Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or plotlines of the Twilight Saga and the following is a form of fiction based on the brilliance of Stephanie Meyer's work.
Author: ToryD
Beta: Splendorous Night Unfurled
Title: A Forbidden Forever
Chapter Three
"Well?" Alice asked as she breezed into Edward's corner office with her long black lace skirt flowing elegantly behind her.
"Well what?" Edward grumbled as he glared across the room at his meddlesome sister for once not bothering to read her thoughts.
"Edward!" Alice moaned as she crossed the plush, beige carpet in order to perch herself on the corner of his desk. "What are you going to do about Isabella? For some reason I can't get a feel for what you are planning."
"Bella," Edward corrected as he leaned back in his black leather chair to better view his sister's inquiring gaze.
"Bella?" Alice asked with a quizzical look crossing her smooth, pale face.
"That's the name she uses; Bella," Edward informed her as he pushed a paper towards his sister. "And the reason you can't read my future is because I don't know what I'm going to do."
Picking up the paper Alice began to read. "Impressive," she said as she viewed the report on Bella's academic records from Portland College. "Why is she working as a cleaner?" she asked with a frown of confusion marring her brow as she handed the paper back to Edward.
"I wish I knew," Edward sighed deeply. "Not only does she work here, but she also has a full time job at a bakery and bartends at a sports bar most evenings. All that in addition to her class schedule."
"That would be a hard schedule for even one of us to keep," Alice observed with irony as she imagined Bella's daily schedule. "When does she have time to sleep?"
"I don't know," Edward replied somewhat tersely as he didn't want to think of all of the sacrifices that Bella was having to make in order to make something of her life. Getting up from his chair, he stalked over to a line of screens on the wall that showed a multitude of images courtesy of the numerous security cameras within the Cullen Communications Building.
Alice frowned after her brother, wondering what she could do to help. "Too bad you don't have a way to make her work load a little bit easier. "
Edward grunted noncommittally as he pushed his long elegant fingers restlessly though his bronze hair while he continued to stare unblinkingly at the screens in hopes to catch a glimpse of Bella at work.
Alice smiled widely as an idea popped into her head. "Edward," she called out questioningly.
Instantly on alert at his sister's tone, Edward turned to gaze cautiously at her. "Yes Alice?" he queried as he tried to gage her thoughts.
With a sassy smile, Alice slid off the desk to cross to his side. Linking her arms around one of his, she turned him to view one of the monitors that held Bella's image. Resting her chin upon his shoulder she whispered lightly into his ear, "Do you think you would be okay to work with Bella in the same room if I were here too? You could control your thirst couldn't you?"
"I think that if you were here to run interference I would be able to control my more animalistic urges," Edward conveyed dryly as he watched a bright smile alight his favorite sister's perfect lips at his answer. After a few silent seconds, Edward's own lips broke out into his signature crooked smile as he ascertained Alice's thoughts and saw the possibilities of her devious plan. Pulling her tightly into his arms , he twirled her in a circle around the room to her laughing delight. Setting her down gently, he pulled her into his embrace and whispered into her hair, "What would I ever do without you?"
"Well since fate has decreed that you will never have the chance, I guess we'll never know," she smiled back impishly. "Now, let's go over the details."
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Bella pulled her earphones from her ears as she watched the night security guard approach her with a smile.
"Hi I'm Charlie," he introduced himself as this was the first time he had seen the newest member of the cleaning staff.
Smiling, Bella returned the introduction to the gentle looking, older man. "Bella Swan."
"Mr. Cullen called down and asked if you could go up and help clean up a spill in his office," Charlie informed her.
"Sure," Bella responded immediately albeit a little nervously. "If you could just tell me where his office is, I would be happy to." Turning to her cart, she began to gather supplies into a bucket that would help clean up just about any stain.
