Hello everyone! I haven't written a FF story in a long ass time, so I thought I'd try my hand at a new one. I've been working on writing a book outside of FF, but I need a release for creative freedom and all that shit. Chapter 1 is a bit longer than my other ones will be, but I wanted to get the layout down to set the scene.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I don't own the Twilight characters. I might throw a random original character in there because why the hell not, but you know the drill.
BPOV
I walked down the crowded sidewalk, bopping my head slightly to the song that was blaring through my headphones.
"If I had two dozen roses and an old bottle of wine. If I really could've hung the moon, would it change your mind…" The old country song was putting me in a great mood, and I didn't realize I was singing it out loud until the older gentleman who was walking next to me turned and grinned at me. Whoops.
It was a beautiful day, typical sun shining and birds singing and all that jazz. It would have been even better if I weren't pushing my way through crowds of people towards my office building. I glanced down to my wrist watch and grimaced. I was cutting it close.
Three days ago I got the phone call from the staffing agency I had been doing temp work through, and they presented an offer that I literally couldn't turn down. A financial company in downtown Philadelphia was in the need of a Human Resources team member, and I was being brought in on a temp-to-permanent basis. I had moved to New Jersey a few months prior, leaving my home state of Washington to greener pastures. Theoretically speaking.
The position required me to show up bright and early on Monday morning, so I spent the weekend picking out my first day outfit (dress slacks and a pretty blouse… I got it originally as a joke because it was a bright orange, but it looked damn good on me) as well as researching more on the company. There wasn't much to it, I suppose. Established in the year 2000, the company went from a two office facility to ten floors of one of the biggest skyscrapers in Philly. I came across the owner's name while browsing the website, and Carlisle Cullen did a great job for someone who didn't look like he was born before 1980. Good 'ol southern boy making his name in the industry, planting his roots in the big city.
I had woken up early and driven to the Patco station, parking my car and taking the train into the city. I knew there was no way in hell I would be driving over the bridge and trying to find parking in the city, at least the first few days. And when I was looking at the map of where Cullen Financial was located, I was pleased that the Patco line had run right next to Walnut St.
Once I arrived at Cullen Financial, I stopped and looked up at the building. Metal and windows for days, and if I kept tilting my head back to look up, I'd fall backwards. I was definitely nervous, but more excited than anything. I wasn't able to stop and stare too long, though, because if I waited around any longer I'd be late on my first day. Tomorrow I'd be taking an earlier train to avoid the nerves.
Walking through the double doors, I smiled at the man at the front desk. He sat with a headset on, speaking softly into it as he pressed buttons on a panel in front of him. I waited until he turned his complete attention to me before asking him which floor to direct myself to.
"Floor 15," he answered in a soft voice. He winked and sent me a smile. "You have a great day." I accepted the wink and gave him a smile of my own before heading to the gold framed elevators. A security guard manned the turnstile in front of the elevators, a clipboard in his hand and a no-nonsense look in his eyes.
"Hi, I'm starting with Cullen Financial today, I need to go to floor 15." I made sure to tack on a smile, but it wavered when the security guard didn't even blink.
"Name?" Thanks for the welcome… I looked at his name tag… Bryant.
"Bella Swan. It might be under Isabella." Bryant looked down at his clip board for a moment and then looked back to me.
"ID." I raised an eyebrow and nodded. He wasn't a man of many words it seemed. I fished into my bag for my wallet, flipping it open to show my brand-new New Jersey license. Please don't make me take it out, I thought. Digging for my ID behind that see-through plastic window was a pain in the ass and I wasn't in the mood for it.
I was in luck though, because the guard nodded and swiped his badge on the turnstile and motioned for me to move forward. I pushed the metal bar to move through. Thanks for the pleasant conversation, I thought.
The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor was interrupted at nearly every floor as people got on and off the elevator. Some already had files in their arms as if they had been to work for hours. I glanced at my watch again, noting that it wasn't 8:00 am yet, so I wasn't late. Yet.
"Come on," I muttered to myself as the elevator car moved upwards. It finally hit the right floor and I excused my way out of the confines of the four metal walls. It wasn't hard to determine where I went from there, as the name of the company filled the wall with huge letters, directly next to two sets of glass double doors. I pulled on the door and approached the large desk with 'Cullen Financial', once again, emblazoned on the front.
