A/N: I know… I know I left that Fat Cat standing at the sink far too long. Shame on me! Looks like I better shut the hell up and meet you folks at the bottom. Oh wait, just in case there was any confusion at the end of chapter 5 Bella said 'Blech!' when she tasted the liquid not Bleach.
Happymess: My beloved beta whom should never be rejected for anything…ever. I'm nothing but a comma phobic tweak demon without you. May your crops always be bountiful and fertile.
*DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight…I'm just a girl with a husband that makes chocolate covered bacon.
I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
-The Lord of the Rings
"Don't just stand there. Get me a towel!" the Tyrant barked at me from the sink, jolting me out of my shock induced haze.
I darted across the room to the closet and grabbed a towel from the shelf, still wondering what the hell I just sprayed all over my boss. I hurried my way back to the sink, towel in hand, cursing my horrible luck.
Edroar was busy flushing his eyes with water, mumbling various obscenities… stark naked.
In all the insanity I hadn't even realized it, but there he stood, bare as the day he was born. My eyes widened a bit as they took him in. He looked like a living statue and was surely just as cold. There wasn't a flaw on his obnoxiously perfect body.
It was so annoying.
All that beauty wasted on someone with such an ugly disposition. His outer shell was created in the image of an angel, but inside he was filled with demons.
Being his massage therapist, I was well aware of his outer perfection; I couldn't miss it. Now, I was getting acquainted with just about all of him. Though, a certain body part in particular was obscured by the base of the sink.
Not that I was looking or anything.
For some reason my eyes were drawn to a small, diamond shaped birthmark on his left butt cheek. I smirked at the sight of it.
Even the man's ass was snobby and affluent.
I averted my eyes elsewhere and quickly made my way over to his side, handing him the towel. "Here you are, Mr. Cullen." My voice sounded as sweet as pie.
He swiped the towel from my hands, grumbling angrily to himself in what sounded like another language. I didn't recognize it, but I got the distinct feeling whatever he was saying wasn't very flattering to me.
Edroar wiped his face with the towel and then wrapped it around his waist. He lowered his enraged and slightly swollen eyes to meet mine, blinking more rapidly than usual.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out before he could even speak.
"Unacceptable," he growled.
"If I could just explain to you wha-"
"Get out," he barked, his face filled with rage.
"But if you would just please le-"
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! RIGHT NOW!" he roared in my face, full force, unleashing his inner lion on me.
If I hadn't heard it for myself I never would've believed it. There really was an actual roar underlining each word he spoke.
It was thunderous and feral.
I watched in awe as his entire body seemed to morph into a beast like entity. The fact that his eyes were red and swollen only added to his carnivorous effect.
I couldn't think straight. I stood there frozen in place with my mouth hanging open, gaping up at him in shock. My heart pounded wildly in my chest.
Then I felt it… moisture forming in the corners of my eyes.
No!
My inner rock star got down on her knees and begged me not to cry in front of him. Time seemed to slow down. It was as though everything was happening in slow motion.
The only sound that could be heard was the low growl rolling from his mouth. It was faint, but I could hear it. Hell, I could feelit.
I watched as my arm rose up high in the air, a lone finger pointed directly at his angry face.
"Don't roar at me." My tone was lethal. I hardly recognized it. "That's unacceptable," I spat the words out and then quickly retracted my finger.
He looked as though he were about to bite it off.
We embarked in a hostile standoff, eyes battling eyes, lips snarling at lips. There was lots of growling going on and it wasn't just coming from him.
Actually, I was surprised to learn that somewhere deep inside of me there was a very teeny voice telling me to get the hell away from him.
The voice of sanity.
Unfortunately, it was stifled by the much louder and bitchier voice that demanded I show him he couldn't scare me away with his mighty roar.
So I went into my stance, and gave him my deadliest bitch eyes ever. Of course, he immediately pummeled them with his evil glare. I could never hope to match the intensity of it, but I damn well tried my best.
I took a step closer to show him I wouldn't back down. He moved a step closer to me in turn.
There was an animalistic nature to our interaction. The sight, sound and scent of danger bombarded my senses. Tiny hairs all over my body stood at attention, pointing at the threatening beast before me.
My adrenaline pumped wildly through my system, bringing on a rush of power that flowed through my body like a drug.
