A/N: S. Meyer is the lucky owner of Edward. and the rest of the Twilight universe, including Carlisle. Sigh.

I know, I know.. It's about time, right? After a bad case of writers block, a computer that hit the floor and weather too great to ignore, (hey that rimed!)I'm finally finished with the new chapter! I'm gonna shut up and let you read now.

Chapter 5

Sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up, had to get to the office early. I was looking forward to some morning snuggling, but you were so out of it that I doubt you would have noticed if I had sex with you while you slept. Not that the thought didn't cross my mind. I added my number into your phone, just so you know. I'll see you Monday, if nothing else.

E.

PS, you talk in your sleep. A lot.

PS 2, your top is totally see-through. Thanks for that ;)

Fucking Edward Cullen, how could he be such an asshole and so damn charming at the same time? I sighed, folding the note that he had placed on the pillow where his glorious head had rested only hours ago, pretending that that last little smiley didn't do anything to the weird butterflies in my stomach.

Waking up to see his side of the bed empty had a strange effect on me, and I didn't like it at all. I needed to get my thoughts together, I couldn't allow myself to fall for this man who was so obviously nothing more than a womanizer.

And an excellent fuck, a great dancer, a respected business man and the best kisser in the history of the world.

But Bella Swan doesn't do the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, because all relationships are doomed, and that's a fact. I remembered the only time I had been in a real relationship, and the fucking pain it had caused me.

Jacob Black had made me trust him, love him and want him, only to break all his fucking promises along with my heart the day I found out he had been cheating on me from the beginning.

Men are pigs, but as long as there are no feelings involved, I would be okay. I could date, I could fuck and I could flirt but nothing more.

Once you've been broken so deeply, there wasn't any way you could trust again.

That's why this situation with Edward had to be solved, before I got any deeper. I knew he was the kind of guy to nestle his way into your heart, making you fall head over heals, and then dump your ass the second something more exciting came along.

I wasn't having that, because there was no way I was going to let myself get walked all over again. All my previous plans of seducing him or using him simply for fucking was out of the window, because I realized that I was dangerously close to falling.

If it hadn't been for the extreme passion between us yesterday, just the drunk, adorable man who showed up at my door in the middle of the night and fell asleep with his head buried between my breasts would have done it. But having seen both dominating, passionate Edward and then the almost innocent, sweet man who curled up on my bed and mumbled my name, I knew that there was danger ahead. And I would not willingly set myself up for another heartbreak.

From now on, Edward Cullen was my client. Nothing more, nothing less, that's the way it had to be.

I didn't allow myself to listen to the voice in my head that kept laughing at me, telling me that keeping my hands off of Edward would be as impossible as turning down the Clooney if he were to knock on my door one day.

The clock was only 9.20, so I figured I might as well get up and go to work anyway. Besides, it might help me keep all thoughts of Edward away.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, sugar! The voice laughed.

I was in the bathroom, finishing my make up when I heard a knock on the door. I put down my mascara, silently praying for it not to be Edward. Well, part of me was praying for that, the other part was desperate to see him again.

Traitor!

When I opened the door, I was both relieved and disappointed to find that it wasn't Edward standing there, instead I was looking at the largest, most extravagant bouquet of flowers I had ever seen.

"Isabella Swan?" A voice asked behind the flowers, and I could see part of a boy's face as he leaned around the bouquet.

I stared wide eyed, mouth hanging open. "Yes?" I paused, "Please tell me that those are not for me!" I almost begged, horrified as I began to realize who must have sent them. Good god, this was so not what I needed.

Fuck.

The boy chuckled, "I'm afraid so, unless there's another Isabella Swan living here?"

"No" I whispered, still staring at the sea of blue, pink, white, yellow, you name it! There were too many flowers to count, and I swallowed hard as I saw the card attached to one of them.

"Do you mind if I step inside and put them down? I think I might drop them any second, this is some heavy stuff!"

"Yeah, sure" I choked out, stepping aside and letting him in. The boy walked slowly, balancing the vase carefully as he tried not to trip on anything. I followed him to the kitchen where he put the vase down on the table. Then he stepped back and wiped a hand across his forehead.

"Wow, that's some admirer you've got there, Miss!" he said, and smiled at me.

I picked up the card.

I am really looking forward to working with you, Miss Swan.

Edward

Double Fuck.

I was sitting in my office, finishing up for the day when Esmee knocked on my door and peeked in.

"Bella, do you have a minute?"

"Sure" I said, shutting off the computer. "What's up?"