The woman at the front desk could definitely be considered intimidating, staring me down with piercing blue eyes unblinking as she watched me approach. But I just grinned and met her stare head on. I wasn't easily intimidated.
"Hi there," I spoke clearly to her. I couldn't let her think she had one up on me in any way. "I'm Bella Swan. I'm scheduled to meet with your HR Director, Rosalie Hale." The receptionist stared at me for a few beats too long before she nodded at me, picking up her phone to announce my arrival. I widened my eyes for just a moment before turning away from her to glance around the area, listening as she spoke to whomever was on the other line.
"She says her name is Bella Swine, she's here for Rose." Swan, dumbass. I was a nice person, I really was. But I wasn't easily intimidated, and I didn't care what people thought about me. Which, in my opinion, helped me do well in HR. I saw past bull shit and I stood my ground. Some companies, however, didn't think that was a great thing. I'd have to tread lightly.
I admired the decoration that surrounded the oak reception desk, it definitely had a feminine touch to it. Purples and blues, a touch of flowers and even some paintings of fields and countryside. One of the paintings of an oak tree looked like a piece my mother had in her living room at one point.
The sound of a throat clearing brought my attention back to the receptionist and she gave me a false smile.
"Have a seat, Rose will be out in a minute." I smiled in return, but made mine look natural at least.
"Thanks so much." I sat in one of the leather seats in the waiting area, noticing form the corner of my eye that the receptionist was still watching me. Instead of letting her rattle me in any way, I turned my attention on my belongings. I made sure that my cell phone was on silent and that all of my stuff was in my bag so I didn't have to juggle anything. I wish I had brought my water cup with me, but I didn't think it would look professional lugging the large Tervis with peacock feathers printed all over it on my first day. We'll wait for day 2.
A door to the right of the reception desk (and that wonderful receptionist) opened and a smiling blonde woman walked through. She looked like a model, tall and statuesque, her hair pulled back into a half up, half down hair style. I couldn't see her back, but I would wager that her blonde locks traveled halfway down her backside. Her light colored eyes were on me, but they were friendly and I immediately smiled in return.
"Isabella?" Her voice was like a melody, and I stood to hold my hand out in greeting.
"Bella, please," I shook her hand. "And you're Rosalie Hale?" Rosalie nodded and directed her hand to the side, gesturing me to follow her through the door. I threw the receptionist another smile but it wasn't reciprocated. I was laughing internally – temporary or permanent, my position in HR should at least be given a little bit of respect.
Rosalie made her way through the door, only staying a step in front of me so I could follow, chatting as we made our way past offices and through areas lined with cubicles.
"I'm so glad you were able to start today," her voice carried back to me. "One of the members of our Human Resources team put in her two-week notice last week, but we tend not to let the two weeks ride out for that type of position." She saw my eyebrows go up in surprise and nodded.
"I know, kind of shitty. But when you have control of personnel information, like salaries and social security numbers, why let them remain in that position and have access to it when we know they don't want to be here?" I could see her point, and I kept looking around as we continued towards the back corner of the office.
Employees were seated at their desks, alternating between typing on their keyboards, drinking coffee, or picking up their ringing telephones. Everyone seemed engrossed in their own world, throwing out a random "Good morning!" to others who passed their desk. Overall, it seemed like everyone was pleasant, and there wasn't anyone screaming out "Fuck Monday!"
Rosalie and I arrived at a door labeled "Human Resources" and pushed her way in. She pointed at the lock and met my stare.
"When someone from HR is here, we leave this door unlocked. But if you're leaving and there is no one left, you keep it locked." I nodded, understanding the 'why' without needing it explained. The door shut behind me and I took in my new work area. There was a sitting area, with at least six chairs and a coffee table. To my immediate right was an open door that showed me a large conference table with chairs surrounding it. The projector that was on the table top was on, it's light shining at the wall. There was a man bent over messing with wires and changing the focus.
Rosalie followed my gaze and smiled, waving to the man inside the conference room even though I don't think he saw her.
