Chapter Ten
-The Player-
"One 2 percent Latte, one regular coffee, no milk." I recite my regular order to the cute little thing behind the Starbucks counter. She's doing everything possible to get my attention today, deliberately pushing her hip out as far as it will go before she pops a cap. I grace her with a lopsided grin, and fight to contain the follow-up eye roll as she giggles and blushes profusely. Too easy.
It's Tuesday morning, the day after the disastrous introduction to Bella's parents, and I must say, I'm feeling light as a feather and ready to conquer the world. I thought about the way I will be proceeding in this matter, and remembered a watered down saying my father used on me whenever he tried to motivate me to study harder for my SAT's. Knowledge is power, son. Indeed Doctor Carlisle, indeed. It is with this new revelation that I pay for the order, take the coffee and say my goodbyes with a wink in the Stacey's direction. There, that should be enough to hold her until I'm back.
I make my way toward Breaking Dawns offices, an hour early for work. I remembered that Bella likes to get to the office early, and judging by the crazy evening she had last night, I can only imagine that she would be out of her house at the crack of dawn in an attempt to avoid her parents.
I made a decision last night when I got home and stared open eyed at the ceiling of my bedroom for hours, contemplating what my next step would be. And once I've made my decision, I slept like a baby. You see, just like any other male out there, I'm giving you pearls ladies so listen up, I hate confrontation. I'll avoid it at any cost. Another thing we men hate, are being the bad guys. So, instead of waltzing into Miss Swan's office this morning, revealing everything Jessica told me and then strutting out like the winner I plan on being, I'm taking another course of action; one that will surely pay off later.
Knowledge is power baby.
Ten minutes later I'm entering the reception area of Breaking Dawn, coffee in hand and a smile on my face.
I reach Miss Swan's office door and see the light inside burning. Well, guess who's here?
I knock and turn the handle to enter without waiting for a reply. I walk into her office to find her bent over her laptop; glasses perched on her nose looking all sexy-librarian-fantasy-like and hair pulled back. Goodbye casually dressed girl-woman from last night, and hello power suit bombshell boss.
Her head whips up and her eyes fall on mine with a start.
"Good morning." I smile widely and make my way towards her desk. She looks disheveled for a moment, like she's trying to place me, and then I see her eyes clear up and receive a small smile. Her smiles are getting better, I note, less forced.
"Morning." She replies brightly and then eyes the coffee in my hand.
"Latte?" I offer, placing the coffee on her desk in front of her.
"Two percent?" She asks knowingly and gives me a playful look which catches me off guard for a moment. Well shit, that was unexpected.
"Of course." I shrug dramatically and earn an approving nod before she makes a grab for the coffee and raises it to her lips. Her eyes close briefly as she savors the smell of the brew and then opens them to look at me nervously.
"Thanks. I need this." She mumbles and once again surprises me with the vulnerability in her voice.
"Thought you might." I reply understandingly and then take a seat across from her.
She watches my movements and then takes a sip of her coffee, diverting her eyes to the rim of the cup. Nice fucking lips.
"So…" She says encouragingly. "I presume you would like to have that discussion now?"
"Not much to discuss really." I shrug and take a sip of my own coffee. "I just wanted to clear up one or two things."
She frowns slightly, probably confused by my sudden change of heart, but shrugs and requests me to continue with a movement of her hand.
"Firstly, sorry about my behavior last night. I was running late and Emmett was getting on my nerves, so I didn't arrive at your house in the best of moods." It's a lie, but it's necessary if this is going to play out like I expect it will.
"Emmett?" She asks, and of course she doesn't know who Emmett is, why would she? It's not like we move in the same social circles.
"Emmett's my best friend." I explain and place my cup on her desk, allowing the coffee to cool slightly before I burn the skin off my tongue.
"May have been nice to mention that on your list." She frowns at me disapprovingly.
I raise my eyebrows to her in challenge, reminding her of the vital piece of information she happened to leave out of her binder. A piece of information that could easily have exposed us to her parents but luckily didn't.
"Touché." She laughs softly and gives me a sarcastic wink. A wink! If I ever thought my signature move was lethal, that little trick of hers will be enough to bring a man to his knees. Fucking. Hot.
I watch her wrap her pouty lips around the rim of her cup, and try to stifle the moan building in my chest. Is this woman trying to kill me today? Remember…lethal bitch, I scold myself.
"What's with the wink?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. I'm acting like a complete tool today.
She looks up at me in surprise and I see the little devils dancing behind her eyes.
"Thought I'd borrow it from you. You know? Try it on for size?" She replies sardonically and I feel the tips of my ears burning. "What do you think, can I pull it off?"
"Well…" I'm grasping at straws. Can't exactly tell the woman that her innocent gesture is making me hard and that I'd appreciate her to pull something different off, now could I? "I think you should leave it to the pros."
She shrugs at that and silence falls between us.
"Was there anything else?" She asks after a moment.
