Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just decided it was time to shake things up a bit in her characters' world. And I wanted a bitchy Bella, so here we go!

Oh, and all of the references used in this story in relation to the advertising and marketing company and accounts are only used here for entertainment purposes; no copyright infringement intended.

Enjoy and review (be kind, but honest)!

And a special thanks to my whiz of a beta, Flyaway Dove (Awesome Amanda) who is training me well in the ways of shorter paragraphs. She's also great for cutting up my sentences into more manageable bites. Yum!

Thanks to Selita – you know why chickie!

And now you all get to hear from Edward! Trust me – this guy has a lot to say!

Chapter Four: Bitch Boss from hell

EPOV

My meeting with Ms. Swan and Esme had been painful, to say the least. If it weren't for Esme being there, I might have jumped out the window to save myself the agony of her Royal Bitchiness. She spoke as if I were a lesser being than her, as if I had no idea what I was doing at Swan & Platte, and as if I were a disciplinary case, not her new advertising and marketing head. Damn it, I had earned the title, I reasoned, and after all, she and Esme had courted me.

My anger and frustration had allowed me to plow through my first day, and I was surprised at how much I accomplished. It was a lot, even for me. Being the sweetheart, Esme had attempted to calm me, and assured me that under the hardened exterior there lived a fair and sensible woman with a beating heart. But that evening when she walked into my office, I was sure none of that was true.

I'd never met anyone who enraged me as she did. That morning when she and Esme walked through the doors to greet me, I'd had no clue what I was in for. I think my heart skipped a few beats, actually.

Isabella Swan was a knockout. She was tall and slender, with a creamy complexion and deep brown eyes. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back into a bun and that, combined with her glasses, evoked a school boy/teacher fantasy that I had to quickly squelch. I took in her attire, starting at her feet (black, shiny heels), traveling up her legs (very nice, and in stockings) and to her pin-striped black skirt suit. This CEO definitely looked the part, and I had to force myself to blink because apparently, my brain was no longer cooperating. Offering my hand, I introduced myself. She stood still for a moment, watching me, and I wondered if I was being tested. Okay, it's game on already, huh? But then she shook my hand firmly and welcomed me. A little weird. Esme explained what I'd be doing that day, and Ms. Swan excused herself and turned on her heel, leading the way into the office. Again, I was awestruck as she walked away. Shit. She's got on those seamed stockings. Those make me weak, damn it.

She held herself with such an air of authority; everyone seemed to cower as she walked past. I was intrigued. She called back to me over her shoulder, and said she'd see me later. And then she was gone.

My day went by quickly. Esme was wonderful, making me feel at home and introducing me to everyone at Swan & Platte. She showed me to my office and made sure I was settled before leaving me. This was a good decision. This is going to be great for my career. And then the meeting happened, and I couldn't help but feel a bit deflated. And pissed off. Esme seemed to sense this, and ten minutes after I went back to my office I heard a knock, and she appeared a warm smile on her pleasant face.

"Edward, I just wanted to see how you were," she began. "I know Bella can be rough around the edges, and come off as a little condescending, but please let me assure you that she knows how important you are to us. We want you here, Edward, and I hope that you won't let her demeanor deter you from making this position yours." I smiled back, thanked her and said it would be fine. It's just going to take an adjustment, I guess.

Later that evening, I finally wrapped up my work for the night, and was responding to an email from a colleague, letting him know of my new position, and there was a knock on my window. I couldn't see who it was, but I doubted a member of the cleaning crew would be wearing heels, so I smiled as Ms. Swan entered my doorway. Her smile looked forced. My first inclination was to get out of her way as soon as I could, but before I could give it much more consideration, she spoke.

"Mr. Cullen, you're here late this evening," she said.

Yes, I have a lot of work to do. I simply smiled.

"I hope you don't think that by staying here later than me, you'll impress anyone," she said.

Are you kidding me? Do you really think I'm kissing your ass right now? Oh, this bitch wanted to fight. Okay, if that's what you want, I'll play. Trying to keep my tone in check, I answered her as evenly as possible.

"No, Ms. Swan, that was not my intention. I am simply trying to get a start on all of the files you gave me today and to be honest, they seem a bit disorganized. I have my work cut out for me, and I wanted to get a jump before the weekend." Take that! I am not your doormat! She was probably going to come back with something nasty, so I cut her off and got up from my desk. "Please excuse me Ms. Swan, but it's late, I'm tired and I have a dinner date this evening."

She didn't need to know it wasn't really a date; now I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Any excuse would have worked. I'm sorry; I've hit my fucking bitch boss quota for the day and must leave now. God, she's giving me a headache!

Walking past her I grabbed my coat and she muttered a "good night" and disappeared. Good. As I left the office I dialed Jasper's number on my cell, my eyes seeing red and out for blood – preferably hers.

"Hey Whitlock, I really need a drink tonight," I complained as I sped through town toward home.

"Tough first day, kid," he asked.

"You have no idea, man," I answered.

