go.

Without another word, Edward picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist, walking us out of the living room and into my bedroom. He laid me down onto my bed and hovered over me for a moment before running his fingers through his hair. I turned on the small bedside lamp, bathing the room in soft, pink light.

"Uh, how do I get this thing off? Laces or…" he trailed off, adorably confused. Edward's fingers came to rest around my hips as he searched for an escape hatch or a Pull Here tab. Again I giggled and slid off my bed to stand beside it.

"Nope. Hooks," I said, and unfastened the front of the corset one heavy gauge clasp at a time, until the garment fell to the floor. Edward took a moment before extending his hand so that I could join him.

"You're beautiful, Bella," he said as he resumed his place over me, his body only an inch from mine. It might as well have been a mile. I dismissed his comment with a snicker, but he held my chin with his finger, holding my gaze. "I'm serious. You take my breath away. Really."

His comment took my breath away, and all I could do was pull him to me the remaining distance for a kiss. Our bodies came together as if no time and space had passed, and my bedroom was quickly filled with the soft sounds of our contentment. Edward paused from his worship of the skin around my belly button, pulling himself away so his eyes were staring into mine. They were so clear.

"When I saw you with that corset on, I wanted nothing more than to ravage you good and proper," he said with a crooked smile. "But now, with you here, like this, I just can't find it in me to hurry." With that, he resumed his kissing, and I closed my eyes and sighed. True to his word, Edward took his time loving me, kissing, licking and gently nipping every inch of skin he deemed worthy. And I returned his gesture, whenever he paused long enough for me to touch him.

"Edward, please," I begged for the second time that night, desperate to feel more of him, all of him. He groaned and kissed me long and hard, and I reached around to his backside and grabbed hold, pulling him flush against me with as much force as I could.

"God, Bella, it feels so good to be with you. You feel so fucking good."

The cursing only spurred me on and I whimpered, convinced that if he didn't fill the aching void inside me soon, I'd surely explode. I missed the weight of his body on top of mine, and especially missed having him inside me; it was a feeling that nothing and no one else could replicate. Edward finally came to his senses, and as I bit down on his earlobe, he entered me completely and I was whole again.

Stars floated across my field of vision as Edward thrust deeply but slowly in and out, over and over. My hands were desperate for contact, and I dug my nails into his back as I arched my own off the bed. My ears registered Edward's hiss at the pain I must have inflicted, but neither one of us cared.

All I could see was the vibrant green of his eyes, boring into my own, like two fiery emeralds. All I heard were his hard breaths and my own, occasionally punctuated by moans. All I smelled was him: a mixture of aftershave, shampoo and now sweat - clean and masculine. I was experiencing the best kind of tunnel vision.

"Edward, I never want you to stop," I cried, completely overcome. "I've missed you so much. It…hurt. I don't want it to hurt anymore."

He gently hushed my babble with his mouth, smoothing my hair and continuing his thrusts as he reassured me in the way only he could.

"Shh, love. It's all right," he said in between kisses. "I won't let you hurt, okay? See this? Our bodies were made to fit perfectly, just like this."

I wrapped my legs around him, desperate to pull him even deeper, and one of his hands grasped my ass and lifted me more, sharpening the angle at which our bodies came together. In my delirious state, I couldn't fathom why I had ever let this man walk away from me, even for a few days. At that moment, I vowed to not allow my defects push him away.

"Fuck, Edward, you're so hard…and deep," I mumbled breathlessly. Then he pulled out completely and slid inside me again with enough force that it pushed my next breath out in a loud whoosh.

I knew I was close, but I didn't want it to end, so I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to prolong the exquisite torture and prevent the sensory overload that was Edward. But I could still feel him - his body, his slick hardness inside me, his lips on mine and his warm breath - and hear him - his words of longing and comfort - and it was still too much.

"Oh…Edward…I'm going to-" I cried, cutting myself off. I climaxed silently, my voice caught in my throat, unable to make a sound or even call out his name again. The waves lapped at me again and again as Edward continued moving against me - also silently - until his orgasm followed moments later. Even after, he stayed inside me, and I relished the feeling of our connection as our hearts pounded in a frantic unison, the sound thrumming steadily in my eardrums. Reaching up, I kissed Edward with as much passion I could muster, before dropping my head back onto the pillows.