"That's Edward," she explained. "He's with the IT department. I'm usually pretty good with fixing things but the projector is just a pain in my ass and I can't get it to connect to my laptop. He said he'd help out without me having to put in a ticket and wait."
I pulled my eyes away from Edward's head of dark hair (basically all I could see of him), and continued my visual perusal of the office space. There was a desk front and center with a raised top so you couldn't quite see what the person's desk looked like on the other side. There was a dark haired woman sitting at the desk, phone trapped between her head and her shoulder as she spoke softly into the receiver.
Beyond that were several open doors, and Rosalie headed towards them, waving at the dark haired woman while passing. I waved as well, happy that her smile seemed genuine.
"This office here will be yours," she pointed at the first door and then continued on to the second. "This is mine, and then there's an extra office there. We rarely use this, but as the company grows we may bring on another HR employee." I nodded and eyed up the office that would be mine as we walked by. It was a decent size, with a larger desk and a small table with two chairs off to the side. I felt a trill of excitement in my stomach – I had never had my own office before. My last job had me sharing a larger office with two other people. No privacy there!
I followed Rosalie into her office and smiled. Her office was definitely a bit over the top, but as the HR Director she needed more space. Hell, if I were in her position I'd probably request it as well.
"So what we're going to do," Rosalie began as she settled into her chair, "is go through some onboarding paperwork and I'll give you your badge and keys. Typical things you'll get on day one." I mirrored her and sat in a chair in front of her desk. I placed my bag on the chair next to me and crossed my legs.
I spent the next hour doing paperwork and filling out tax forms. Rosalie handed me a lanyard that had a badge and several keys on it.
"You don't have to wear it around your neck if you don't want to," she commented as she tucked away the paperwork I had signed. "I wear mine on a keyring on my belt buckle or whatever, so it's really up to you." I removed the key ring from the lanyard and bent backwards to clip it on my belt loop. It would probably make noise while I walked, but it's better than bouncing between my boobs.
I looked down at the paperwork that I was given copies of and read down the list of job responsibilities. Typical HR stuff, listen to people file complaints, payroll, keeping track of days off and vacation time, new hire orientation. I got this.
"I'll be straight forward about one thing," Rosalie commented. I gave her my full attention, as this was usually the part of the conversation where I found out why the position was actually open.
"The number one thing we need from you, above payroll, above the normal things, is to create a relationship with the employees." My eyebrow raised unintentionally. Rosalie sat forward and placed her hands on the desktop.
"Not all employees trust Human Resources, as I'm sure you're aware." I nodded. "In the past we've unfortunately had some characters in your role. Some people who were fine for the first couple of weeks, and then beyond that didn't work out. Which is why this is a temporary to permanent position. We want to make sure you're going to work out before we take the plunge. That relationship between HR and the employees has been a work in progress, and we've been working on rebuilding it. So we need to make sure that you're okay with assisting in that rebuild."
It made sense now. They probably had someone in this position who used their position to make things work the way they wanted, or maybe if someone came to them anonymously they didn't keep the info between the two of them. I wouldn't trust HR either.
"I understand," I answered. I swallowed hard and I held Rosalie's stare as I answered her. "I want you to know that I take my role seriously, whether it's something such as payroll or if it's a discussion between me and another employee. I understand the meaning of confidential, and I have never been someone to take their job and use it to my advantage."
Rosalie smiled. That's exactly what she wanted to hear.
Rosalie and I chatted for a while longer, falling into a conversation that went from work topics to discussing our personal lives.
"So you just moved to the area?" I nodded and leaned back, fidgeting with my badge.
"Yeah, I used to live in Washington state," I explained, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I moved to Jersey back in June, and it's been… interesting." Interesting was probably the wrong word. Hell. Insane. Backwards. Those worked a lot better.
Rosalie just laughed though.
"Jersey? You chose Jersey over Washington?" Her laughter rang out, and before I knew it I was joining in with her. She wasn't wrong. I probably wouldn't have chosen Jersey if it weren't for my dick boyfriend. Ex. Ex-boyfriend.
"Not by choice exactly. But that's a long story for another time." Rosalie nodded and accepted my answer. Two things I learned working in Human Resources, don't try to look for friends, and don't overshare. I was supposed to be someone that people could come to and be an unbiased opinion.