It was invigorating, like the terrifying thrill you feel on a roller coaster or perhaps skydiving…without a parachute.
I wanted to see what he was capable of…what I was capable of. I'd completely lost all sense of reason. All rational thought left my mind. I didn't care.
It was crazy.
I felt his breath hot on my hair, scorching the follicles with its heat. The green of his eyes darkened so that they reminded me of onyx.
Dark black stones, wrapped up in swollen red lids. Eyes that hated the world around them.
"I'm not afraid of you." I said, in a firm tone.
"You should be," he snarled. His lips curled up at the corner in a sinister sneer.
A demonic look flickered around in his eyes. I could practically see the wicked thoughts running through his mind. It should have scared the hell out of me. It didn't. It made me want to push him further.
"Why are you so angry?" I wondered aloud.
"I thought that would be obvious." He glanced over at the spray bottle on the floor.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not talking about that."
"Perhaps you should be. What did you spray on me?" He demanded to know.
"I have no idea. " I shrugged my shoulders. "I thought it was water."
He glared at me in response, his eyes drilling holes into mine.
"You wouldn't wake up. I kept tapping on your shoulder and speaking louder and louder, but nothing worked. Then I saw that bottle and I just thought..." I looked away; suddenly my brilliant idea seemed a bit odd.
"You just thought what Ms. Swan, that you should spray a mystery liquid all over my body?" He raised a brow at me menacingly.
"It wasn't a mystery liquid at that time. It was water, okay? I told you I thought it was water. I would never spray a mystery liquid on you." I shook my head in exasperation.
He raised his arm, pointing his finger directly in my face, mockingly. "Yet, that's exactly what you did."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I made a mistake. I apologize." I held my hands up in peace. "If you would have told me how your last massage therapist woke you at the end of your sessions this would never have happened." My pride just wouldn't allow me to take the full blame….for anything.
There was silence.
He looked away uncomfortably for a brief moment. "I've never fallen asleep before." His sneer dropped into a pensive frown.
My eyes widened. "Never?"
He scowled at me. "No."
I was stunned. He'd fallen into a deep sleep in both of my sessions with him. Not that it really mattered. It just seemed a little strange to me that he'd never done that before.
"Oh." I dropped my stance.
Something about his confession and the confused look on his face put me at ease. I should have known better because the minute I relaxed the lion pounced.
"If I require medical attention it will be deducted from your pay." He warned coolly. "You are dismissed." He waved his hand at me and turned to walk away.
"What?" I practically shouted.
He ignored me and kept walking.
I followed him.
He must have sensed me stalking closely behind him because he stopped abruptly causing me to crash right into his diamond studded ass.
He tossed a disgusted look over his shoulder. "What is it now?"
"I'm just wondering why you expect me to pay for your medical bills." I was speaking to his bare back. "It was an accident. You know that. I'm very sorry it happened, but it certainly wasn't intentional." I struggled to keep my tone respectful, never an easy thing to do with him.
In one swift move he spun around and lowered his face to mine. He moved so quickly it took my breath away. He was far more intimidating at close range. His nose was practically touching mine. I fought back the urge to swallow forcefully.
Red puffy eyes widened at me. "You should be grateful you still have a job. Don't push me." He glared a few seconds longer before storming off.
Well, I certainly found common ground with him…battle ground.
God only knew what his medical bills would cost. I had no savings, except for the few bucks I kept stashed away in a stuffed penguin on my bed.
It was my emergency loot.
From a financial perspective, this was more of a catastrophe. I was lucky if I had a hundred bucks to my name. It cost more than that for a Tylenol at the hospital. I certainly didn't own a credit card. That would go against everything I believed in.
I walked over to the massage table and plopped down, feeling defeated.
What a jerk.
I tried all of my relaxation methods, deep breathing, self massage, mumbling about the holy family, but none of it worked.
Like he really needed me to pay his hospital bills. That Fat Cat had more money than Mike had mirrors. Even if he did require medical attention, his father was a doctor, for crying out loud.
Then I remembered the letter and groaned at the thought of having that conversation with him. I got the strong feeling he would be less than pleased to get a message from his father….especially one delivered by me.
I contemplated not giving it to him at all to save myself the trouble.