Rolling onto his side, Edward pulled me with him so we were still face-to-face. I brushed a wet lock of auburn-bronze hair off his sweaty forehead, and kissed his nose. Neither one of us spoke a word for what seemed like hours. I kept my hand on his chest, over his heart; he kept his against the small of my back, pressing me to him and keeping me warm. Finally, sleep began to drag me under, against my will, and I felt Edward pull the covers out from underneath me. Then I was enveloped in soft, cotton warmth and his hand was back to its rightful place.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm kind of hungry."

That roused me from my almost-sleep. The pizza! I bolted out of bed, convinced that the kitchen would be a charred mess, despite the fact that I couldn't recall the smoke detector buzzing. Not that we would have heard it anyways. To my surprise, it was just as we had left it, and I ran to the oven and yanked the door open. My pizza was still on the stone, very much unbaked. I had forgotten to turn on the damned oven!

"Shit. Edward, the pizza isn't done," I exclaimed as I walked back into the bedroom, feeling really foolish. "Come on. You need to eat." I climbed back into bed and wrapped my arms around the naked man lying there. Edward chuckled softly into my hair as he returned my embrace.

"Silly girl. I forgot about the pizza, too," he admitted. "Why don't we get dressed and, this time, actually have some dinner?" I kissed him again and slipped out of bed, searching for our clothing. I located most of it in the living room and handed Edward his boxer briefs and pants. His shirt, however, was mine; I buttoned it up and pulled on a pair of wool socks.

"You look good in my shirt," he said, coming over to me. I reached up on my toes and kissed him before going back to the kitchen to make sure the oven was actually on this time. Hopefully I didn't ruin the dough. Edward met me in there, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Edward, I just wanted to say, for the record, that I'm sorry," I said. "I hope you can forgive me. I don't expect you to just forget about all of this shit and pretend like it didn't happen, but I hope you can forgive me for it."

"I'm sorry, too, Bella," he answered softly. "And I meant what I said before about working this out."

"Thank you," I answered. "And I mean it when I say that I won't walk away again." I was officially out of words, with the exception of the three I uttered immediately after them. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

An hour later we sat at the island, a couple of empty beers and a nearly-eaten, very flat bacon and olive pizza in between us. Edward and I talked of work and family and loosely about the upcoming holidays. I didn't want to assume that he'd be spending them with me at all, so I broached the subject with realistic expectations.

"So, do you have any plans yet for Thanksgiving?" I asked.

"Usually Carlisle cooks dinner, and he and I invite Jasper - and now I'd assume Alice and Esme - over for turkey and all the fixings," he answered, looking reflective. "Why?"

"Well, I don't want to infringe upon your traditions," I said, not wishing to tear him away from the only family he had for dinner in Forks with Charlie. "Nevermind."

"Bella," he said, staring me down. "What were you going to ask me?"

"It's just that for the past few years now I've avoided the holidays with my father," I admitted. "Usually Alice, Esme, Rose, Emmett and I have a small dinner - no big deal. When I was in Forks we made plans to have Thanksgiving there…like old times. And I thought it might be a chance for you to meet him - if you want." Inwardly I cringed at the idea of subjecting Edward to the line of questioning Charlie would, no doubt, levy upon him once we stepped through the door. But in the same respect, the idea of my dad meeting my boyfriend secretly excited me.

Edward silently pondered my proposition for a minute or two. Then his face lit up with what I realized was his own version of an epiphany, and I couldn't avoid the smile that must have mirrored his as he spoke.

"I'd love to meet your father, Bella," he said, reaching over to stroke my cheek. "And I think I have a solution to the multiple turkey dinners, as well. Do you think the Chief would mind a party of eight? Carlisle really loves to cook, so your dad wouldn't have to do anything. And I'm sure the rest of the gang would love to spend Thanksgiving all together. What do you think?"

Aside from the sheer number of people descending on Charlie and his little town, the idea had merit. And it thrilled me to consider spending the first real holiday in years with all of the people I considered to be family.

"Edward, I love it," I said. "Let me go call Charlie." Before he could answer, I ran to get my cell phone. After assuring my father that our house could handle seven other adults and a lot of food, and promising him that I'd make sure they were all put up in decent lodging, I ended the call feeling excited and nervous. Edward is going to meet Charlie. My friends are spending the holidays with me…and my dad.