"Okay, we'll drop your stuff off in your office and then meet some people!" I did just that, dropping my purse off in a locked drawer. I had the key on my waist, and was assured by Rosalie that she was the only other person who had a key to that drawer.
I got to meet the woman who I saw coming into the office, Angela Webber. She was an HR Assistant, and was there to help Rosalie and myself with anything. She answered the phones, helped run any background checks and just miscellaneous work. Apparently she was God.
"Literally," Rosalie whispered to me as we walked away, "does everything and anything. I've never seen her mess anything up. I'd be lost without her, she's the best assistant ever." I laughed and kept that knowledge tucked away.
We spent a good chunk of time walking around and meeting members of each department. I could see exactly what Rosalie meant when she said the relationship needed to be worked on. People knew Rosalie, so they had no problem smiling at her and asking her how her weekend was. Me, however, I got the typical polite smiles and the limp handshakes. Working on the relationships definitely would be priority number one.
"Cullen Financial takes up floors 15 through 18, so you'll have to go to any of those floors as needed," Rosalie explained as she brought me to the elevator. She pressed the '16' and we followed the same round of greetings for the next three floors. It looked like floor 15 was Human Resources, IT, and a section of Financial Planning, 16 was Accounting, 17 was some kind of Strategic planning and Risk Management, and 18 were all the big wigs. Carlisle Cullen himself, the CFO, Vice Presidents, Presidents, etc etc etc.
"Trust me," Rosalie said as we arrived at the 18th floor, "people will tend to come to us on the 15th. But making the rounds and showing your face won't be a bad thing." I nodded and took a deep breath. Faces were floating around in my head; I'd never remember them all fast enough. And now I was meeting the owner – this is the part that made my heart twitch with a bit of nervousness. All Carlisle Cullen had to do is look at me, decide that I wasn't good for his company, and then they'd be replacing me.
Rosalie brought me to a large seating area that was surrounded by office doors. I felt like I was in a horror movie, and the offices would start spinning, making me enter one and choose my fate.
"I feel like I'm in a gladiator fight ring," I laughed softly, letting my eyes trail around the circle. Rosalie followed my line of sight and laughed.
"Yeah, it does seem pretty intimidating. But a large majority of the time they aren't even in their offices because they're in meetings. Or they're in a conference room." One of the rooms to my right had a closed door, but had a large plaque on the side that said "Aloe Conference Room".
"I don't know if you noticed the other conference rooms, but they're all named after plants." I hadn't actually noticed that, but I nodded and pushed out a laugh.
We met with a few other people, and I shook the hand of a Michael Newton, Chief Financial Officer (he was very adamant that I remember he was the CFO… he must have mentioned it three or four times) and one of the Vice Presidents, Jacob Black. He was nice looking. His handshake was firm but his smile blinded me. I would have been more attracted, but he was definitely swinging for the other team. I wasn't sure if he was out out (if you know what I mean), but I had an unusually great gaydar.
"You let me know if you need anything," Jacob grinned to me. I returned the smile and thanked him. Yeah, he wasn't out of the closet. His flirting was just a show though. He'd probably panic a bit if I went for him.
"I will Jacob, thank you." Rosalie led me away and we came to the final office. The door was closed but I could hear laughter from inside from more than one person.
"Okay, now here we have Carlisle Cullen. He's the owner." I nodded and ran through the information I had looked up over the weekend.
"I read about Mr. Cullen," I admitted to my boss. "He seems like a great guy, so I'm excited to work under him." Something flashed in Rosalie's eyes and she stepped in front of the door, but faced me head on.
I stepped back just a bit, wondering why I was getting the stink eye.
"Okay, I'm going to say this as one friendly to another," she whispered. Here we go. "Carlisle is a happily married man. He and Esme have been together for… gosh I don't even know how long. He is happy. It is in your best interest not to go that route." What the fuck. What the actual fuck.
I laughed.
Loudly.
"I didn't mean literally under him, Jesus Christ!" My laughter rang out, and I could hear the competing laughter from inside Mr. Cullen's office pause.