Then I remembered the uncomfortably numb disposition Dr. Cullen was stuck in and I knew I had to deliver it. I'd probably lose my job, but it wasn't like I was in Edroar's good graces anyway.
Why was I always butting heads with that insufferable bastard?
More importantly, what the hell was he bringing out in me? I was seriously starting to doubt my own sanity. At first it was fun getting him all riled up, but now it seemed he somehow managed to have the same effect on me.
I didn't like that. He brought out a side of me I didn't even know existed.
It was unnerving.
After a good long sulk, I dragged myself down the hall in search of answers. I needed to find out what the hell was in that bottle.
I made my way to the reception desk. Pep was sitting there all slathered in pink. No surprise there. She was humming to herself as she filed her nails with an over sized, pink, leopard print nail file.
"HELLS BELLS!" She yelled out the minute she saw me and then assaulted my ears with her mind numbing laughter.
I shot her a curious look.
"You love it, right?" She cackled excitedly. "I always match my friends with a song in my head, then whenever I see them I hear it. That one's yours. It's a rock song...you know, cause you're a rocker." She chomped down on her gum and smiled widely, "And because you give people hell and your name is Bell-a. Get it?" she giggle-snorted at her cleverness.
I nodded my head in understanding. "Uh… yeah thanks, great song." I said, awkwardly.
She was beaming.
"So, I need your help. I made a terrible mistake during Mr. Cullen's morning massage."
A worried look crossed her face. "Oh, no! Is he dead?" She gasped and covered her mouth.
The fact that she instantly assumed I killed him was more than a little disturbing to me.
"No, of course not. He's just a little… uncomfortable." I squirmed a bit as I thought of his red swollen eyes.
She exhaled a deep breath. "Aw, that's not so bad. Death would be much worse."
I nodded my head in agreement. Our conversation was ridiculous, yet it made complete sense to me. Death was much worse than a little discomfort. Very few would argue with that.
I explained what happened during the massage and of course her jaw dropped when I told her the spray bottle wasn't filled with water as I'd thought.
"I was really hoping you could tell me what was in that bottle. It was clear and odorless, but had a rancid taste to it."
My mouth was still feeling the after effects of that god forsaken liquid. I rolled my tongue around in my mouth, noticing my taste buds had formed a revolt.
Jessica scrunched up her face in deep thought, holding it that way for a few moments. Her bright pink lips pouted at me. "Nope, nothing's in there. Sorry Bella."
I sighed. "That's alright. Maybe Emmett will know."
"Maybe Emmett will know what?" I heard his voice come from behind me.
I turned to see him and Rose making their way over to me. I explained my situation to them.
Their eyes widened as I confessed to accidentally spraying an unknown substance all over our bosses body. They quickly told me they had no idea what was in the bottle either.
"Could it be a cleaning solution?" I asked, though I'd never known one that was odorless.
Emmett shook his head. "Doubtful. Mr. Cullen has a cleaning service that uses their own products. It would've had a label on it. Are you sure it was odorless?"
"Positive. It had no scent at all." I had an excellent sense of smell.
"GOT IT!" Jessica shouted jumping up from her seat. Her nail file flew out of her hand hitting Emmett square in the chest.
We all looked at her in anticipation.
She smirked smugly. "It's so obvious, you guys." She rolled her eyes at our stupidity.
"Tell us." I begged.
She paused for effect. "Spoilt water." She announced. "I mean who knows how long that bottle was just sitting there."
"Water doesn't spoil Jess." Rose said sweetly, as though she were speaking to a child.
"Or so everyone thinks. They used to say the earth was flat too you know." She snorted through her nose a few times. "You have to think out of the box guys."She twirled her hair around her finger. "That's exactly why I never fill my brain with what everyone else tells me. I'm a free thinker." She tapped the side of her head a few times.
Well, that certainly explained a lot.
Jessica stood gloating at us. I tried explaining to her that it was highly improbable that old water could have made his eyes red and swollen but that just opened a whole new can of worms.
All three gasped at the fact that I managed to nearly maim the angry lion while he lay sleeping.
"Wait…you sprayed him in the face? I can't believe you still have a job." Emmett said with a stunned look on his face.
"Thanks for the encouragement." I glared at him.
"I'm serious, Bella. He's fired people for much less than that...much much less." He persisted, while Jessica nodded her head silently in agreement.