Noticing her obvious nervousness Charlie hid his knowing smile. "Mr. Cullen's office is on the twenty-third floor. Once you get off the elevator you make a right and go to the end of the hall. There is a set of glass doors that you will need to go through and then his office is right beyond them." Charlie instructed as he began to walk her towards the elevator. "I'll have to let you up with my passkey."
"Passkey?" Bella asked unsure of what he meant.
"In order to get to the executive floor you need a passkey," he explained as he motioned her into an awaiting elevator and then inserted a key to activate the top button on the panel. "You only need it to go up so you won't have any problems coming back."
"Okay, thanks Charlie," Bella smiled as she held onto her bucket with both hands to hide their shaking.
"Bella," Charlie said with a grandfatherly grin upon his weathered features. "Mr. Cullen is kind of a private guy so don't be worried if he doesn't even notice you okay?"
Nodding her head, Bella released a pent up breath as she exchanged a grateful smile with Charlie.
"I'll see you back here soon," Charlie called out as the doors slid shut.
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"She's on her way now," Edward called out as he watched the monitor that held the image of Bella on the elevator.
"Okay, so where should I spill this?" Alice asked as she held up a cup of coffee.
"Anywhere," Edward instructed as he reached for the remote to turn off the screens.
"Done," Alice called as she emptied the mug onto the carpet.
Edward glanced down at the mess that Alice had made of his carpet and frowned. "I don't think that humans drink the grounds Alice."
Frowning, Alice looked at the brown stain that had a pile of coffee grounds littered within. "But isn't that how they make coffee? I know I've seen a commercial for an instant coffee where they just spoon it in and stir like I just did."
"Geez Alice!" Edward complained as he leaned down to scoop up the grounds as best he could. "Rebecca uses a filter so the grounds don't get into the coffee!"
"Well good for your secretary!" Alice sniped back at her brother, a little hurt that he didn't appreciate her efforts.
At the sound of the elevator ping, Edward froze and looked up at his sister with a light of fear in his beautiful eyes. "She's here," he whispered.
Pulled from her annoyance, Alice almost laughed out loud at the picture her normally self assured brother made as he remained frozen in place with his hands covered in coffee grounds. "The grounds Edward," she reminded him with a sweet little smile.
Shaking his head in confusion, Edward looked down at his pale hands and jumped up and left the room so quickly that any human would have been hard pressed to have seen him pass.
"Hello," Bella called out hesitantly as she entered through the glass double doors Charlie had referred to earlier.
"In here," Alice called as she watched Edward race towards his office chair to take a seat just a few seconds before Bella entered the office. 'Relax, you don't want her to think you're an idiot' she brought the words into her mind so Edward could read her thoughts and hopefully calm himself.
Smiling nervously as she entered the room, Bella paused as she looked to the floor in an attempt to block out the vision her eyes had beheld for just a brief second. As her heart threatened to beat out of her chest at simply being in the same room as the most beautiful man she had ever seen, she quickly went to work as she saw the stain she was summoned to clean. "I won't be but a moment," she said softly as she knelt on the carpet.
Alice watched in awe as Edward stared at Bella with a longing that went beyond anything that she had ever seen. 'Don't scare her off,' Alice warned him through her thoughts.
Recovering himself somewhat, he looked to Alice with a pleading look that went straight to her unbeating heart.
'Just relax and follow my lead,' she instructed silently.
Walking over the Bella, Alice smiled down as she held out her hand. "I don't think we've met before."
Bella looked up, slightly surprised. "No, I just started working here a few days ago," she replied as she took the breathtaking brunette's proffered hand.
"I'm Alice Cullen, Edward's sister." Alice introduced herself as she smiled gently.
"Bella Swan," Bella replied as she tried not to flinch at the coldness of Alice's hand.
Smiling, Alice wrinkled her nose playfully. "I know my hand is cold. It's a genetic thing in my family; low body temperature," she explained as she released Bella's hand.
Bella smiled silently in response.
"Have you met Edward yet?" Alice asked as she glanced over at Edward's unmoving form. 'Get up and introduce yourself!' she instructed Edward with a sharp thought in her mind.