"Well, Charlie is fine with the crowd coming for Thanksgiving," I said happily, sitting back down at the island. Edward pulled his cell out of his pants pocket, flipped it open and told me he'd handle the rest. A few well-placed phone calls later, and we'd secured the rest of the gang for a road trip to Forks. Holy shit. As we sat there, I considered all that this trip could be. For the first time, we'd all be spending a holiday together, with our significant others, in one place. I was so freaking stoked.

"I'll make sure to give a list of all of the local accommodations to Alice, though I doubt the Forks Motel will pass her muster," I said ruefully. Edward chuckled before nodding in agreement. "But there are some chain hotels a bit farther away that might be okay. What do you want to do, Edward? Should I have her book you a room, too?"

He looked down at the counter before answering. "Well, I was, um, hoping…maybe you wouldn't mind…er, or your dad would be okay…if I stayed in the house with you? In separate rooms, of course."

Inwardly, I squealed. "Sure, Edward. I'll ask Charlie if that's okay. I haven't brought a boyfriend home…in a very long time." Edward, perhaps reading the hesitation in my words, leaned over the counter and kissed me.

"Well, then, I'll have to be on my best behavior," he said. "Don't worry, Bella. It will be great." After washing dishes, I reluctantly gave Edward back his shirt so that he could go home. With the promise of staying one night later in the week, and maybe that weekend, he said goodnight and left me to obsess over the evening's events. Too full of food to sleep, I called my mother. She had told me she and Phil would be traveling this week to California…I thought.

"Hi, baby!" my mother's shrill, excited voice blasted through the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Mom. Where are you?" The background noise was deafening.

"Oh, Phil and I are out at a sports bar, celebrating his win," she gushed. "Phil had the go-ahead run, and then in the bottom of the ninth he hit a double and it was the game-winner! Oh, you should've seen it, baby. He was great!"

Instead of picturing my mother's husband in all of his game-clinching glory, all I could picture was a bunch of past-their-prime men, longing for the good ol' days of late night benders without hangovers, flat stomachs and perky-boobed baseball groupies. The opposite, of course, was the reality of Phil and his minor league team of dreamers. But hey, who was I to criticize?

"Tell Phil congrats for me, will you?" I offered, and imagined many pints of beer being hoisted in his honor. "You guys are in California, right? I thought you said last time we talked that you'd be there this week." There was a muffled thud, some talking, and then shuffling as Renee put her mouth back to the speaker.

"What, honey? Sorry. Phil wanted to know if I needed another shot," she yelled. Awesome. My mother is doing shots in a sports bar. "Did you say California? It's beautiful here. You should come visit next time Phil has a game here. So many palm trees…"

"Mom, how long are you there for?" My patience with Renee and this phone call were beginning to wear thin, and I began pacing in my living room.

"Oh, only until Thursday night, and then we fly back to Phoenix for a week, and then we're off again to Memphis," she bubbled. "Phil's team made the playoffs, thanks to him, so it looks like we'll be traveling for a while. Want to come and meet us somewhere? We might be back on the West Coast around Thanksgiving."

Thanksgiving with Renee and Phil in some stinky hotel room did not a holiday make. And there was no way in hell I was going to subject Edward to that.

"Well, actually, Mom, I kind of made plans to have Thanksgiving with Dad," I said, hoping the activities around her would keep my mother distracted enough to dismiss that comment.

"Really? Um…that's nice, baby," she said, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "I'm sure dinner with you and Charlie is much better than takeout with us, anyways."

"Mom, come on," I groaned. "That's not true. It's just that, well, I haven't seen Dad for the holidays in a long time, and I think he misses it. And…it won't just be me this year." The words slipped out before I even considered the ramifications of them. Shit.

"Is it a guy? Ooh, I bet he's cute. Is he a jock? Emo? Is he smart? I bet he's smart," she said, immediately launching into her inquisition, and I smacked my forehead with my hand. Dumb move, B. "Tell me all about him!"

"Uh, Mom, look, I gotta go," I said, desperately searching for a reason to disconnect. "My washing machine is overflowing!" The lie was lame, but it seemed to work.

"I want to hear about him, baby, okay?"

"Okay, Mom, I'll talk to you later. Tell Phil I said, 'hey.' All right, bye, Mom."

"Wait - are you being safe?" At that, I shut my phone with a loud sigh.