"Remember when he fired that girl Tami for smiling at him?" Jessica's face filled with fear.
"Yep, sure do. She wasn't smiling once he was finished with her." Emmett noted solemnly.
"Well, I certainly don't have to worry about getting fired for that." I said confidently. Smiling was the last thing I wanted to do when I was around him.
"Exactly." Emmett bellowed. "That's another thing. Between the way you spoke to him yesterday and what happened today." He shook his head back and forth while clicking his tongue in disbelief. "It's a miracle you still have a job here."
He was right. Why the hell hadn't he fired me? I racked my brain for an answer and came up empty.
"Don't listen to him, Bella." Rose shot Emmett a nasty look. "Today was an accident that could have happened to anyone and yesterday, you stood up for yourself. Don't ever be ashamed of that."
My face broke out in a wide grin. "Thanks, Rose." If I was a huggy type of person I would've been all over her for having my back like that.
"Hey, hey, hey. Let's not make me the bad guy here." Emmett scoffed at me and Rose. "I was just pointing out a simple fact. I never said Bella did anything wrong. I just said if it were someone else they would've been fired already. Hell, I don't know. Maybe Mr. Cullen has a soft spot for our little girl here." He patted me on the back, nearly knocking me over.
The big lug didn't know his own strength. I pulled away, scowling at him and he laughed.
"Trust me, he doesn't have a soft spot for me." I rolled my eyes at the thought. "If anything, he hasn't fired me yet because he enjoys tormenting me too much." That certainly was the truth.
"Maybe he hasn't fired you because you're a really good massage therapist." Jessica chimed in. Rose nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, whatever his reason is, I'm glad you're staying." Emmett said with a wink. "Besides, we've already got your Halloween costume picked out. You're gonna love it." Emmett snickered, boyishly.
"OH MY GOD!" Jessica clapped her hands vigorously. "Let's tell her about the ball." Let's tell her about the baaaall!" She pleaded.
"The ball?" My face scrunched up in uncertainty.
"Yes, ma'am, the ball. Every year Cullen Publishing has a costume ball. It's a major event. I can't believe you've never heard of it." Emmett said through a wide smile.
Now that he mentioned it, I did recall Ange going to a Halloween ball for work, but she never made a big fuss over it.
Not like these lunatics.
All three of them were grinning at me like Mad Hatters, their faces brimming with excitement.
"It's not just a party, it's a charity function too." Rose explained with a bright gleam in her eye. "Alice picks a different children's charity each year and the money raised at the ball is donated to it."
"Wait! Let me tell her the best part, PLEASE!" Jessica screeched causing all of us to flinch.
"There's more?" I asked, apprehensively.
"Yup!" Her hands started flailing around wildly. The clanging of her bracelets got progressively louder. She closed her eyes and licked her lips profusely. Her eyes flew open with force. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" She screamed at me and began jumping up and down like a strung out contestant on the Price is Right.
Just watching her was making me dizzy. I looked over at Emmett, he looked confused. I glanced at Rose she looked concerned.
Jessica started screeching something at me, but between the ear piercing pitch and the string of rapid words shooting from her mouth with no space between them, it was completely indecipherable. I actually had to cover my ears to protect them from permanent damage.
She was right. I was gonna die… if she didn't shut the hell up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mike fluttered by me and approached a still frantically screeching Jessica.
He took the towel that was in his hand and wrapped it around her open mouth. He tied it tightly behind her head, effectively cutting her off mid screech.
Her eyes widened in shock and she stopped jumping immediately.
He glared at Emmett, Rose and then me, holding his eyes firmly on mine. "Some of us are trying to meditate."
He threw a repulsed look my way for some reason, and then focused his eyes solely on Jessica's stunned face. He pointed to her chair, silently commanding her to sit in it, which she did quite obediently. He untied the towel from behind her head and petted her like she was a dog.
It was in that moment I realized when compared to these people my sanity wasn't so questionable anymore. Perhaps that was why I liked them so much. They made me feel sane….well saner than they were anyway.
"Alright, what set Hoochie off this time?" Mike asked, impatiently.
I opened my mouth to speak but that crazy barefooted diva snapped the towel in my face. "Not you, Apples."