Frowning at some unspoken inner turmoil, Edward rose as he stared unblinkingly at Bella's kneeling form. Coming from around his desk, he was completely unaware of the picture of elegant grace he presented in his steel gray cashmere sweater and designer jeans.
Bella watched with an almost hypnotic gaze as Edward approached her silently. Her heart stilled within her chest as she felt an overwhelming crazy feeling, as if her life was about to change in the next few seconds.
Kneeling down to Bella's level, Edward held out his hand without once breaking his unblinking hold on her warm brown eyes.
Bella tentatively placed her hand in Edwards, feeling that in doing so she was making an unchangeable decision that once made could never be reversed. Her eyes left his inviting tawny colored eyes to glance down at their entwined hands. A rush of warmth and belonging washed over her as she felt for the first time an unexplained instant desire for a man. Drawing in a sharp breath, Bella quickly withdrew her hand in an attempt to end the uncomfortable feelings raging within her.
Edward frowned at her reaction, misreading it as a rejection.
Alice watched the scene unfolding with a sense of awe, for she had never seen such an instant flare of heated desire. 'Edward, say something!'
"Welcome to Cullen Telecommunication's Bella," Edward said with a warm smile that caused Bella's heart to flutter lightly.
"Thank you Mr. Cullen," Bella replied as she returned his smile, feeling much more in control of herself now that he was no longer holding her hand.
"Please call me Edward," he instructed as he rose to put some distance between them as her actions deemed to indicate her preference.
"So Bella, tell me about yourself," Alice inquired as she sank down on the carpet next to Bella.
Bella looked at Alice in surprise, for she somehow didn't think that such a beautiful young woman should be sitting on the carpet in an obviously expensive skirt. "Well there's really not much to tell," Bella replied as she reached for the stain remover spray from her bucket.
Alice smiled at Bella's evasive reply and set about to question her as though she was an experienced interrogator. "Well let's start with are you married, committed or single?"
Bella almost choked on a laugh at the invasive question. "I'm single."
"Oh," Alice answered as she shot a meaningful glance at Edward. "I'm married myself," she offered with a happy smile. "So why do you choose to work in the middle of the night like Edward and I?"
Using a rag to blot the fading stain, Bella smiled at Alice's question. "Believe it or not, the hours are perfect for me. I attend Portland College during the day."
"What are you studying?" Alice asked with a keen interest in her gaze.
"I'm majoring in pre-law; if all goes according to plan I want to go to law school in two years," Bella answered with a wistfulness that caused Edward to clench his fist.
"What kind of law do you want to practice," Edward asked from across the room.
"Criminal law," Bella answered with an intent of undeniable purpose.
"Why Criminal law?" Edward asked softly with a look of complete attentiveness adorning his astonishingly handsome face.
"I've witnessed how the law can fail and I want to be able to change that," Bella answered with an edge of sadness to her words.
Edward couldn't take his eyes off her. Her human beauty and fragility seemed to be calling to him on some basic level that he knew he could not fight. "I imagine that you will," Edward answered after a short pause.
Bella looked up into Edward's intent gaze and smiled at the conviction he seemed to have for her and her dream of the future. "Thank you," she whispered with a soft smile that served to warm Edward unexplainably.
"Bella," Alice called out as she rose from the floor, "Do you know how to use a computer?"
Seeing that the spot had been successfully removed, Bella began to gather her cleaning supplies into her bucket. "Yes, we have to submit all of our assignments via email."
Alice turned to face Edward with a smug smile as if to congratulate herself on her success. "Edward, I bet Bella could fill the position of your night time assistant."
Edward winked conspiratorially at Alice before her turned his attentions to Bella. "Would you be interested in working as my assistant?"
"I'm not sure," Bella answered with a slight frown marring her smooth brow. "What exactly does the position entail?"
