Own none of the characters from Twilight

Chapter 2

The room was silent, only the whirring of the air conditioner. Edward struggled for calm. For today, he would be productive, happy, at peace. According to his younger sister, Dr. Alice Whitlock-the Love Doctor-he should put his anger behind him. Not that he put much stock in her advice. Of course if he had, he could have avoided lots of past mistakes.

Edward closed his eyes. The company had been in Seattle for ninty-two years. Three generations of Cullens had run this place and no telling how many mattresses had been passed through these walls.

And now his father wanted to buy a motor home. That just seemed odd to him for some unknown reason. Unless his father was planning to retire.

He paced around his small office, hands locked behind his what was he supposed to do? If his father thought he wasn't capable of helping out, his father was wrong. No, he'd do this Director of Security thing, even if it killed him. Even if this place made you think you were in hell.

It was only a first step, and not a big one at that. Time to return to the family. Not that anyone seemed to notice that he'd been missing in the first place, of course.

Edward went back to the safety of his desk, sitting in the extremely uncomfortable chair while popping two aspirin hoping to wash away his stupid headache. Where to start? That the million dollor question. Edward ran through his head.

He took the folder from the top of his desk and read the computer printout of the staff's Internet access reports. There seemed to be widespread page views of Playboy on the forth floor, and there was some dating instruction viewage on the third floor. Edward Laughed. He should check into that. It wasn't like security at Fort Knox, but there just wasn't a lot going on.

The aspirin stared kicking in, and he felt strong enough to tackle the more mundane part of the job. He tugged open his desk drawer and pulled out a book. Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets &Solutions. He opened the book to the first page. Chapter 1. Casting the Establishment. By fifteen, he was ready for an afternoon nap. He locked his hands behind his head and eased back in his chair, studying the walls. Maybe he could patch up the spidery cracks that ran the ceiling, then at least he'd have something to do.

He'd remember when he worked for a roofer in St. Thom's one year. Item number four-one on his list. A hot summer in the Caribbean. Ah, that had been the perfect place. While hammering away at the flat roofs of the villas, he'd had a hard time looking away from the crystal blue waters that sparkled as far as the eye could see.

Not like Seattle, where the five-day forecast this week was rain, rain, and more rain. He shouldn't be daydreaming. He should check out the Internet site. Clicking on his mouse and pulled up the page. Top ten pickup lines. Edward started as he read. Trying to hold in some of his laughter. Most of these pick up lines were just plain stupid. Who the hell thought these would work.

"Hey, baby, do you believe in love at first sight, or do you want me to walk in again?"

Gag! Too cliched. He could do better than that. He thought for a minute.

"Do I have chance in hell with you? Don't tell me if I don't because I just gotta try," he said to himself.

He never heard the person entering his office; he just had the feeling someone was behind him. Edward clicked on the word-processing icon, but it was too late. He looked behind him. Busted. By Bella Swan her self. He sighed This isn't my day.

She smiled tightly, her lips curving in a smug manner. Edward was quick-threw himself into things right from the start-but when she looked at him as if he didn't belong here, it really ticked him off. One thing about Miss Swan, she knew mattresses. One thing about Edward, he didn't.

To make matters worse, she wore this dark shade of lipstick that should have looked goth, but instead it looked inviting.

"May I help you?" he asked, not thinking about her mouth.

"Busy, Mr. Cullen? Didn't want to interrupt." Edward started typing away in the word processor.

"Cleaning my train of thought. Humor is an excellent stimulus when your cerebral cortex is over-utilized."

She pursed her midnight-dark mouth and her eyes narrowed. "Is that true?"

"No"

Her brown eyes narrowed even further. They were cat eyes, tilted at the corner, and now they were mere slits. "Your father asked that you help out with the travel arrangements for the team. I've put together everyone's itineraries, and their airline requests." Edward's headache returned ten fold. Travel agent was not on his list of things to do before he died.