We made plans to go to The Alibi Room and he got off the phone with me to make a reservation. I pulled into my driveway and sat for a minute in my car, trying to calm down.

Isabella Swan was a bitch. And she was my boss. And I was not going to let her force me to quit. If she wanted to play that game, I would be happy to engage her. Smiling now with my strategy in place, I walked to the door and let myself in, throwing my coat and keys on the table. Jasper texted me letting me know we had reservations for nine o'clock, and I showered and shaved, trying to wash away my workday. It felt good to put on my jeans and a sweater; suits were a necessity but they were so stiff. I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, most definitely. I pulled my fingers through my hair and checked my reflection – good. I was on my way out the door when my brother called me, letting me know that he was going to join us a bit later, after he got off his shift at the hospital.

When I got to the restaurant, I spotted Jasper easily and we shook hands and sat down. I saw that he had taken the liberty of ordering me a beer, and I thanked him as I took a long pull.

"Shit man, that bad, huh?"

I rolled my eyes and took another drink, draining the bottle. I motioned for our waiter, and ordered another Heineken. Settling into my second beer, I told Jasper about my first day and my new boss. When I finished, he studied me for a moment, and then started laughing. Less than amused, I punched him, which seemed to silence him for the time being.

"Hey, dickhead, that hurt a little," he complained, rubbing his arm. "Don't you want to know why I was laughing?" I waited for him to continue, and ordered us another round.

"You've got a problem, pal," he said, his southern drawl extending the last word. "Sounds like you've got a real minx on your hands, and she's hot. That's a lethal combination in my book. What the hell you gonna do?"

I raked my hands through my hair in frustration at the situation, and shrugged. What could I do, except give her what she apparently wanted?

"Well, it looks like she's forcing my hand," I quipped. "She wants to play hardball, so that's what I'm going to do." Jasper grinned, and knocked my bottle with his own.

"Here's to strategy, then," he said with a grin.

Oh, I'll fucking drink to that.

We moved off topic from my work day to Jasper, and he started telling me about the girl he was dating. She was like a little whirling dervish, he said: funny, intelligent and cute, but hard to keep up with. I was happy that Jasper had found someone; he had been devastated when Maria left him. We talked easily about non-work things for a while, and then a hand clapped my back, and I turned to see Carlisle standing behind me.

No one would guess we were brothers; he had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was tanned from his vacation last week to California. He looked like he belonged there, surfing, instead of working in Seattle at a hospital. We said hello and he sat down with us and procured a beer. I filled him in briefly on my day and Jasper again provided his keen observation on how fucked I was. Carlisle laughed and warned me not to get too deeply invested in my "game." Older brothers can be a drag sometimes.

We had ordered our meals and were digging in, when Jasper choked on his salmon. Carlisle and I looked up at him, and his eyes were trained on the entrance. Three beautiful women had just walked into the restaurant, and they were ushered immediately to one of the tables a short distance from ours. One was short and cute, another looked like a model, with blonde hair, and the third was striking, but in a different way from the others. I only got a fleeting glimpse of her face because her hair obscured it from my view, but was entranced as she sat down with her back to us, her long chestnut hair falling in waves down her back.

Jasper's voice brought me back to our table. "…if you guys don't mind, I'm going to go over there and say hello when I finish my meal." Puzzled, I looked at him and asked which one of them he knew. "Oh, that little pixie over there is Alice, the girl I've been seeing," he answered. I studied the three of them briefly, but my gaze lingered on the brunette. There was something about her…

Jasper finished his meal and then waited until the girls had consumed their first round of drinks, and told our waiter to order them another on him. Always the gentleman. Shit. Then he excused himself and strolled over. Carlisle and I chatted, but I found my eyes wandering over to their table. Jasper, I could see, had his arm around Alice and the four of them were talking and laughing, with an occasional exaggerated hand gesture from Alice. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't see more of her friend, so I refocused my attention on Carlisle and his work at the hospital.

This week had been particularly rough; a multiple-car accident with one fatality, a double amputee and a third in critical condition. But Carlisle told me of a little girl who had miraculously managed to survive the crash with only scratches, while her mother had multiple fractures and a concussion. "She was a very lucky little girl," he said wistfully. Leave it to Carlisle to put things in perspective for me.

I opened my mouth to agree and out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of spiked dark hair, and I turned to see Alice and Jasper, back at our table.

"Edward and Carlisle, this is Alice Brandon. Alice, this is Carlisle and Edward Cullen," Jasper said. Alice eagerly shook our hands, and then recognition dawned on her face, and her eyes grew wide.

She clamped her hand over her mouth, looked me up and down, and then squealed, "You're Edward Cullen?"

Even over the din in the crowded restaurant, her voice seemed to bounce off the walls and ceiling, and at that moment, I looked over at her table. As if she had heard Alice quite clearly, the brunette turned in her seat and stared right at me. My mouth dropped open; it couldn't help itself. My mystery brunette was the one and only Isabella Swan. Fuck. Me.