Esmee walked in, and after sitting down in the chair across from my desk, she smiled expectantly at me. We hadn't had a chance to talk yet, she'd been with a client all day while I had more or less stayed locked inside my office, burying myself in work to keep my thoughts off-

"So, have you heard anything from Edward?"

Ah, of course.

I squirmed a little in my seat. Even though Esmee was my friend, I didn't really want to share all my thoughts on Edward with her. She was, after all, still my boss, and he was my client. I always tried to stay professional, and I was usually very good at it. That is, before Edward Cullen showed up in my office…

"I met him last night, and we spoke briefly." I paused, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the eager expression that had come over Esmee's face. "But I've decided that it will be best if I don't get involved with him, seeing as he is my client and all."

A little late for that... My subconscious scolded me.

"Oh." Esmee looked surprised, and a little disappointed it would seem. I knew she was dying for me to meet someone who was to me what Carlisle was to her. And even though I kept telling her that I wasn't looking for a relationship, she was persistent.

"So you're not taking him to the party tomorrow?" she asked.

What?

"Taking him to what party, Esmee?" I was confused.

She rolled her eyes, "Bella! Don't tell me you've forgotten about mine and Carlisle's annual garden party? It's not like you have attended it for the last 5 years or anything like that!"

Damn, was it June second already? Where did the time go? It felt like only yesterday that I had been putting up Christmas decorations in my apartment and spent too many hours running around town trying to get all my last minute Christmas shopping done.

"Of course I remember!" I lied, but of course she didn't buy it.

"Yeah right, Bella." she laughed, "Just make sure the girls haven't forgotten, and get yourself a date! I doubt that that guy, Peter, that you brought last year will be willing to come back this year, especially after Rosalie's little stunt."

We both laughed at the memory. I was fairly certain that we had seen the last of Peter Samson, he had most likely fled the country after that night. Rosalie could be very scary, especially when she was asked to assist in dumping someone. When Peter had gotten a little too friendly –even for me- I had simply asked her to take care of it. Which she did, thoroughly.

"I'll handle it." I said, and then remembered that Emmett was in town. This would be the perfect time for him to meet my friends, he had only heard the stories about them since he lived so far away and the only time he had been here, they had both been out of town. I knew he was looking forward to meeting them.

I called Emmett the second I got home, and was not surprised when he sounded as if he had just woken up. Typical Emmett, he might be strong and huge like a bear, but he was like a kitten when it came to dealing with a hangover. He'd spend the whole day in bed, curtains down and with nothing but aspirin and his TV to keep him company.

"What?" he murmured into the phone.

"Well good morning, sunshine! How are you doing on this fine evening?" I asked, a bit louder than probably necessary. I liked messing with him, especially when he wasn't close enough to punish me for it. I had endured too many episodes of 'spin the Bella' to count. It wasn't my idea of fun to be grabbed by the ankles and spun around until I was dangerously close to throwing up.

Unfortunately, it was Emmett's favorite game.

"Ugh, please hells Bells, keep it down… I have a massive headache"

"That's what you get when you're trying to party with the people from the big city!" I laughed, and he just grunted as response. "Anyway, I'm calling to offer you another chance to drink with the cool kids. My boss and her husband are having a party tomorrow, and I would love it if you had sobered up until then and joined me."

"Will Rosalie be there?" he asked, suddenly not sounding tired anymore.

I sighed, "Yes, horndog, she will be. And if you want me to introduce you to her, you better take me out and buy me dinner tonight."

"Deal!" he called, and I rolled my eyes. He'd seen pictures of Rosalie on my phone every time I had been home in Forks, and he had been looking forward to meeting her ever since.

"Good, now turn of the Grey's Anatomy DVD I know you're watching, get dressed and meet me outside Angelanos in thirty minutes, okay? You know where that restaurant is, don't you?"

"It's the one by that movie theater down town, right?"

"Yeah, the one with the big red sign. See you soon!" I said, about to hang up.

"Wait!" he called, "I totally forgot, I was gonna meet a friend for drinks tomorrow night, he's -"

"Bring him." I interrupted, already heading for my closet to change out of my work clothes. "Esmee won't mind."

"If you say so, Bells." Emmett chuckled, and I didn't have the patience to try and find out why that was funny.

Dinner with Emmett turned into drinks with Emmett, and before I knew it, we were stumbling down the street, sipping a beer and singing old Spice Girl's songs the way only we could.

