Chapter 7

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce you," Rosalie apologized. "Isabella, this is Lord Edward Cullen, my new client."

"Please, call me Edward," he said in a smooth velvet voice with the sexiest British accent, then kissed the back of my right hand.

What is it with me and British accents?! I couldn't think straight. I gasped, still feeling his lips on my hand. They seemed to be engraved there, smooth and warm, while he presented me with a perfect white smile. I blushed a little more, realizing that he was probably waiting for me to say something.

"It's very nice to make your acquaintance, Isabella," he finally said, apparently amused by my lack of speech. He was probably used to having this kind of effect on women. I cursed myself profusely for my blushing at the same time as I felt my cheeks get hotter with every passing second.

"You too," I was able to say eventually, surprised that my voice sounded undamaged by my internal riot.

"Bella," Rosalie began, "Lord Cullen is visiting Australia for the first time, so I invited him to join us to dinner."

I stared at Rosalie in disbelief. What if I hadn't changed at Henry's hotel suite?! What difference would it make anyway, jeans or blue dress… it's not like I have a chance.

"So I see that you did have time to change, you look wonderful", Rosalie said, praising my outfit. Now there's a first.

"If I dare say so myself, you do," Edward said, looking at me intently. His eyes were so intense, green lakes with mysterious currents pulling me under. I blinked, trying to clear my mind. "Thank you. We´re going to be late, we should get going. Where did you park, Rosalie?"

"In the garage."

"Why don't you come with me?" Edward suggested. "We can ride together to the restaurant. I will have your car picked up by one of my staff, and they will take it to any address you'd like, Rosalie."

"Sounds good to me," Rosalie answered softly.

I understood right away that he must be the kind of person she couldn't deny anything. She always insisted on driving in any circumstance, even my car. I remember asking her why and she told me, "I have two reasons: first, I take great pleasure in driving, second, I don't like to give anyone control over me and my life like that". It was understandable after what Emmett told me a few years ago. She had accepted a ride home from some guy named Royce, who was the school's jock. Apparently he had something different in mind, because he drove in the opposite direction of her house. When Rosalie asked him where he was taking her, he told her that they were going someplace where they could have some real fun without being disturbed, placing a hand over her inner thigh. She knew what was coming and tried to force him to stop, but he hit her and locked the doors. She took a hold on the wheel and they crashed. He died within a few months of the accident, never having woken up from the coma. She got away with only a few broken ribs and some superficial cuts and bruises.

While I was submerged in my memories, Rosalie and Edward appeared to be discussing some details about their advertising project.

Edward had his driver waiting in the limo by the entrance of the building. In a very gentlemanly manner, he helped us both into the car. And there it was again -- the same warmth spread from the mere inches of my hand touched by his hand to the rest of my body, even though his hands were unseasonably cold. I couldn't even look at him, certain that my body language would betray me. I felt frustrated by my lack of control, a feeling too foreign for me. I held my hands on my lap as I looked out the window. They felt strange, like phantom limb syndrome, because the absence of his hands on my own. It was almost painful, though I tried to ignore it during the short twenty minute drive to the restaurant. I was too aware of his presence as he kept talking to Rosalie. What am I doing here?

When we got to the restaurant my mom and Emmett were already waiting for us.

"Who are you and what did you do to my little sister? You look great," Emmett said, and Edward only nodded.

"Thanks," I blushed.

"That blue looks great on you, honey. If I knew you that you went shopping today, I would have accompanied you," Renée said, looking at me appraisingly.

"Baby," Rosalie said, taking a place next to Emmett. I mentally thanked her for diverting the attention from me -- she knew me too well. "I would like to introduce you to Lord Edward Cullen, my new client."

"It's very nice to meet you," Emmett said, "and this lovely lady here is my mother, Renée."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, I can see from which side your daughter got her loveliness," he said with a smile, directing his green eyes unswervingly to mine. This time I didn't try to look away; instead, I met his gaze and we stared at each other for a few seconds. I was quite proud of my accomplishment, reiterating to myself that this man was like any other man and I was just caught off guard by his good looks, that was all there was to it. He looked away and directed his speech to Emmett. "I hope I'm not intruding on your family evening, but when Rosalie said where you were going, I tricked her into inviting me."

"Lord Cullen, you didn't trick me into anything, you're more than welcome to join us for dinner. I'm only afraid this is not the kind of restaurant you'd usually choose for yourself," Rosalie said graciously.

"That's exactly why it is so attractive to me right now," he said, smiling as his eyes flickered momentarily to me.

"Shall we go in?" Emmett asked.