I blew him an obnoxious kiss, which he caught and smacked his spandex covered ass with several times. Apparently, he was still holding a grudge about the hostile takeover I commanded against him the night before.
Whatever…I was a way better captain and he knew it. Rose jumped in and smoothly explained to him what was going on.
"Please… let me tell her." Jessica begged Mike, her voice filled with desperation.
"OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE SOMEONE JUST FREAKING TELL ME ALREADY!" I shouted in frustration.
The four of them looked at me like I was a lunatic. The irony of that didn't escape me.
Mike gasped fanning himself dramatically with the towel. "You don't have to yell at us. Jumping Jessicas! No wonder you're a spinster."
I released a long anguished breath. My job was slowly driving me insane.
I turned to walk away when Jessica called out frantically, "We perform at the ball!"
I glanced at her over my shoulder.
"There's a contest. It's the most fun… EVER!" She was panting heavily from the excitement.
I turned to face her. "Who competes in the contest?" I was speaking to Jessica but she had collapsed flat on her desk.
"There's a signup sheet. It's coming out this Friday." Rose said calmly, ever the voice of reason. "All employees are encouraged to participate in some way."
"We practice at lunch!" Jessica's head popped up, releasing yet another screech, causing us all to cringe.
"It's a talent show, there's all different acts. Some are very good." Emmett's tone was somber. I looked around and noticed they all looked glum.
"We work so hard every year but…we never win." Jessica pouted. Mike, Emmett and Rose rushed to her side to offer their sympathy.
They couldn't possibly be serious…could they?
"Guys it's just a silly little competition. Why are you so worried? Who cares if you lose?" I chuckled light heartedly.
They all gasped at me. Oh for heaven's sake, were these people dramatic.
"Bella, there's a prize. Last year the winning act walked away with over a hundred thousand dollars." Rose had a very serious look on her face.
Emmett whistled when she announced the prize amount. My mouth hung wide open.
"Holy shit!" I practically screeched myself. No wonder Pep was so freaking excited. "Why in the world does Mr. Cullen give away so much money for a silly contest?" It was insane.
"Technically, it's not from him. They raise millions that night. Alice somehow manages to get every gazillionaire she can find to donate." Emmett boasted.
Damn, that tiny tsunami's pushy ways certainly did have its benefits.
"Last year, Cullen Publishing raised just over ten million dollars for Justice for Children. The winning act got one percent of that." Rose added, her voice sparkling with enthusiasm.
"How do they decide who wins?" I asked, now highly interested.
"Pfft, they get a group of talentless, attention seeking heifers to judge it." Mike huffed bitterly.
Jessica giggle snorted. "Last year, it was Clay Aiken, Joan Rivers, and Alice Cooper. " She let out a loud snort. "Joan said to Mike 'You remind me of the ocean…you make me sick'."
We all laughed at Mike while he shot death glares our way. Before I knew it I was part of their group, god help me, which was meeting at lunch to plot its long awaited victory.
Emmett's phone rang; it was Alice looking to find out what the hell happened to Mr. Cullen during his morning massage. He immediately handed me the phone.
Traitor.
I briefly explained what happened and asked how he was doing, hoping she'd say he was miraculously healed.
He wasn't.
From what she told me he returned from his massage looking like his eyes were doused with acid. She said he didn't even glance her way as he stormed into his office slamming the door so loudly she could hear it all the way down the hall.
That couldn't be good.
Reluctantly…very reluctantly I made an appointment to speak with him. I really wanted to put the letter delivery off for another day... or year. But really would he everhate me any less?
Doubtful.
I was always a 'grab the bull by the horns' kind of girl or in this case the lion by the mane. Who knew, maybe he'd be happy to hear from his father. Maybe I'd make his day and score a few points with the tyrant for once.
It could happen, I tried to convince myself, but even I knew the chances were slim.
After nearly an hour of detective work I still didn't have a clue as to what the hell was in that bottle. Emmett even paged the housekeeping manager to help us figure it out.
What the hell could it be?
I had no idea and frankly I was exhausted from stressing about it all morning. I wasn't normally a worrier so I was completely out of my element.
The one thing I knew for sure was that I seriously had to win that contest if Edroar's eyes didn't heal soon.
I wanted to release some tension, so I joined in on Rose's high impact aerobics' class. Thank god, I brought workout clothes with me. I was a puddle of sweat by the time it was over.