Extremely bad, that is. And loud, I think we woke people up as we sang on the top of our lungs, doing our patented little dance and laughing our asses off. Then we went on to reminiscing about 'the old days' and sharing stories about all the people we had dated since we last spoke. That was a long conversation, since both Emmett and I liked to date a lot of people for a short period of time.

"Love 'em then leave 'em, I say!" Emmett stated, finishing his beer and then throwing the empty can elegantly into a trash bin. Well, elegant for someone who was drunk and still not rid of their hangover from the previous night.

I stopped, swaying slightly as I tried to focus on one of Emmett's faces. Had he always had three? That was odd…

When did you get so drunk? My subconscious asked me, glaring at me an annoyed expression.

I pointed my finger towards where one of his faces was, "Dude, if that's the way you play it, I'm not introducing you to Rose!" I slurred, trying to look fierce.

"Ah, don't worry pumpkin, if I'm lucky enough to catch that Thunnus thynnus, I'm not throwing it back into the ocean!"

I glared at him, "Did you just refer to my best friend as a fish?"

Emmett laughed and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me to him as we continued down the street.

"You're forgetting that the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is the most expensive and sought after fish there is! In Japan, someone paid 100.000 dollars for one freaking fish! Can you believe it? Those Japanese people are very funny." he mused, looking towards the night black sky.

How could he remember things like that when he was drunk? Emmett was one strange man…

We got home eventually, and since Emmett wasn't capable of finding his hotel in the state he was in, he decided to sleep on my couch instead.

I felt kind of bad that I had been out drinking two days in a row in the middle of the week, but thankfully I wasn't one of those people who suffered from paralyzing hangovers.

I snickered as I walked into the living room the next morning, seeing the one man who always suffered the worst hangovers in drinking history. Emmett was still asleep, his head under the pillows and one arm hanging off the couch.

After making enough coffee for two, I got dressed and put on my make up; hoping Emmett would be awake before I left for work.

He wasn't, so I left him a note telling him to lock the door with the spare key before he left and to help himself to anything he wanted from my kitchen.

As I walked to the office, I kind of regretted that last part. I'd forgotten that I had an entire box of Oreos left from when Rosalie and Alice had been over, and it would without doubt be gone by the time I got home. Emmett too had a thing for Oreos …

The day dragged, but luckily I was able to keep myself busy and not think about a certain green eyed man, the way I would have on a slow day.

I had lunch with Esmee as usual and told her that Emmett was coming to the party tonight and that he would bring a friend with him, which reminded me that I had to call my girls and make sure they knew about the plans for the night. I was happy that it was Friday, that meant that I didn't have to feel guilty about drinking again that night.

Keep this up and you'll be an alcoholic in a few years… I ignored my snarky subconscious, I did like to drink, but it wasn't like I needed it to be able to enjoy myself.

You could have fun without alcohol. Or so I'd heard…

I called Alice when I got back after lunch, and she was of course aware that the party was that night. You could count on Alice to remember things like that. She and Rose would apparently pick me up at 7, something I hadn't known about but was glad to hear. I texted Emmett the address to Esmee and Carlisle home, and then my heart gave a not so subtle squeeze when my eyes fell on the name above Emmett's in my phone's contact list.

Edward Cullen.

Text him! My subconscious encouraged me; she was jumping up and down, clapping her hands in excitement.

I chewed on my lip, wanting to text him but at the same time not. I had promised myself that he would be nothing more than my client, and I really should stick to that. I mean, if just seeing his name made me feel all giddy and warm, what would it feel like to send him a text and get one back? I would probably squeal like a little girl, and I wasn't sure I could stand the embarrassment…

I put the phone back in my bag; I wasn't going to text him. I couldn't allow this silly obsession for Edward Cullen to develop any further; it was bad enough that I would have to work with him for the next couple of months… That would surely test my self-discipline to the limit.

Alice and Rose were outside my apartment at exactly 7:00. Alice sent me a text to let me know they were waiting, and I took one last glance in the mirror before I left.

I was wearing a midnight blue one shoulder dress, it ended mid thigh and clung to my body like a second skin. I knew Alice would love it, she always pushed for me to wear dresses as short and tight as possible, telling me that everyone should live by the rule 'if you've got it, flaunt it'.

After putting on my black Manolo pumps and grabbing my clutch from the hallway table, I headed outside to join my friends.