"Bella," Edward offered me his arm and I took shyly, trying to square my shoulders as I did so. We followed Rosalie and Emmett inside. Edward helped Renée and I to sit before he took his place in front of me.

"So, Lord Cullen," Renée began, "what brings you to Australia?"

"Business."

"And what's your field?" Renée persisted.

"Right now I'm working with Rosalie. The company I'm representing is launching a new ine of clothes and we want to have a hold on the Australian market. "

"That's very interesting. And what's your company?" At least Renée was able to keep him talking, I'd give her that.

"More Enterprises. We´re only now entering this business. We started a few years ago with some collections designed by my mother that were designed for a very specific clientele, but decided to expand the market. Now we're launching a new line of more affordable clothes."

I choked on my water. I placed the cup I was holding on the table while rubbing my chest soothingly, trying to control my cough. You have got to be kidding me! As in Henry's enterprises? I made a mental note to ask him about it. Edward's eyes widened a little at my gesture and I flushed as I realized I had slipped my hand under my dress and placed it above my right breast. He smiled crookedly at me, which made my face even hotter.

"And fromwhat I've seen, every woman from 18 to 50 is going to love it. A.M. is going to be the new 'it' store!" Rosalie said to Renée, allowing our little exchange to go unnoticed.

So his mother must be Esme Cullen, the haute couture designer. Wow… I saw then the resemblance between this man and the woman I'd seen too many times in some of Jessica's magazines. Ungh, Jessica.

"And what does A.M. stand for, Lord Cullen?" Renée continued with the Spanish inquisition, poor guy! Maybe not so poor…

"It's actually my sister's initials, Alice More."

The rest of the night was agreeable but obviously meant that getting Emmett and Renée talking would have to be postponed, yet again. Emmett ordered ribs for everyone, and I couldn't even eat one third of what was laid before me. I noticed Edward eyeing his own plate with horror; however, he soon composed his face and probably patted himself on the back for it going unnoticed. Think twice!

There wasn't a moment of silence during dinner. Renée monopolized Edward's attention and pried at many aspects of his personal life. He was always polite, but I noticed he tried not to give away too much about himself. In spite of that, I was able to find out that he was single, had an older brother and a younger sister, and that he and his sister were adopted by the Earl of Avon after his mother was widowed. He also talked animatedly with Emmett about the advances of modern technology, and he was interested in knowing more about Sydney's night clubs. I tried not to make assumptions about him, but there were some things in his body language that gave him away as an arrogant jerk. I noticed how he never looked at the waiters who were servicing at our table; he sat with his clavicles perfectly aligned and his back straight in the chair, which I interpreted as a false feeling of dignity. And although he answered everything in a warm voice, it didn't reach his eyes. A wave of sadness hit me because I remembered Henry More. I decided to call him tomorrow. I needed to know more about my grandmother and I just couldn't bear the thought of him, the man my grandmother loved, dying alone. Bella you have time to dwell about that later, I chastised myself.

We were getting dessert, and although he eyed me the whole time, I barely talked to Edward during dinner. I honestly didn't know what to say to him, being too engaged in studying every little aspect of his mannerisms and stance. I was admittedly a little scared at myself because of the way my body was reacting to his presence. He must have disturbed my brain chemistry, there was no other explanation… or maybe I was ovulating. There must have been some rational reason to justify why I wanted to drag him into some dark alley right now. It felt so wrong to feel this way, especially considering the image I was forming in my head of his personality. Everything about him screamed 'danger', but oddly, although we seemed to be opposites, apparently, like magnets, we were attracted to one another.

Lord Cullen, I mean, Edward, locked my gaze with his eyes for a few seconds as if he were pondering what to say. Finally he asked me, "Isabella, I hope you're not so quiet this evening because of my presence."

What?

"I can assure you that isn't the case." It wasn't a complete lie…or maybe it was. I was such a terrible liar, I hoped he didn't see through me. Everyone else had quieted and directed their attention toward us, making me slightly uncomfortable.

"Good. So I feel like I talked about myself most of the night, but heard little about you. Tell me something about yourself." His eyes demanded an answer, and his usually velvety voice had an added, rougher undertone.

"What would you like to know?"

"For instance, what do you do for a living?" Edward asked, reverting to his habitual tone.

"I'm…"

"Bella is a doctor," Renée said, interrupting me.

"Is that so?" he said, with a slightly defiant tone tainting his voice. His eyes darkened slightly without looking away from mine. He wanted to force me to answer him.

"Yes , I am."I answered simply.

"And where do you work?"

"I'm an internal medicine resident in Washington."

"I'm impressed, Isabella, beautiful and intelligent, a very dangerous combination for a young woman. I have to admit that when I saw your picture in Rosalie's office I took you for a model. I suppose you do that in your spare time?" he asked nonchalantly.