I'm staring at her blankly, my mind still lost somewhere in the gutters. "What?" I ask suspiciously.
"Well, you said firstly that you apologize for your behavior last night. I only presume there must be a secondly then?" She asks me as if I'm an idiot, which I'll find hard to disprove currently.
"Yes, of course, sorry." I stumble over my apology and internally roll my eyes at my skittish behavior. I appear to have lost all skills in constructing meaningful sentences. And all over a wink and a pair of fucking lips? I pull myself together, and shift in my chair purposefully...if you know what I mean? And if you don't, you've obviously never had a semi-erect penis, or you're a girl. "I think you should go to Jacob's wedding. And I'll be going with you."
The room becomes so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. She staring at me open mouthed, and my mind immediately conjures up an image of her looking at me just like that…but on her knees. Fuck, what's wrong with me today?
"Excuse me? Would you mind repeating that? Because I swear that I just heard you saying that I should go to Jacob's wedding and that I should take you with me?" Her voice is stony and cold and all playfulness has left her face. At first I'm sad that Bitch Bella is back, but it's a necessary means to an end.
"You heard me correctly." I say with my best brave voice.
"Are you fucking mad?" Oh, please don't cuss! I just got over the mental image of her sucking me off and now she's dropping f-bombs! If you haven't noticed, I'm a sucker for a foul mouthed woman. Something about a pretty lady saying crude things is a complete turn on for me. So shoot me.
"You seem to swear a lot when you talk about him." I observe quietly, but by the look on her face, she definitely doesn't appreciate my keen observation skills.
She's absolutely enraged, and the sight of her anger is breathtaking, and scary as shit.
"Please explain yourself, because I cannot for the life of me understand how this is your decision to make, or any of your business for that matter."
"I understand that. I'm not trying to make the decision for you; I'm simply making a suggestion." I explain carefully. I need to backtrack slightly. Her agreement to my suggestion is vital for my plan to execute successfully. Without her consent, I'm back at square one.
"Why would I agree to such a ludicrous suggestion?" She bites out the words forcefully.
"Because it will be the best way to stick it to that asshole." I explain to her slowly. "Don't you understand that showing up to his wedding, with a boyfriend in tow, would completely fuck with his mind?"
"Explain." She replies curtly, but I can tell that she is more open to my reasoning.
"I know men, seeing as I am one." She gives me an annoyed look and I proceed unhindered. "Don't you think that Jacob expects you not to show up? I mean, by what I've heard last night it would seem like you almost avoided visiting your parents in order to avoid seeing Jacob."
She reluctantly nods.
"Don't you think he knows this? His father is your father's best friend. Your parents are still best friends with his, and he is still the golden boy in all their eyes. He fucked you over and got the girl in the process." I can see a fleetingly pained look pass over her features and then it's gone. Ever the control freak. "He didn't have to change one damn thing in his life, even though he's the asshole in this little soap opera. He should pay!"
"Obviously I'm not happy with the way things are, but I don't see how me showing up to his wedding with a boyfriend is going to change that." Miss Swan is losing interest in my proposal, and I need to reel her back in.
"Don't you see? Showing up at the wedding with your boyfriend of two years will be a total blow to his ego. He's thinking that you're still pining after him, and that you'll never find anything better than him. This is your chance to show him that he no longer has any power over you. That he was just as easy to get over as he appears to have gotten over you." I'm selling my best game, and all I can hope for is that she will be buying. "There is nothing more delicate than a man's ego, and I think it's time this Jacob fellow get's his resized, don't you."
She's looking at me contemplatively, and I can practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
Please say yes. Please say yes.
"The wedding is more than three weeks away. That will mean you'll be going with me even after our arrangement is over." She looks at me doubtfully. I don't blame her. She's yet to ask me the most important question, what's in it for me. "Why would you do that? What's in it for you?" Good girl.
"Well, it ensures that our arrangement stretches to five weeks." I point out, and she nods slowly. "Let's look at it as insurance, if you will."
Realization settles in her eyes, and she looks at me as if sizing me up. Yes, I can wheel and deal as well, Miss Swan.
"Insurance?" She knows what I mean, but she wants me to say it out laud, to make it true.
"Yes. Insurance to guarantee that you see this book referral of mine through. You see," I take a deep breath; "I know Aro is a busy man. I'm sure he won't have the chance to read through the whole manuscript before these three weeks are over. This way, I buy myself some time and ensure that you don't walk out on this deal without completing your side."
"But Mr. Cullen, you yourself asked me not to pimp the manuscript to Aro. I've referred it as you requested. What more can I do?" She asks formally, her demeanor one of professionalism.
"I'm not asking you to pimp it, Miss Swan. I still want Aro to publish my book because he believes in it. What I'm attempting by suggesting this extension is that you ensure he reads it by the time Jacob get's married." I have my business face on, and I think she looks impressed.
"I must say Mr. Cullen, you surprise me." She smiles coldly. "You sound more like me than I think you care to believe."
