Chapter 4
Morning comes quickly and work goes slowly. The meeting with Edward was pushed back to the afternoon so that James can make sure I'm no longer pissed. After reassuring him a number of times that I'd be okay, he confirms the meeting. After lunch I make my way to the conference room, intent on keeping my composure and, more importantly, my job.
"Edward," I greet him with a polite nod and fake smile. This time, I take my time looking at him. He is rather attractive in that tall, sharp-jawed, and pretty eyes kind of way, and I suppose if I were his girlfriend, I wouldn't be opposed anything that makes me sound like I'm being ripped apart and put back together.
Heather is rather pleased.
"Isabella," he breathes my name barely above a whisper, his eyes apologetic and his lips pursed.
Damn, if he wants to come off as a cute puppy who'd done wrong, he's pulling it off fairly well. I feel like I should pet his hair and have him sit in my lap.
Heather reminds me that maybe I should be the one mounting his lap.
This should be interesting. I don't remember the last time I felt an ounce of attraction toward anyone. Alice is gonna have a field day psychoanalyzing this one.
"Well, lets get this thing going, shall we," James breaks us out of our bubble and we all congregate around the conference table.
Today, I learn that Edward isn't a self satisfying asshole like I thought he was. He's actually a pretty smart self-made entrepreneur that owns a bar downtown and another one in Port Angeles which his brother, Emmett, helps him run.
He works hard and the reason for his late night sexcapades is that he usually gets home really late after he closes the bar. I also learn that he moved into the building next to mine because he wanted to be closer to his business. I suppose I can't hate him too much.
Our job is to help him promote "Maven's Haven" as something more than a dive bar. We were hired to give him guidance with branding, logos and advertising.
"This will be an easy enough transition, Mr. Cullen," James says, shaking Edward's hand as the meeting comes to an end. "In spite of what happened yesterday, Isabella's the best we've got here. She'll be on top of you like white on rice and have this turned around in no time."
My cheeks flush as I look over at Edward, his eyes piercing me with his stare. I suppose being on top of him wouldn't be a bad thing. My blush deepens as the thought runs through my head.
As if he can read my mind, Edward's lips curve into a smirk and his eyes darken. It takes every ounce of will power I can summon for me to stop myself from looking at his crotch.
"I'm sure we'll be great together," Edward says, his eyes not leaving mine. I can feel the way my skin prickles under his gaze and I'm not sure I like it.
"It'll be awesome," I mumble, not caring that I sound like an idiot.
Once Edward leaves, James and I go through everything and decide that first things first, would be to go to the bar and see what we're working with. Since this is my pet-project, James gives me some direction, but won't have much involvement in what I decide to do.
I end up spending the rest of my afternoon meeting with someone from the graphic department and leaving a message for Edward to meet me at the bar tomorrow so we can discuss his bar's new image.
Once again, I'm treated to a nice, peaceful night of sleep, I suppose Edward wasn't lying when he said he'd broken up with his girlfriend. Heather isn't pleased by this development. She had gotten used to getting off on the noise.
"So, Bella, should we discuss what happened at the office yesterday?" Alice asks.
After a few silent minutes, in which I deliberate what to tell her, I finally let loose and lay it all out. I tell Alice about the weird attraction I have to the attractive neighbor-man. I also tell her about my self doubt-something she was already aware of even if I hadn't talked about it out loud.
"And, I mean, Heather's not even fit for human consumption, Alice. I wouldn't even know where to start, it's been so long." I wipe my eyes, exhausted yet happy to have gotten some of these things off my chest.
"Heather needs some love too, Bella," Alice says then slaps a hand over her mouth. "I can't believe you've got me doing it, too." She shakes her head. "At some point, you'll have to trust someone," she continues. "Men aren't all bad, Bella."
I nod, knowing she right, yet thinking that my trust issues may run too deep for me to ever be healed.
Later in the day, I meet Edward at his bar. He's right when he said it looked like a dive. When I walk in, I notice immediately that I have my work cut out for me.
"Isabella?" Edward's voice drifts from somewhere behind me and I turn, gasping when I see him look completely different from the man I'd seen at the office.
Swallowing thickly, I let my eyes roam over him from head to toe, taking in the way his black, vintage Jagger t-shirt fits him just right, all the way down to the dark-wash jeans that sit low on his hips. My eyes then land on the ink that adorns his arms, something I hadn't taken notice of when I'd seen him in the window a few days ago.
"You can call me Bella," I finally tell him, trying to maintain some sort of business-like decorum. "I brought by a few things I had the art department throw together." I won't waste any of his time. We're not friends and I am pretty sure he wants me out of here as soon as possible. Whatever has happened between us needs to be buried deep, deep underground for us to maintain a good business relationship.
He seems to be taken aback by my tone but recovers quickly. "Let's go to my office." His voice is low and he frowns as he leads me down a dark corridor. The electricity between us never waivers though, leaving me wondering if he feels it too.
Edward's office is tiny, but quieter than the bar where a few patrons were playing pool and drinking, while listening to some classic rock.
I show him what I have and we settle on a color scheme and a theme. What I showed him wasn't anything concrete, but served more as a starting off point to get the feel of what he wanted. He then proceeds to show me around, telling me his vision and what he sees in the future of "Maven's Haven."
The passion and conviction behind his words, leave me shivering and wanting to hear his voice tell me things that have nothing to do with my job. I suggest small changes he could make like, painting the walls and adding some artwork. He shows me a few things he's ordered and I make suggestions that will bring it all together nicely. He has good taste, I'll give him that. It's obvious that he bought this place and hasn't done anything to it because it looks nothing like the vision he has.
When I leave, I feel a sense of longing the further away I get from the bar. It's weird. I don't know him, yet I feel like I do.
I spend the rest of the week working on Edward's branding and make an appointment to meet with him the next Monday to show him a few finalized options. He needs a new sign to go over the bar and it takes a few weeks to get it made and installed, so we need to work quickly and settle on a final draft.
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