Chapter four
August 5th.
Bella stared nervously at the elevators door as she brought her further and further up in the building of Dwyer, Holland & Lee, closer to her first day as an assistant by the second.
The elevator was empty most of the way, which Bella was glad for as it gave her the freedom to be nervous, sweaty palms and all that usually followed a full blown out nervous breakdown.
Her privacy was broken when she reached the twelfth floor and an angry looking balding man stepped in, a phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder as he balanced a large stack of files in his arms. He ignored her completely, much to Bella's delight and he stepped off the elevator at the thirteenth floor, leaving Bella alone with her own thoughts in the small confined space of the elevator.
Four more floors ticked slowly by before she reached her destination: the eighteenth floor. Her lower lip was red from worrying it with her teeth for so long and perspiration had broken out over her brows but she had no time brushing the tiny drops of sweat away from her forehead as she took in the beauty of the eighteenth floor.
She had judged the office out from movies and TV series she had seen, expecting it to be dark, filled with dark wood and small spaces barely large enough for a desk and chair. It was nothing like she had expected it to be.
The bright August sun welcomed her through large floor to ceiling windows, surrounding her on three sides. A seating area with large leather couches in a rich chocolate color was place in front of the windows, creating a sophisticated and welcoming feeling to the floor.
"You must be Miss Swan," a cheery woman with long blond hair smiled as she rounded the corner of the cubical that housed the elevator, a large and inviting smile on her lips, "I'm Sherry."
"Nice to meet you," Bella smiled, shaking her hand and wishing she had dried it on her pants before offering it.
"Mr. Dwyer is running a little late, I'm afraid, but he will be with here shortly. Meanwhile, let me show you to the conference room he would like to meet you in."
Sherry led the way and Bella had to hold in a gasp as they walked around the cubical of the elevator: the floor to ceiling windows continued further into the building and the spacious feeling followed. There were no cramped cubicles shadowed by drab and boring walls. The space between the desks gave enough to move freely and the desk areas were separated from the conference rooms by lightly frosted glass.
The conference room Sherry led her into was all frosted glass and the interior were black and sleek against all the pale frosted glass.
A man dressed in a perfectly fitted suit and a mop of dark, yet greying hair, stood from a chair on the opposite side of the large steel and black glass table: Philip Dwyer, the man who had interviewed her and given her the job on the spot.
"Miss Swan," he smiled brightly at her, buttoning his jacket before holding out his hand for her to shake.
"Call me Bella," she blurred before she could stop herself, a habit she had created years and years ago.
"I'll only call you Bella if you call me Phil," he laughed softly and Bella found herself smiling brightly at the man in front of her: she could easily see herself working for him. "What a smile you have," he noted as he pulled out a chair for her.
"Thank you," Bella said, ducking her head and blushing.
"And she's a blusher!" he announced to the air, making Bella blush even more as she laughed, "I wish you were here to become my assistant, but alas, you're not for me," he shook his head as if it was the worst news he had heard in years, a dramatic flair to the whole man.
"Then who will I work for then?" Bella questioned curiously as she watched from out of her eye, Sherry, the lively blond, slip out of the room with a smile.
"Only our best lawyer!" Phil announced as he took his seat again, "Mr. C- Ah, Edward, here I thought you wouldn't make it for the introduction of your own assistant!" Bella turned her head in the direction of the door and felt her heart stop beating inside her chest as her eyes landed on the man standing there: tall, broad and dangerous looking.
"I told you I would make it," Edward drawled, not taking his eyes of Bella as he spoke to Phil.
"No, you told me you didn't believe you would make it, which is different and there's no use arguing about it," Phil corrected him, obvious to the tension between Edward and Bella.
"Well, I'm here now, so there is no need in arguing about what I said, especially not when we both know I will win in the end," the smile on his lips were cold and Bella quickly looked away from him when he sat down in the chair opposite of her.
"You're right," Phil agreed, "Edward, meet your lovely new assistant, Bella Swan. I believe she will be able to keep up with you without you being the bully you're known for being," the warm smile Phil sent her warmed Bella from the inside but it only lasted until her eyes found their way back to Edward.
"You know I only drive them hard to test their limits," Edward said as he leaned back in his chair, his elbows resting on the armrests, his hands folded in the air between. Never did his eyes leave her as he spoke, his gaze burning her, like his touch when his hand traveled between…
Bella shook herself mentally, reminding herself that it was not a good idea fantasying about her now new boss in front of his boss.