Sweet, mild mannered Rose quickly morphed into a relentless drill sergeant, and apparently fat was the enemy. It felt like my body was in a war by the time her class was over.
I was fortunate enough that I never had to count calories. I'd always been on the thin side. I didn't have rock hard abs or buns of steel like Rose did and honestly, I couldn't care less.
I was never wrapped up in body image. According to Ange, that was because I was blessed with a 'naturally hot' body.
I could never understand why she spent so much time on all the crazy fad diets she tried over the years. The girl was constantly starving herself while I stuffed my face with wild abandon.
During my freshman year of high school I had a growth spurt. Skinny, little tomboy Bella Swan developed hips and boobs practically overnight.
Jazz found my awkward transition into womanhood hysterical. How embarrassed was I that he knew his way around a bra better than I did.
It was all very funny to him until the guys we hung around with wanted in my pants. That was the birth of Dadsper and he'd been that way ever since.
Apparently, I also developed loser radar. Every guy I ever dated was a major loser. Not financially speaking of course, money didn't make a man's worth in my book.
I'm talking petty larcenists, burnouts and manhwhores. Each guy I dated was worse than the last.
Eventually, I wised up, but not without some battle scars. It seemed my 'I'm not putting up with shit from you' attitude wasn't very attractive to most men. I discovered that most men like their women giggling and naïve, which just wasn't me.
To some, this left me, as Mike so kindly put it, a spinster…. at the age of twenty-four. How ridiculous. Even more ridiculous was the fact that I got blitzed out of my mind on my last birthday and found myself googling that exact term at four o'clock in the morning.
Not one of my finer moments.
I learned a spinster is a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying. What the hell the usual age of marrying was, I had no idea.
My twenty-fifth birthday was now staring me in the face and for the first time in my adult life I didn't feel like I was letting society down by not having a ring on my damn finger and a baby in my belly.
I didn't need a man to complete me. I'd been telling myself that for years. However, this was the first year I actually believed it.
It felt good….real good.
Not that I never got lonely. I did. But I was through with allowing loneliness to drive me back down the road to Loserville. I'd rather be alone.
It was just that simple.
I dragged my aching butt to the locker room and took a long hot shower, completely losing track of time as I attempted to wash my worries away.
I didn't even have time to dry my hair before rushing off to my appointment with Mr. Cullen.
I nearly plowed down several people in my haste to get to his office on time before realizing where it was I was actually rushing off to...the lion's den.
I slowed my pace down immediately. What was the worst thing that could happen? I'd miss my appointment and have to put off the conversation for another day...not so awful.
No such luck for me though. The minute I arrived at Alice's desk she whisked me off to his office, chattering in my ear not to worry along the way.
Though, she herself looked terrified for me and she didn't even know the real reason I was there to speak to him.
I felt a fluttery, nauseas feeling deep in the pit of my stomach as we got closer to his door. Butterflies? I couldn't be serious. Even when I was waiting to go on stage I never felt that way.
What the hell was going on with me?
I had no time to answer that question. Before I knew it, Alice had wrapped her arms around me tightly. "You'll be fine."
I wasn't sure which one of us she was trying to convince. She had a very worried look on her face as she knocked on the door.
"Enter." The smooth voice commanded.
"Good luck Bella." Alice whispered before walking away, leaving me to face my fate alone.
I sighed deeply before turning the handle and opening the door.
He's just one man.
I chanted that to myself several times as I made my way over to his desk.
I must have looked like a scared little girl as I stood before him. My hair soaking wet from the shower, no makeup on my face and I was sure my skin was still flushed from my workout.
I didn't think I had it in me for round two with the beast.
This was a really bad idea.
I was so busy scolding myself that it took me several minutes to notice the Fat Cat was sitting there, elbows on his desk, hands intertwined together, looking up at me …or so I assumed.
I couldn't really be sure with the dark sunglasses he had on his face.
I bet he was glaring at me like a demon, but who could tell what was going on behind his sleek, Ray Ban fortress. The only thing I saw when I looked at him was my own image reflected back at me.
I didn't look happy.
His eyes were completely hidden, which annoyed the shit out of me. They always told me what I needed to know. He cut off my access to them. I was defenseless. He took away my strongest weapon against him.