Exhausted from the frenetic phone conversation with my mother, I quickly changed for bed and crawled under the covers, my cell phone in-hand. The knowledge of what tomorrow would bring - telling the rest of my employees at S&P about the changes to come - made me crave the plush sanctity of my pillow even more. Hopefully sleep would come quickly.

Tired. Going to bed. So glad we talked tonight. Sleep tight.

Me too. Sweet dreams, love.

With Edward's text still displayed on my phone, I fell asleep.

"Esme and I have called you all here because we have some exciting news," I said brightly to the roomful of executives. "Some big changes are taking place, and we need your help to make them as smoothly as possible."

Carefully I explained what was to take place at S&P, and I took notice of the varying looks of surprise that made their way through the conference room. Esme sat to my immediate right; Edward was strategically seated to my left, but slightly farther away than Esme was to me. It was deliberate. A few whispers conveyed my executives' reservations, but I made sure I was clear and strong in my message: change would be a good thing for our company.

"I know you all have come to rely on Edward for his direction, leadership and knowledge, and this will be no exception," I continued, briefly glancing in his direction. "He'll be working closely with Esme while I transition out of this office and into our new one, and I want you to all feel comfortable with confiding in both of them and keeping the lines of communication open. This move will be, in the end, a team effort, and none of us can do this successfully without all of you.

"I have the utmost confidence that we can come together during this time, and I feel quite secure in the knowledge that with Esme and Edward here, none of you will miss me at all," I added. Quiet chuckles washed through the room and I smiled demurely. Bella Swan made a joke. Not bad, girl. "Now, are there any questions?"

After fielding a few questions on timetables, accounts and possible future job openings as a result of the move, I dismissed the group and encouraged them to head home early. We'd all most likely be working some longer hours in the next month, so I figured a little give and take was in order. Esme and I walked back to our offices and I resumed my task of re-assigning some of our accounts.

Apparently many of the executives took my cue and left work early. Within a few hours, the office was mostly quiet. It was a peaceful quiet. A knock on my door startled me.

"Can I come in?" Edward entered, shutting my office door behind him. He pulled me gently from my office chair and into his arms. He smelled so good, and I didn't even have the presence of mind to rebuke his affection. "No one's here. Even Jessica left early," he added, as if he was reading my mind again. I simply sighed in reply, wrapping my arms around him.

"I'm so proud of you, Bella," Edward whispered, kissing my forehead. "What you did today - it was great. You were awesome in there, and I just wanted you to know that."

I smiled into Edward's chest as my heart swelled. To hear him say those words did funny things to my stomach. It made me happy that he was proud of me. "Aw, thanks, Edward," I said, only half-joking. "Really, though - thank you. It means so much to hear you say that."

"Oh, and just so you know, I know of at least one executive who will most certainly miss your presence around here," he said, his lips millimeters from mine. We both smiled, before Edward closed the small space between us to kiss me quickly.

We left the office together that evening, throwing our briefcases into our matching Audis like we'd done it all on purpose. Edward kissed me once more before telling me he'd call me later. And before I got into my car, a thought occurred to me.

"And another thing, Mr. Cullen," I said cheekily. "One of the things on my to-do list before I leave is to put an end to Aro and Tanya's meddling. I'd like to do this as a favor to you, okay? So just leave it up to me. Trust me. I will be nothing but professional." I winked and slid behind the wheel. That evening would be devoted to dinner with the girls, some drinks and some good, old-fashioned scheming.

"Hey, Alice, it's B," I said as I pulled out of the garage, Edward's headlights shining into my car. "Let's get the girls together. I'm in the mood for some Hump Day drinking, dining and deviance."

A/N: Well, I hope you all breathed a sigh of relief, and maybe lit a smoke or two (though that's a bad habit, so stop it!). We covered a lot; hope you liked it. Bella's back on the poetry wagon, and this excerpt was When We Two Parted by Lord Byron, of course (no copyright infringement intended). It's a devastatingly beautiful poem, but I couldn't put you through more than one stanza of it and that one seemed to work best.

Don't forget to visit the HtS thread on Twilighted to submit your ideas for the one-shot! http:/www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=9356

And if you'd like to check out Bella's corset, go here and then click on the color swatches to find with blue one. . . Thanks in advance to Barbi, who said she'd drop the dime to my hubs that I need one of these!

Please leave comments/reviews! I love them like makeup sex (you knew I couldn't resist)!