"Unfortunately, and as you already know, you're not going to work for me Bella, so I will leave the two of you to get better acquainted." Phil rose to his feet with a smile and wished Bella good look in a low voice, meant only for her, before leaving the room, leaving Bella alone with the man she never believed she would see ever again.
"I feel sick," Bella whispered to herself in a low voice as soon the door closed behind Phil. Suddenly, she regretted wearing the creamy white, sheer blouse with gold buttons that fit well with her patent leather pumps with gold heels.
"This is interesting," her head snapped up and she stared at Edward as he smiled, or rather smirked at her, his arms crossed over his chest, the sleeves of his shirt riding up at his wrists, exposing his ink.
A flash of a memory entered her mind and she saw his arms, all of his skin exposed in his naked glory as he gripped her hands with one hand while fucking her merciless.
Heat colored the skin of her cheeks as she thought about the many heated encounters they had had over the summer, how he repeatedly brought to climax so easily, as if he knew her body better than she did.
"If I had known," Bella started to say but stopped herself, thinking better off it.
"If you had known that I would become your boss, you would have done what, asked for more money?" he asked with a sneer, standing from his chair and walking over to the window overlooking the city.
"For your information, the first night, you offered the money and I simply told you how much I had been given in the past: I never asked you or demanded for you to pay me." Silence filled the room and Bella stared at the tabletop, unable to lift her eyes to Edward where he was standing. "I suppose my career in law, though as an assistant, was short lived," Bella sighed, getting to her feet and securing.
"I will not let you go," her escape was brought to an end before it even started by Edward as he pressed his palm against the door as she reached for the handle.
"If you think I can work for you, think again," Bella mumbled.
"If you walk out of that door and never return, questions will be asked and answers will be demanded: the truth of our short lived history will be exposed and even though it just might be exposed to Phil, Sherry has her ways of knowing things: everyone will know in no time. And Bella, think about it: no one will care that I paid for the sex I craved, but the fact that you accepted the money, well, it won't go by easy."
"You're threatening me?" Bella asked, not quiet believing what she was hearing.
"I wouldn't call it threatening."
"Then what would you call it?" Bella demanded to know, gathering all of her strength to stand her grown, to stand up for herself.
"Stating a fact," Edward leaned forward and Bella took a step back, unable to think with him so close, his scent sifting through the air and to her nose. "We both know that if the truth comes out, no one will look my way because I'm a man. You on the other hand will receive all of the attention, liking it or not."
She hated admitting it but Bella knew Edward was right. They were living in the 21st century where equality was the theory but unfortunately, not always a theory exercised and Bella knew if anyone learned the truth of her side-job and agreement with Edward, the eyes would turn to her, stay on her and make it impossible for her to explain herself. Edward would slip away from it all without a second glance in his direction.
"There are always ways of making sure that the information doesn't go into the wrong hands," Edward continued, moving closer to her and Bella automatically took another step back.
"I'm not having sex with you," the words came out rushed, making Edward only smile, "And you can't blackmail me or threaten me into doing so," she added for good measure.
"You will come to me willingly and we both know it: you crave my touch, crave the feeling of my skin against yours and the feeling of me filling you up, taking you hard," Bella's skin was flushed as she listened to Edward's word, unable to stop her body from responding as he spoke the truth. "It might take hours, days or weeks, but it doesn't matter: you will come to me and when you do, I will bend you over my desk and take you hard," he leaned in close as he spoke the words and Bella felt herself shiver as his hot breath fanned over her skin.
With her lips slightly parted, she stared up at him as he stared down at her with cool and collected eyes. Her body felt as if it was on fire and she wanted to beg for him to bring her the pleasure she suddenly craved, but she stood strong and repressed her needs, like she had done for all those years.
"Sherry will show you to your desk and Kate, the woman you are replacing, will show you the ropes around here," and then she was standing alone in the large conference room, hot and bothered as she tried to process what had just transpired in front of her.
Please, stay tuned for the next chapter 6th of March!
I still don't know if they are able to save what was on my old computer, but unable to put this story on hold while I wait, and terrified of loosing readers, I've decided to re-write the possibly lost chapters. This is a short chapter but at least it is a chapter, though a week late.
Cross your fingers that the rest of the story will be saved so I can share it with you!