"Oh you just have to help him with his personal correspondence, answering emails and letters. Going through his personal mail and finances," Alice answered for Edward. "I've been doing it for him for the last few months but Jasper is getting a little put out by the late hours."
"Jasper?" Bella asked.
"Jasper is my husband," Alice answered with a slight nod to the intricate platinum ring adorning her left hand. "It's really easy and Edward's not so bad to work for," she said as she leaned up and put her arm around her six foot one brother.
"I'd probably need to talk with personnel first about leaving the cleaning service. They might not be able to replace me right away," Bella suggested with a cautious tone to her voice.
"I think that they would do a small favor for me," Edward stated with a slightly amused grin on his perfect face.
Bella blushed slightly at his amusement.
"Oh say yes Bella!" Alice encouraged as she bounced up and down like an excited child.
"Well," Bella hedged as she tried to imagine how she would be able to produce any quality work when she would be more than likely staring at her gorgeous boss the whole time.
"Please say yes," Edward pleaded gently as his eyes met and held hers in a mesmerizing gaze.
Feeling her heart still in her chest yet again, Bella heard herself accept his offer with a breathless, "Alright."
Edward wanted to grab her up in his arms to celebrate but settled for smiling at her warmly. "Shall we set your start date as tomorrow night, say nine?"
"Okay," Bella answered as she bent down to pick up her supplies, needing to leave the room before she embarrassed herself any further. "I'll be here."
"Wait," Alice called as she raced to Edward's desk. Walking to Bella's side she held out a strange looking key and small card. "Here is a passkey for the elevator to reach the twenty-third floor, and here is a card with Edward's private number if you need anything. I'll be training you for the next few days until you feel comfortable enough to be on your own with Edward."
Bella couldn't suppress the excited flutter in her stomach at the mention of her being on her own with Edward. Accepting the key and expensive looking business card that had Edward's name elegantly imprinted upon its surface from Alice, she offered a soft "Thank you ," as she gently ran her fingers over Edward's name.
Alice hid a smile as she watched Bella and Edward's attraction for each other unfolding before her eyes.
"I'll let personnel know about the change tomorrow morning," Edward said as he continued to watch Bella with an unconscious longing in his stare.
"Alright, I'd better get back down stairs," Bella said as she walked towards the elevator.
Edward followed her out of the office and pushed the button to summon the elevator for her, willing it to be at the ground floor in order to prolong his time with her. All too quickly the doors slid open.
Bella entered the elevator and looked up into the smiling face of her boss. "Good night," she offered softly.
Edward felt an instant heat of desire fill him at the softness of her voice. "Good night Bella," he answered with a slight tremble to his words. As the doors closed, Edward could have sworn that he saw her lips part on a quick intake of breath. Frowning he turned and made his way back to his office where Alice was waiting with a huge grin.
"Wow!" Alice imparted as she sank onto a large, black, leather sofa. "Talk about an instant attraction!"
"Oh God!" Edward groaned as he sank down on the sofa next to her, "Was I that obvious?"
Alice smiled at the dejected look of embarrassment on her beloved brother's face. "Only to me Edward."
Relaxing slightly, Edward leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I couldn't read her thoughts."
Alice sat up with a start. "What?" she questioned sharply.
"I couldn't read her mind, and believe me I tried," Edward answered with a slightly aggravated tone.
"Well that's strange," Alice muttered as she settled back into the soft, inviting leather.
"Tell me about it," Edward commented dryly. "The one person whose thoughts I want to know most in the world is the one I can't read."
"Ah, maybe it's fate dealing your poor Bella an even hand." Alice suggested with an amusement that caused Edward to frown in her direction.
"Perhaps so," Edward commented after a moment.
"So I guess we had better plan out phase two," Alice advised with a mischievous smile that would soon become a familiar sight to her brother in the coming weeks.
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A/N Hope you like Bella and Edward's first meeting. Next chapter is Bella's first night as Edward's assistant. Thanks for the review on the last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback.