The Harder they Fall

by Ironic Twist

Bella Swan had big dreams that were quashed by reality. Now, a momentary indescretion may cost her the little she has. Or maybe it will be the best mistake she's ever made. Edward Cullen's life is perfect. Well, almost. Perhaps these two can help each other out in an unorthodox way.

11. Goodbye to the Past

Massive thanks to AngryBaderGirl who , with a single tweet, exposed my story to literally hundreds of new readers. Thank you, bb – you rock! I want to be you when I grow up. ABG's characters, Tie Guy, Sk8er Girl and TNGUS pwn me. Read anything she's written – you will be hooked on the goodness that is AngryBadgerGirl

A big thank you to all those who've put me or this story on alert! Leave a review if you can so I can thank you personally!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, setting, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 11 – Goodbye to the Past

The euphoric feelings I had when I'd gone to sleep last night were still with me when I awoke. I brushed my teeth and grabbed a granola bar while I considered the day ahead. Even the fact that I had to go to Nomad to pick up my last check couldn't put a damper on my good mood.

I had puttered around the apartment, showering and pulling my hair up before deciding I needed to hit the public library to make use of their free wifi so I could download my email. Pulling on jeans and a sweater, I settled in to call Alice. She answered on the first ring.

"Bella!" she squealed, "I was hoping you'd call. How did it go?"

"Better than I could have imagined, Alice. Your advice was invaluable!"

"I'm glad. So, spill! I want all the details."

"Well, we drove over in Edward's Aston Martin. Have you ever seen that car?"

"Of course I have. Edward is followed around by legions of photographers; I've seen pictures of him in both his cars and on his bike. The Aston Martin is nice, though."

"I'll say. You should have seen the valets fighting over who'd get to park it," I replied, giggling at the memory. "We weren't followed by photographers, though."

My declaration was met with silence. I waited a few seconds before pulling the Blackberry away from my ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped. It looked like we were still connected.

"Alice?"

"Ummm, Bella, Edward is always followed by photographers. Have you been online yet today?"

"I don't have access at home.'

"That explains it," she mumbled.

"What are you talking about, Alice?" I was starting to worry. This job was my ticket out of my current life; the idea that something might screw it up scared me. No, that was wrong. I was scared I'd screw it up myself. The idea that I could lose my job because of someone else made me angry.

I realized that Alice was still being unnaturally quiet.

"Alice?"

She sighed. "It's really not a big deal, Bella. There are some pictures of you online arriving at the party last night. They're not very good—kinda' like they were taken from far away. And they only show the two of you from the back."

I was starting to feel a little better. A few grainy shots of my back? Those shouldn't cause any problems.

"Well—" I started before Alice interrupted me.

"But the shots of you two leaving are really clear. I guess the wrap wasn't warm enough? Edward let you borrow his coat?"

"What?!" I exclaimed. I had hoped that she was kidding, but she wouldn't have that detail unless she'd actually seen pictures. I doubt Edward even remembered offering me his coat, he was just being polite.

Alice sighed again. "It's really probably no big deal, Bella. When you go online I'm sure you'll see the pictures. They don't even identify you in the shots, just some stuff about 'Edward Cullen and an associate attending the Cullen Enterprises' Fortune celebration' and yesterday's date. You don't seem to have raised any red flags."

The butterflies that had started in my stomach settled down a bit. That didn't seem too bad, really.

"What site?" I asked Alice and she rattled off the address for me to check later.

"Do you still want to tell me about the party?" Alice asked. I could hear the apprehension in her voice and I felt a little bad for lashing out at her.

"Well, I met some of Edward's family. Emmett and his wife, Rose. Edward's grandparents were there, First and Elizabeth—"

"First?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I never did get the story from Edward, but I think his grandfather is Edward the First."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I do know that his father's name is Carlisle, though."

"I'll have to ask Edward," I answered. "We'll be seeing his grandparents again at the Gala on Saturday."

Mentioning the Gala seemed to have opened Alice's floodgates.

"Ooh! I wanted to talk to you about your dress for Saturday. Are you free on Wednesday? I think I'd like you to come to my studio."

"Actually, Alice, I'm going to need you before Wednesday."

"Why?" she asked, curious.

"Well, I was getting to that part of the evening. After Edward's grandparents left he took me around the room and introduced me to some colleagues. I met Jasper Whitlock—"

I was interrupted by a giggle.

"Jasper?"

"Yes, he's an old friend of Edward and Emmett's who works in the Finance Department. He's getting me a credit card."

"Oh, good." Good? Alice didn't seem surprised. I wondered why. "But what kind of name is Jasper? Who names their kid Jasper anymore? Who wants their kid to be beat up on the playground?"

"I don't know, Alice," I answered her, dubiously. "Jasper looked like he could hold his own. He's taller than Edward, even, and quite good looking. Blond hair, blue eyes. He's got this whole Southern accent thing going."

"Hmmm," Alice mused, "I may have to meet this Jasper."

"Don't bother, Alice. He's engaged," I told her with a small laugh.

"Too bad."

"Mm," I agreed. Picturing all 6'3" of Jasper standing with all 4'11" of Alice was comical.

"Anyway, after I met Jasper I met some of the Board members. The President of the Board, J.J., asked me to join him, Edward, Emmett and Jasper for a business dinner on Tuesday. Edward thinks it's a good idea; a chance for us to be seen in public, but at someone else's insistence. Another business function."

"Tuesday, you say?" Alice asked.

"Yes."

"Hmmm, Tuesday is tough for me. Would you be okay if I sent an outfit to Edward's office with an assistant? Can you take care of your hair and makeup on your own?"

"I think so, Alice."

"Okay, I have the perfect ensemble for a business dinner. It's not at all casual but not overly stiff or formal. You'll love it. Listen, about that credit card…"

"What about it?" I wanted to know.

"Well, I hope you won't hate me, but I sort of pushed Mr. Cullen into getting it for you."

"What? Why?" I was bewildered and was starting to wonder exactly how much influence Alice had over Edward.

"Bella, the outfits I'm providing you with need specific undergarments and accessories. I've taken care of your jewelry needs, but you're going to need to buy the underwear."

"Alice, I can't buy underwear on a corporate card. Edward is going to sign off on my expense reports. How's that going to look when he goes over the statements."

Alice mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that, I couldn't hear you?"

Alice huffed. "He already knows, Bella. I explained to him the other day that you'd need some basics that I couldn't provide you with. I can't take back a bra and panties after you've worn them. He's giving you the card so you can buy the underwear you'll need to wear under the outfits I'm providing."

I could feel my face flaming. How could she? I was speechless with humiliation. I could feel tears start to prick my eyes.

"Bella?"

I couldn't answer. Last night I was on top of the world. I held my own in an unfamiliar environment. I chatted pleasantly with both Edward's family and colleagues. I didn't embarrass him or give him any reason to doubt my ability to be anything but the perfect date. In the meantime he was well aware of the fact that not only could I not afford the clothes on my back, but the underwear I had on either.

"Bella?"

How could I face him again?

"Bella? Are you still there, Bella?"

I sniffled.

"Oh, Bella. C'mon, honey, don't let this upset you. It's really no big deal. Mr. Cullen often bought underwear for Tanya. I should know, I picked most of it out."

"That's different, Alice. Tanya was his girlfriend. Lots of men buy fancy lingerie for their girlfriends. They don't buy it for their employees."

Alice let out another sigh. "Bella, while your position is unusual, it's not unique. Executives all around the world pay women to escort them to different functions. Believe me, those men are paying for the clothes their escorts are wearing. All of the clothes. Mr. Cullen was just being dense and I had to clue him in. I'm sorry that I embarrassed you, but, rest assured, he's probably already forgotten. If he had any interest in clothes he wouldn't need me to dress him."

I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down. What was done was done. I wasn't a child. I wouldn't ruin this opportunity.

"I don't—oh!"

"What?" Alice wanted to know.

"Something Edward said to me last night right before I left. It makes more sense now."

"What's that?"

"He told me to use the card for anything I might need for work. Anything. He gave me a cardigan to wear home last night when he noticed I wasn't wearing a jacket. Do you think he realized I didn't have a proper coat?"

"Probably. Bella, listen. Until I mentioned it to you, you had no idea that he offered you the cardigan because he knew you needed a coat. You just thought he was being nice, right? Can't you convince yourself that he's as ignorant as you assumed and go with that? You can't let this drive you crazy."

"I don't know, Alice."

"Listen. I have an idea. Why don't you keep track of all these underwear purchases, and the cost of your new jacket? When you're in a better position you can pay Cullen back. Well, I guess you can't, but you can make a donation to the hospital or one of the other charities CE supports. What do you think?"

"Alice…."

"Bella, please. You're going to need decent foundation garments or some of these outfits aren't going to work."

I considered what she'd said and decided to just agree with her suggestion.

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, Alice. I'm sorry I got so upset."

"No need to apologize. I understand. Listen, I have access to some great outerwear. If you come to my studio on Wednesday we can look at the coats and dresses for the Gala. What do you say?"

"Sure, Alice. Sounds great."

We chatted a few more minutes. She gave me the specifics on what to buy to wear under the outfit Tuesday night. I also told her about the fraternity reunion and the movie premiere. She seemed excited about the varied events and her opportunities to provide me with the clothing.

"The movie premiere has me a little worried," I confessed to her.

"Why?"

"Well, it's not something Edward would normally take a coworker to. He mentioned that he often went to openings with Tanya. When people see us there together, they're going to assume that we're seeing each other socially."

"Isn't that the point, Bella?"

"Well, yes, but there will be no turning back then."

"I think you're worrying for nothing. Just trust Mr. Cullen, Bella. He won't steer you wrong."

"Thanks, Alice."

She gave me the address of her studio and we said goodbye after agreeing to meet early Wednesday morning and then have lunch.

I was still upset about the whole underwear fiasco, but decided that dwelling on it wouldn't help matters. I glanced at the clock and decided it was time to head over to Nomad to pick up my check.

I packed the laptop and Blackberry in my bag and headed to the bus stop. As I left the building, the Blackberry rang. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" I asked, curious as to who would be calling me.

"Hi Bella, it's Jasper, Jasper Whitlock, Edward's friend. I wanted to let you know that your card arrived already. If you'd like I can messenger it over to your place today, or you can come pick it up if that's more convenient."

I shuddered at the thought of a messenger from CE coming to my neighborhood, much less my apartment.

"Oh, ummm, I'm running errands, so I can come in to get it, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. I have a meeting, so I might not be here when you get here, but will leave the card with my assistant. You'll have to sign a few papers, but then it's all yours."

"Thank you, Jasper."

"You're welcome. Take care."

"Bye."

The ride to Nomad seemed shorter than usual, probably because I was dreading facing James more than I had in the past. The building was quieter than I was used to, because it was so early in the day. I walked in the open bay doors and made my way to the time clock. Usually the paychecks were stapled to the time cards and we could just grab them when we punched in. I found the card I had used to clock in on Monday and Tuesday this week. I felt a small bubble of happiness when I realized I had an extra 16 hours of pay coming to me the end of the month. I hadn't thought about that when I was considering my upcoming finances.

I found my card and frowned. There wasn't an envelope stapled to it as there should have been.

I walked over to James' office. The door was closed, but the light was on. I hadn't seen anyone in the building yet, but the bay doors were open. Someone was here. I knocked lightly. There was no answer. I knocked a little harder. Still no answer. I was about to open the door when I heard the bathroom door behind me shut. I spun around to see James exiting the lavatory. He looked up at me and a mean smile appeared on his face.

"Swan."

"James, I'm just here to pick up my paycheck. It's not stapled to my timecard. Do you have it?"

"Your paycheck, eh? Yeah, there was a small problem over at your last job. Come into my office, we need to talk."

Stunned I followed James into his office. Had Edward canceled Nomad's contract after all? I could feel my stomach clench.

James walked over to his chair behind his desk and plopped down. I walked behind him slowly before sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"What's wrong, James?"

"It seems that a piece of equipment has gone missing from Cullen Enterprises. The vacuum cleaner used in the CEO's office wasn't in the storage shed when Victoria went in on Wednesday night. I'm assuming it was there when you worked on Tuesday."

"Of course it was there, James. I used it to vacuum the office. I also brought it back to the storage shed and locked it up when we left Wednesday morning."

"Yet it wasn't there when Victoria got there Wednesday night. There was no evidence of a break in. Either you left the shed unlocked and someone helped themselves, or you took it yourself."

"What? That's absurd, James."

"Be that as it may, the vacuum was an expensive piece of machinery. The cost of its replacement came out of your paycheck, which, by the way, wasn't even enough to cover the total charge. By rights you still owe Nomad $19. I suppose we'll take the last $19 from the few hours you still have coming to you for the work you did this week."

"You can't do this, James. I didn't take the vacuum and I know the shed was locked when we left."

"You can't prove that." He smiled maliciously.

"James, I need my paycheck. You can't do this."

"You know the deal, Bella. Broken or missing equipment is charged to the responsible employee. I might have been able to look the other way if you were still employed here. Or we could have worked out a payment schedule or something but since you quit your job, without notice, I might add, I had no choice but to take the full cost from your last paycheck."

My eyes started to prickle. I could feel hot tears gathering. I didn't have enough money to eat for the next two weeks if James kept my paycheck. What was I going to do? I knew that the shed had been locked and I certainly didn't take the vacuum. Why were they doing this? So, I quit? The turnover rates were so high in this business, what did it matter if I didn't give notice?

James was looking at me with that mean smile in place. I was sure that he was lying. This was some stupid scheme he and Victoria cooked up to mess with my head. They knew that there was almost nothing I could do. I had no proof that the vacuum had been locked in the shed. The other employees wouldn't back me up because they'd lose their own jobs.

I stood quickly. James quirked an eyebrow at me. I rubbed my hands together and looked around the room as if I'd find the missing vacuum in the mess.

I decided to try once more, "James…."

"Listen, Bella, maybe we can still work something out." I closed my mouth and looked at him closely.

"How?" I watched an altogether different smile spread across James' face.

"Victoria and I have… an understanding, you might say. We're not exclusive. If you were willing to, I don't know, 'work off' the cost of the vacuum maybe I could still give you your paycheck."

Anger coursed through me. My face flushed hot but the rest of me felt cold.

"I'd sooner buy ten vacuums."

"I have nothing else to say to you, then, Swan." He was still smiling and now I was sure, the vacuum wasn't missing. It was probably still at CE in the shed. I felt a small flicker of hope. James didn't know that I had access to the site anymore. Maybe someone at Cullen could help me?

"If I can find the missing vacuum, James, will you give me my paycheck?"

"This should be good. Sure, Swan, why not? If you can find the missing vacuum and bring it here I'll cut you a check for everything Nomad owes you, your last two full weeks and the two days from this week. That'll save you a trip back at the end of the month."

As soon as he said that, I turned and stalked to the door of his office. As the door slammed behind me I could hear James laughing. I took off running for the bus stop. I only had to wait a few minutes for the bus that would take me to CE. The ride seemed to take forever, though it was no longer than usual.

Reaching the building I entered the lobby, my thoughts swirling around my head. I stood there for a few moments trying to decide the best way to approach this. I had no idea who to turn to. I didn't really want to drag Edward into this. It didn't seem appropriate to ask Emmett or Jasper…

"Bella?"

I turned at the sound of my name.

"Felix!"

"Something wrong, Bella? You look lost."

"Lost, no, I'm not lost. But I do need a favor. I'm having an issue that you might be able to help me with. Do you have the keys to the cleaning company's shed?"

"Yes, why?"

I glanced around. There were people in the lobby, but no one was paying attention to us.

"Felix, I really need to check that shed. The cleaning company says that a piece of equipment is missing and they're accusing me of removing it from the premises. Please, I need to see if it is still there."

Felix looked at me questioningly. I knew I wasn't making sense. He didn't know my employment history so I was probably coming across as somewhat insane.

"Okay, Bella, we'll go check it out. C'mon."

The two of us walked through the building and entered the garage where the cleaning shed was. Felix used his key to open the door and I darted inside and looked around quickly. There were a few vacuums here, but the one I used in Edward's office the other night was missing.

"Damn."

"Bella?"

"It's not here."

"Bella? If you gave me more information, maybe I could help you?"

"Felix, are there cameras down here? If someone broke into this shed would it have been caught recorded?"

"Yeah, Bella, sure, but the lock was intact. No one broke into this shed."

"What if someone who had a key took something?"

"We keep the video archived for a few months. Let's go take a look."

I followed Felix back to his office. I heard Lauren greet him but was too distracted to acknowledge her.

Felix settled into his chair and spun around to face an array of monitors. Dozens of tiny screens flickered in the bright light of his office.

"This is just a small set up; the main monitoring station is upstairs. However, the camera we need is displayed here." Felix indicated one of the monitors. He manipulated a few buttons and the screen went black.

"Do you know when the item went missing?"

"It was in the shed Wednesday morning at 3 AM."

Felix nodded and pressed a few more buttons. The screen flickered back to life. The tiny images were almost impossible to identify. If I hadn't known the people in the picture I wouldn't have been able to identify any of them.

"When was it discovered missing?"

"I don't know. Can we just fast forward?"

"Yep." Felix hit another button and the image sped up. There was very little change. When the time stamp indicated 8:00 PM Wednesday night people arrived in the image. Felix slowed it down to normal speed. I watched as Victoria and the crew unloaded the shed. She pulled the missing vacuum out.

I must have made some sound because Felix looked over at me.

"What?" he wanted to know.

"That's the vacuum that they said is missing."

When the crew was no longer visible on the screen he sped the tape up again. It remained blank until about 2:30 AM when crew members arrived and started reloading the shed. Victoria appeared. I watched her restock the cart as I had done the night before. Then, instead of pushing in the vacuum she pointed to one of the crew members. He grabbed the vacuum and loaded it into the van.

"Yes!" I felt a smile spread across my face.

"Can I have this tape, Felix? I need to show it to the people at Nomad so they know I didn't take the vacuum."

Felix pursed his lips as he considered me.

"I get the impression that there might be some trouble, Bella. Can you use some company when you head over?"

I was about to refuse Felix's request when I realized he was probably right.

I sighed. "It's a nice offer, Felix, but I need to get this taken care of now."

"Not a problem. It's just about my lunch hour anyway."

Felix hit a few more buttons. "I'm copying the recording."

I just nodded. In a surprisingly short time he was done. I commented on this.

"It's digital," he explained, holding up a thumb drive. He put on a coat and we walked out of the office.

"Lauren, I'm going to lunch. I should be back in an hour."

"Okay, Felix."

Lauren eyed me speculatively, but I didn't say anything. Felix led me back into the garage where we got into his car. "Where to?" he wanted to know.

I gave him directions back to Nomad. We arrived just before one o'clock. We entered the open bay doors, as I had earlier. This time, James was in his office. I knocked once.

"In."

I opened the door and stepped inside, Felix right behind me. I saw James eyes widen when he noticed Felix.

"What's going on, Swan?"

"I found the missing vacuum, James."

Felix interrupted. "Is this the guy who accused you of stealing the vacuum, Bella?"

I nodded. Felix looked at James over my head. "Would you excuse us, please?" Felix continued.

I nodded again and quickly left the office closing the door behind me. Looking through the plate glass window I watched as Felix approached the desk. He put both hands on the desk and leaned forward towards James. I couldn't hear a word he was saying. He stayed in this position for a few moments before straightening up. When he stood up I could see James' face. His eyes were a little wild and his face had no color.

Felix stepped away from the desk and I darted away from the window. When the door opened Felix beckoned for me to come back in.

Hesitantly, I entered the office. Felix looked at James expectantly. James cleared his throat.

"There seems to have been some confusion about the missing vacuum, Bella. It seems to have turned up." He reached into the center drawer of his desk and pulled out a pay envelope and handed it to me. I quickly opened it and verified the amount.

"What about my extra two days?" James scowled. Felix cocked an eyebrow at him and I could almost see James flinch.

"Of course, your extra two days." He stood and walked over to a file cabinet that was against the wall. He pulled out a ledger. After consulting a chart he quickly wrote a check and handed it to me.

"Thank you."

"Ms. Swan won't have a problem with cashing these checks, will she Jimmy?" Felix asked.

I'd never heard anyone call James Jimmy before.

James scowled and shook his head.

"Good, I'd hate to have to come back here."

Felix led me out of the office and back to his car. I thanked him profusely while we drove.

"Don't worry about it, Bella. I've seen his type before. He's a bully. Like all bullies he'll back down if you stand up to him. He won't bother you again. Of course, if he does, you just let me know."

"I don't think I'll see him again, but thanks anyway."

"Anytime." Felix smiled at me as we entered the garage.

He parked and we got out of the car. "Sorry you had to miss your lunch break." I told him.

"I still have a few minutes. I'll just let Lauren know I'm here in case something comes up. You hungry?"

I really was hungry. I had planned on cashing my check and using the money to buy some groceries so I could eat.

"Yes, but I have to cash my check before I buy anything."

"Don't worry about it. You can buy me lunch next time." Felix walked up to the reception desk and spoke briefly with Lauren before returning to me.

"Let's go," he said, steering me towards the cafeteria.

- - - - -

Dear Readers,

Allow me to introduce you to the wonderfulness that is AHelm. Read anything that she's written. You will not be disappointed. Ang has many paddles in the water. She writes as part of at least three collaborations and on her own, as well. She updates regularly and responds to reviewers.

If you like slash, try Ink Street. Threesomes? Exposure is for you. She writes this as a collab under the name ThePhoenixRiddle. If monogamy is your preference Afternoon Delight and Chasing Daylight are complete and fantastic as is The Butterfly Effect. If you prefer historical fiction try Left Holding the Bag, which she wrote as a collab under the name jasperlurks. It has amazing '20s style characters!

Give her a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Best,

~IT