I wanted to rip them of his face.
"You requested to speak with me." He said calmly, far too calmly for my liking.
I felt myself getting flustered, which wasn't supposed to happen. The temperature in the room increased substantially. It was sweltering in there. The air felt heavy as I breathed it in, my throat went dry and I didn't seem to be thinking straight.
He was messing with my mind somehow. He frazzled me. How the hell did he do that?
I needed to get out of there. I opened my purse and took out the envelope. I went to hand it to him but he held up his hand in refute.
"You're quitting." He sounded stunned.
I placed the envelope down on his desk firmly. "No, but after I tell you what's in this envelope you'll most likely want to fire me."
"What if I told you I want to fire you without knowing what's in that envelope?" The voice of the demon had returned. It was familiar at least.
"Well... I guess I wouldn't really blame you. I just-"
"Ms. Swan."
"Yes."
"Tell me what is in the envelope."
I fidgeted a bit with my hair, pulling it behind my ears. The man was turning me into a mess.
I couldn't have that.
I felt the sharp sting from the smack across the face my inner rock star wanted to give me. My backbone straightened, literally and figuratively.
"It's from your father." I stopped breathing.
He didn't respond.
"Did you hear what I just said?" I was desperately trying to gauge his face for some type of reaction, but damn it, he was a blank slate.
I was about two seconds away from lunging across the desk and pulling his sunglasses off his face when he picked up the letter.
"I don't have a father." He held the envelope up to me.
"Are you sure about that? Because there's a Dr. Carlisle Cullen at Northwest Hospital that says differently. He reminded me a lot of you." The minute the words left my mouth I wanted to shoot myself in the face.
"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" he barked, just as expected.
"Mr. Cullen, it's obvious the two of you are at odds with each other and I know it's none of my business, but you should at least read the letter. He's so…numb." I decided to just be honest and let the chips fall where they may.
His jaw tightened in anger. "How do you know him?"
Shit!
I cleared my throat lightly. "Well I don't actually know him. He was the doctor that took care of my friend in the emergency room last night." More truth. Truth was good.
"I see. Did he introduce himself as Dr. Carlisle Cullen, father to Edward Cullen?" Sarcasm coated his words.
"No, not exactly like that." I rolled my eyes. "I may have asked him if he was related to you when I heard his last name."
"How inquisitive of you Ms. Swan. Such a dangerous trait to have." I could feel his glare on me.
"Am I in danger now?" I attempted to match his glare, but with those damn glasses I felt like I was glaring at myself.
He didn't answer. He sat perfectly still, letting his silence speak for itself.
Then, he picked up his pen and started writing on a blank sheet of paper. When he finished writing, he folded it and placed it in an envelope which he sealed and held up to me.
Oh for Christ's sake.
"Since you're so fond of delivering messages, you can deliver one for me." He said through a bitter sneer.
"I'm not fond of delivering messages." I said defensively. "It just seemed important to him. Look, I'm in no position to tell you what to do-"
"Oh, so you've finally realized that." He cut in before I could finish what I was saying.
I smirked at him. "Very funny, that's not what I meant. I meant…" Wait, was I really going to tell him about my wretched relationship with my parents?
Was I crazy? That was debatable, and I was leaning towards yes.
"I expect you to finish what you started." He stood, lowering his sunglasses at me.
His eyes were blood red and raw looking. The swelling seemed to have gone down a bit. I was so preoccupied with the health of his eyes that I hadn't noticed the stern look I was getting from them.
His arm was outstretched with the envelope in hand. Like the fool I was I took it from him.
"You could mail this you know." I sniped while placing the damn thing in my purse.
"I could." He agreed his voice pure silk. "You could have minded your own business and we wouldn't be having this conversation at all." He sat down pushing the sunglasses back up his nose, concealing his wounded eyes from me once more.
He was impossible.
"Am I dismissed?" I asked facetiously.
"No." He replied humorlessly. "I forbid you to relay any information about me to that man and I expect no further correspondence from him. Am I clear?"
"You forbid me?" My eyes were bulging out of my head.
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"
I chuckled sarcastically. "No, of course not. Why would I have a problem with you speaking to me as though I were nothing more than a lowly servant?" I folded my arms together, biting down hard on my lip in anger.