"I'm a fast learner Miss Swan." I offer simply.
"That you are." She nods with a small smile that has lost its cold undertone. "Very well. I must say that I might be getting more out of this than you will." Don't count on it baby. "I accept your suggestion."
I smile at her victoriously and suppress the obvious elation I'm feeling.
"Good." I give her a worded response because I fear that by saying anything more, she might become suspicious and withdraw her initial decision.
I grab the coffee standing on her desk, fearing that it may be cold, but it's perfect and I take a huge gulp to sooth my nerves.
"I've decided what our first fun activity will be." I smile at her once I place my empty cup on her desk. Inspiration hit me last night when I was replaying the events of the evening in my head.
"Oh, should I be afraid, Mr. Cullen?" Bella seems playful again, and I'm relieved to find that she's actually smiling at me.
"Very, Miss Swan." I reply and solemnly shake my head. I hear her snicker softly and respond by giving her my lopsided grin. No unusual response. Gmpfh. "We're going to the annual Daffodil Festival in Tacoma this Saturday." I declare as if I'm announcing the winner of the National Lottery.
"A Daffodil festival?" Bella wrinkles her nose in the cutest way. Yes, about as cute as a rattlesnake, I remind myself. "Isn't that a little…soft…for you, Edward?"
"Well, I noticed that your mother loved the flowers I gave her last night, and they were Daffodils. I thought that the two ladies would like it?" I explain a little defensively.
Bella laughs. Oh. Holy. Fuck. She laughs! And it's not fake…it's not forced…and it's most certainly one of the nicest sounds I've ever heard. And I've heard a lot of delightful female sounds.
I watch her in shock, and once she recovers I find that her skin is already heating from her blush. I think her joyous outburst surprised her just as much as it did me, because she immediately turns shy and nervous.
"That sound fine, Edward." Her voice is small and unsure, but I hate that she doesn't feel comfortable enough around me to really let go.
"If you tell anyone about this, I might have to kill you." I warn playfully, desperate for her recover to her former lightheartedness. "Besides, there's nothing that says a man can't enjoy a good flower."
She gives me a small smile, and her blush seems to be fading, along with her shyness. "I beg to differ, but I won't say anything, and even though I'm not sure my father is going to be ecstatic about this, I'm sure my mother will absolutely love it."
"And you?" I dare to ask.
"Yes, me too." She nods decisively and diverts her eyes to her hands that are twisting in her lap, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. I notice that she seems to this when she's unsure of herself, and decide to remember it for future reference.
"I'll win your dad over with our next play date." I announce jokingly and earn a soft laugh from her. She seems to be doing more of that, and I'm thrilled about it. It's a whole damn lot easier to communicate with this woman when she's not constantly on the attack. I'm actually shocked to find that I don't completely despise her company when she actually acts like a normal human being. She's not softening me up; she's just making my defensive play a lot less complicated. "So, what are the plans for tonight?"
She looks up from her hands and sighs heavily. "I thought we could go out for dinner. That way I'm sure that my mother will be too distracted by all the people to drop another bombshell on me, and my dad will be too busy complaining about the menu choices."
I laugh at her attempt to make light of the situation and then nod. "Should I meet you there, or what were you thinking?"
"You can meet us there. No need for all four of us to try and squeeze into a cab." She reaches into her handbag and retrieves a business card. "Do you know Paragon?" She asks and then hands me the restaurant's card, her fingers slightly brushing against mine and causing an unwelcome shiver to run through my body.
"I've heard of it, but I've never been." I reply and glance at the fancy looking script on the card.
"It's a great place. They showcase live jazz and blues bands and the food is really good." Bella almost seems excited, if she possesses the ability to be that is, "Will you meet us there at seven?"
"Sure." I agree and stuff the card in my breast pocket. "What's the dress code?"
"It's a little on the fancy side. No ties, but no jeans of t-shirts either." She explains quickly. "Charlie will probably hate it, but I can't say that I care too much at the moment. He's a hard one to please."
"He seems quite easy to me." I shrug, but regret that I contradicted her immediately. It's not my place to give any opinions on her parents. I look at her carefully but find that she seems to be okay with my observations, and if she isn't, she's not showing it.
"Maybe because you're a man."
"Maybe." I agree and smile. My cheeks are hurting from all the smiling and I fear that I might be mastering my fake smile a little to well. "I should get going. It's almost eight." I say and rise to my feet.
"Thank you Edward. This has been very productive." Bella responds.
"No problem." I nod and make my way towards her office door.
"Would you mind sending me my appointments, Mr. Cullen?" Bella calls behind me, and I can't suppress the smile that stretches my face. The boss is back and I'm once again amazed at how well she's able to transition between personalities.
"Right away, Miss Swan." I reply as I open her office door. I give her a final nod and walk towards my cubicle.
Operation Bella Swan is going down is well on the way, and I feel like a cat that stole cream.