"Rosalie," I said quietly, letting another laugh leak out. I stepped closer to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "I, personally, think Carlisle Cullen is a good looking man, but he's old enough to be my father. I'm hands down, honest to God, never going to be that person who goes after a man I work with."
Rosalie sighed and her eyes closed.
"I'm sorry," she said to me. When her eyes reopened I could see that she was indeed sorry for assuming I was a hussy. "Let's just say that we're used to people being…" she stopped, not able to find the right word.
"Hoes?" I asked. Her eyes widened in shock and then she burst out laughing.
"Yes!" Our laughter was cut short when Mr. Cullen's door opened. I bit my lip, holding back the urge to laugh, as I stared at an older man with blonde hair and a large smile.
"There's a party and I wasn't invited?" Each word had a bit of a southern twang mixed in and I let loose one last laugh along with Rosalie.
"Carlisle," Rosalie motioned to me and grinned at her boss. "Sorry for the commotion but I was just bringing Bella around to meet everyone. Bella here is our new HR Generalist. Bella, this is the owner, Carlisle Cullen."
I stepped forward and extended my hand to shake his hand.
"Hi Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure." Carlisle Cullen was a nice looking man, much taller than me with a smile that could outshine any beacon. His blue eyes had crows feet at the corner, crinkling as he grinned. I could tell right away that I would love working for this company. I could just tell.
"Now Bella," his smile dropped slightly, but he held onto my hand. "You best call me Carlisle. Unless we're in some uptight meeting with someone, then it's Mr. Cullen. But we're around good people, so it'll be Carlisle." I laughed and nodded in agreement.
He stepped aside and I could then see into his office. There was a group of men standing, all staring towards us with curiosity.
"Gentlemen, come meet our new employee." Instead of all of them stepping out into the gladiator circle, Rosalie and Carlisle directed me into his office. I didn't have time to gape at the monstrosity that was his office, because I was pulled towards more introductions.
The man that stepped forward with a shit eating grin grabbed my hand between his two large ones.
"Hey there Bella, I'm Emmett McCarty," his voice was deep and his brown eyes twinkled. "I'm a Financial Analyst. Don't hold that against me." I laughed and shook his hand. I was then handed over to the second man, a medium built man with curly blonde hair. When my hand touched his I had to force my smile to stay on my face.
Whenever I coached someone in interview skills or just in life, I always scolded them from giving limp handshakes. You grab that persons hand firmly and you shake it two to three times before letting go.
This man's handshake was like a wet noodle.
"Jasper Whitlock, Financial Planner," was all he said. I told him it was a pleasure to meet him and then let go of his hand. There was one man left, and my breath caught in my throat a bit as our eyes met.
He was as tall as Carlisle, but definitely in his late twenties to early thirties. His hair was trimmed short, but I could tell that if he let it grow out it would be unruly. Auburn locks were starting to curl at the tips. His eyes were the darkest green I had ever seen, framed by wire rimmed glasses that sat perched on a perfect nose. His lips were full, and I watched with a sigh as his tongue darted out to wet them.
And oh Lord. He was wearing a sweater vest.
"Hi," I breathed out. I was on auto pilot, sticking my hand out to hold onto his. No wet noodle there, nice and firm. One. Two. And three shakes. Good job.
"Hey there," his voice was perfect. "I'm Edward Masen. I work in IT."
I realized then that he was the man who was in the HR Conference room who was messing around with the projector.
"It's great to meet you all," I said louder than I meant to, but I don't think anyone really noticed that I was on the edge of a life turning event. I tore my eyes away from Edward and smiled to Rosalie. The look on her face made me freeze though.
Shit.
"Mmhmm," she laughed. "Never going to be that person, hmm?" I closed my eyes for a moment and then smiled back to Carlisle. I let Rosalie laugh to herself, ignoring the look of confusion on everyone's face, and tried my best to divert the attention.
"So! Carlisle!" My voice was calm, and I made sure he was looking at me and not Rosalie. "I've read a lot about the company, and you must be so proud of yourself building the company from the ground up." I hit it on the nose, and Carlisle was shooting me another grin.
"Yes ma'am!"
Author's Note: Chapter 1, done. I like Reviews. I'll start working on Chapter 2 now...
Song credits:
Shenandoah- "Two Dozen Roses"