"Good." He smirked obnoxiously. "NOW… You're dismissed."
I heard myself gasp at his arrogance. I don't know what came over me, but instead of going into my stance and shouting at him I walked over to the chair and sat down, calmly crossing my legs.
"No." I said simply.
He leaned back in his chair; I could feel his eyes accessing my every move. "No?"
I shook my head slowly. "I'd rather not leave at this moment. As a matter of fact, I forbid you to dismiss me so rudely." My voice was smooth as butter.
He let out a dry laugh. "You forbid me?" He repeated sounding somewhat amused by my words.
"That's what I said." I smirked at him wickedly, and just like that carefree, uninhibited and fun loving Bella was back.
I was very grateful for that because worrisome and bitter Bella was not really my style and she was terribly exhausting.
"I hardly think you're in a position to forbid me to do anything." He said snidely.
"Really, so then what are you saying, Mr. Cullen, that I'm at your mercy with no rights of my own? Do you feel as though you own me?" Honestly, I was curious to know how his mind worked.
He ran his fingers through his hair and then shook his head at me in disbelief. "A smart mouth like yours can get you into a lot of trouble."
I huffed loudly. "You don't say and what would an arrogant and demeaning mouth get me?"
I actually felt his eyes gripping onto mine. "If this behavior continues you'll find out."
I let out a long sigh. "This may sound hard to believe but I'm not trying to be disrespectful. It's just…you rattle me. The way you talk to me. The way you look at me. How can I not react to it?"
I watched his face for a reaction and got nothing.
"I enjoy working here and I'm very sorry about what happened this morning." I paused, searching for the words. "I just can't allow myself to be belittled. If that's what's required of me to work for you then I guess this isn't the job for me." Relief washed over me the second the words left my mouth.
It was true all of it. I couldn't pretend to be someone I wasn't. He was my boss, I was well aware of that fact, but I wanted him to be aware that it didn't give him the right to bully me, not without my calling him on it anyway.
He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and removed his sunglasses, placing them on his desk. He looked down at his hands in contemplation.
After a few moments his eyes shot up to mine, catching me off guard. "I don't belittle you. I assert my authority. There is a difference." He rubbed his eyes, clenching them shut in discomfort.
In that moment I forgot what the hell we were even talking about. I didn't like seeing him in pain, especially when I knew I caused it.
"Does it hurt?" I asked, duh.
"Yes," he grumbled like a child.
"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.
"You should be," he sniped.
"Is there anything I can do?" I felt myself moving forward in my chair.
"No."
"Would you feel better if I sprayed myself in the face too?" I asked, sweetly.
"Yes." He threw me a crooked grin. Even with his battered eyes he was devastatingly handsome.
"I was kidding, but it's good to know how cruel you really are." I scoffed playfully.
His face became serious, darkness seeped into his weary eyes. "You'd be wise to remember that, Ms. Swan. I am not a nice person."
"Trust me, I've noticed." I smirked at him. "But no one is allbad."
He didn't respond, he held my gaze intently. A loud buzz rang out in the room.
"Mr. Cullen, Your eleven-thirty is waiting." Alice's voice informed.
"I'll go." I stood and was surprised to find he stood along with me.
I made my way across the room feeling his eyes on my back the entire way. I opened the door realizing I was most likely the first person to ever leave his office in a better mood than I had entered it.
A/N: Hells Bells! Two letters and still no clue what's in either of them? That's just not right! Will Bella deliver Edroar's letter? Should she? What good could possibly come of that?
Fun Fact: Cockles are small, edible, saltwater clams. A meal of cockles served with laver bread, is known as a traditional Welsh breakfast. Yuck! I know, but Edroar that crazy tyrant loves them.
Special hugs to Tamskee80 for brainstorming Edroar's butt with me on twitter. I didn't want him to have a tattoo and she suggested a birthmark….a light bulb went off and a diamond studded ass was born. Thanks for the inspiration bb. YOU ROCK!
Justice for Children is real guys. Unfortunately, the ten million dollar donation from Cullen Publishing last year is not. Justice for Children is a national nonprofit organization of citizens concerned about children's rights and their protection from abuse.
What charity would you pick for this year's ball if you were Alice?
That's all for now folks. Let me know what you think…it's better than Edroar stepping away from that sink and showing us his goods.