"What picture? Rosalie?" I asked, turning my attention to her. She had an oops kind of look on her face. Busted!

"Oh Bella, I actually used one of the photos that Jacob took at the wedding as a poster in my office. I wanted something to go with the space and the new image we are trying to create for our agency. You know how amazing and strong Jacob's black and white pictures are. I forgot to tell you, I thought you wouldn't mind."

I hadn´t seen it, but then again, when I visited Rosalie at work, I had waited in the reception area.

"Sure Rosalie, I'm just surprised. I had no idea you were so fond of Jacob's work."

"Well, he captivated your beauty perfectly, Isabella, although to be truly honest you have exceeded my expectations in color," Edward said in his velvety voice.

"Lord Cullen actually asked me if I could send his mother your portfolio because he thought you'd be great as the face of our campaign," Rosalie said.

"She has the ideal image to convey our message with her perfect simple look and the beauty of the girl next door with that hint of unattainable and unveiled mystery. Can't I persuade you to try, Isabella? Just some pictures would suffice."

I blushed. I had surely never been referred to as perfect or beautiful. I knew I was average pretty, never actually stood out from the crowd because of the way I looked and I never tried to; I had always wanted to stand out for other reasons. Beauty fades away with aging, at least according to the current standards, and it is not an immutable concept since it diverges from one individual to another, from one culture to another, and evolves as time passes. Being beautiful meant very little to me. Still, I blushed, surprised by the fact that I was pleased, because he thought of me as a beautiful woman.

"I'm afraid not. I have no idea how to pose for a photograph," I answered in a low but firm voice.

"If you change your mind, let me know," he said, lowering his voice as well.

"Oh man, that would be my worst nightmare becoming reality, guys drooling over my baby sister!" Emmett said, and we all laughed with him. The subject died there.

At the end of the evening, while Emmett took care of the bill, Rosalie and Renée excused themselves to use the bathroom. I followed them. Edward's intense gazing was unsettling me and I needed space.

"Mom, I´ll wait for you outside. I want to get some fresh air and enjoy the view a little."

"Sure, honey, we´ll meet you there." Rosalie nodded in agreement and I went outside.

I walked towards the reflection of the moon and the city lights in the calm water, the waves giving it a mirage-like appearance. I breathed in deeply, holding the little heart suspended around my neck as I tried to clear my mind. This vacation was not turning out to be what I had expected; it held too many surprises and I needed time to assimilate them all. I heard someone's light footsteps approaching me and turned instinctively to the sound.

"Isabella." He was a lot closer than I expected and my heart skipped a beat in surprise.

"Lord Cullen," I almost choked.

"Edward," he corrected me, but his voice was merely a whisper. "How long are you staying in Sydney?" he stepped closer and we were now almost touching. I could smell his intoxicating scent, and I was almost hyperventilating. How can this man have such a hold on me?

"A little less than two weeks now."

"I'd like to see you again. I'll take you somewhere else, a place more refined and suitable for us."

Oh, somewhere more refined and suitable for us? Then I realized that looking from the outside, my quietness over dinner, the perfect piece of jewelry I had hanging around my neck and the designer ensemble I was wearing might give a wrong idea about myself. Although rationally I knew that this man belonged to a different world, the kind I couldn't and in fact didn't want to belong to as I recently learned from the story of my grandmother and Henry, I didn't refuse him. His scent in the air almost lowered my guard, but my hesitation didn't go unnoticed. Edward grabbed my forearm firmly and took a quick breath in, holding the air in his chest as he tried to pull me out of my silence .

"Isabella, do you have plans for Thursday night?"

AN:

Hello ladies, I´m sorry for the delay in the update, but I have been really busy and the same goes to my wonderful Beta Scooterstale.

Some clarifications about The More-Cullen Family (that are going to be useful from now on):

Edward and Alice were both adopted by Carlisle.

Jasper is Carlisle biological son, from his first marriage.

Edward decided to change his Surname to Cullen but Alice kept her original family name More.

In a few chapters I'll update the More family tree to help you follow the story. I'm curious to know how do you feel about this Edward?

It's becoming a little habit of mine:

Medical trivia:

Phantom limb syndrome:The perception of sensations, that usually includes pain (but not always), in an arm or leg after the limb has been amputated and it's relatively common. The brain still gets messages from the nerves that originally carried impulses from the missing limb.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters, I only decided to play a little with the characters.

If you're interested feel free to follow me on Twitter, I´m Nofrure86.

As always, leave your reviews and ideas below, you really make my day when you do!!

Nofrure.