She tossed her long chocolate brown hair back from her face. She had the kind of hair that kinked in the wet weather, and now that he thought about, it'd pretty much perpetually kinked since the first day she started at Cullen Beds. That's what ten days of solid rain did to hair.

Why did he let her get under his skin? Edward's emotion Richer scale was usually on low to very low, but she spiked the needle, both in a figurative and literal sense. Perhaps charm and a little of ignorance were in order. He could do both well. "Do we know what hotel to book?"

"The show is at the Paris Las Vegas. We'll do the press conference there, as well." Edward jotted it down on his notepad. "Airline?"

"Iberia"

He looked up. Bella didn't crack a mandible muscle. Edward stood his ground. For a long time she stared him she didn't know was thathe'd spent seven months as a bouncer during his Stanford years. And that gave him the upper hand. Finally she broke.

"That was a joke," she mumbled.

"Yes, I'm sure it was. Airline?"

"Whatever's cheapest. We'll be flying out on Sunday evening, although Emmett has asked for a Saturday flight because he wants to gamble. Your father wants to rent a motorcycle and ride around Vegas while he's there,and I'll be happy with whatever arrangements you make."

"Window or aisle?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Would you and Emmett like a window or aisle?"

"Aisle"

"Special dietary needs?"He quirked a brow, a blunt show-off gesture.

"I'd like a plate without processed meat"

"Vegetarian?"

"No, thank you. Vegetables don't agree with me"

"Perhaps I could pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? It might be gentler on your system" He half joked.

She took a deep breath, her rumpled blouse rising and falling. In, out, in, out. His eyes followed her breathing, and damned if he wasn't getting hard. The way her breast filled out her shirt. The beautiful cruves waiting to be discovered.

"Sarcasm is unbecoming in a professional environment" she said, and he wondered if she'd think hard ons were unbecoming. Instead, he cleared his throat. "And I thought I was being considerate"

"Shall I assume this task is not beyond your capabilities and that you can work into your-" she shot a glance at his monitor "-busy schedule?"

"Huh? Yes I have time"

"Oh, and one other thing Mr. Cullen"

"What's that?"

" Keep your eyes off my chest." Edward snapped his eyes back to her face, slightly embarrassed for being caught.

Her voice was full of rebuke, as if she were a school teacher correcting a wayward student. Edward had never indulged in school teacher fantasies, but images popped into his brain-images that could get him im trouble wil Isabella Swan.

For a moment he contemplated her prickliness. She wasn't his type, not to imply that he limited himself to a type, but she had something that appealed to him. Here was someone clearly in need of a life adjustment. She didn't smile enough, didn't look happy at all. He'd never seen a woman more in need of rescuing than Isabella Swan.

And Edward, who'd never rescued anything in his life, was captivated. Life was too short tpo ignore such heaven sent opportunities.

"I like your blouse, Miss Swan" he said. Finally, success. He was rewarded with a deep flush. Deep and decadent. In quite a disordered manner, the rigid Miss Swan pulled a tin from her pocket and popped an Altoids in her mouth, and then, remembering her manners, put the box on his desk. Edward didn't look at the tiny mints; instead he was fascinated by her curves. She had been all tight lines, straight back, narrow eyes, but now, as if by magic, her cheekbones were shape, defined. her eyes wide and liquid. She had the guilty look of a woman caught in the wrong bed. Edward idly traced the rim of the desk with his index finger, imagining what lay underneath that rumpled white blouse. There was nothing like crossing the line to make things interesting. His crooked smile grew wider, his hard on harder.

"I need to leave" she said, turning tail to run.

He watched the crinkled skirt as she rushed out the door.

"Oh, Miss Swan?"

Bella turned and leaned against his door frame, panic in those wonderful cat eyes. "What?"

"You forgot your mints"

OK that's it for chapter two. Review! I rally want to know what every one thinks. Is this worth finishing.