Esmee and Carlisle home was like a fairytale, there was no other way to describe it. Located just outside of town in a quiet and beautiful neighborhood, the huge white mansion with its impressive balcony and remarkably tall windows were quite the sight to behold. They had a huge garden, and I knew that it took no less than 3 gardeners to look after it. The house was shielded from view from the street by large, impeccably trimmed bushes.

We walked through a big, iron gate onto the path leading up to the house. There were already a lot of people standing around, most of them with a glass of champagne in their hands.

As always, there was a large party tent set up on the lawn behind the house. It looked like Esmee had invited half the town this year; I saw a few faces I recognized but most of the crowd were strangers to me. Alice immediately skipped off to greet Esmee, and her beautiful, yellow, summer dress swirled around her as she went.

"I'm going to get us some drinks." Rosalie said, heading towards the bar.

I followed Alice to where she stood talking to Esmee, and was more than a little pleased when I noticed Carlisle at her side.

He's your boss's husband… I kept repeating to myself, but it didn't help. It was impossible not to stare at Carlisle, he was so freaking handsome. Esmee caught my stares and rolled her eyes, smiling indulgently at me.

"Bella!" Carlisle called when he saw me. I was delighted, as always, when he pulled me in for a hug.

"How have you been? I hear your new client is something extra?" he winked at me, and I couldn't help but to laugh.

"I'm sure Esmee has given you all the details by now." I said, grinning. "She's never been one to keep secrets."

"Bella, honey, it's no secret when a man looks at you like that. Anyone could tell that he's head over heals for you." Esmee said happily, and I resisted the urge to disagree with her. Edward wasn't head over heals, Edward was horny as hell, more likely.

Rosalie arrived with our drinks then, and we continued to chat about none-Edward related subjects, thankfully. We all stared blissfully at Carlisle as he told us about the second honeymoon he was taking Esmee on, and I was sure that Alice and Rose's thoughts mirrored mine just then.

How did Esmee get so lucky and where can I find one for myself?

Monogamy wouldn't be so bad if it was with Carlisle…

"Hey, Bella!" A loud, cheerful voice called. I turned around and saw Emmett walking towards me, grinning from ear to ear. He wasn't watching me though; his eyes were fixed on Rosalie.

"Everyone, this is my friend Emmett McCarty." I said as he reached us, and Emmett shook hands with everyone, saving Rosalie for last. It was probably so that he could hold on to her hand for a while longer, but she definitely didn't mind. I had told her about Emmett too, of course, and she had been looking forward to meeting him.

Esmee and Carlisle went to greet some new arrivals, and Alice joined Kate and Angela on the small dance floor, shaking her hips to Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' and singing along to the lyrics.

"Your friend didn't come?" I asked Emmett, earning an angry glare from Rose as Emmett turned his eyes to me instead. Oh damn, she so had the hots for him.

"He's here, but he met some people inside that he knew. I figured I'd find you and meet your friends instead. I don't really know the guy, but I thought it would be fun for him to come." he said, smirking at me.

"What? I thought he was your friend?" I asked, perplexed.

"Oh he is, we met just the other day but it turned out that we had a lot in common."

Why was he speaking so cryptically? It was very un-Emmett like.

"Okay weirdo, I just hope he doesn't turn out to be some psycho killer, 'cause then you'll be in serious trouble." I warned, but he just chuckled. "I'm gonna visit the restroom, you guys have fun while I'm gone." I gestured between Rose and Emmett; they were already gazing into each others eyes with matching goofy smiles on their faces.

The house was pretty much empty. I stopped to greet a few colleagues on my way to the bathroom on the second floor, figuring I should use that one instead of the one on the bottom floor. I desperately needed to pee, and I didn't want to risk having to queue.

After I left the bathroom, which had been empty –thank god-, I headed back down the corridor towards the stairs. I didn't get far though, because suddenly a man emerged from the corridor to my left, cutting off my path.

It wasn't just any man, it was the man. As in Edward Cullen.

Why was I not surprised? He had a talent for showing up when I least expected it, that much was obvious.

He's a stalker! My subconscious whispered conspiratorially, and I must say that I was tempted to agree with her at this point.

But of course, stalker or not, just the sight of his wonderful sex-hair, perfect skin and piercing eyes was enough to send a shiver of desire through me. Why did he have to be so fucking hot? Couldn't he have just one little flaw? A chipped tooth? Weird eyebrows? Huge ears? Anything to make him less perfect, because it kind of freaked me out gorgeous he was.

Maybe he's an alien!Okay, that's the last time I ever listen to my subconscious.

Edward smiled wickedly when he saw me, and came to stand before me. A bit closer than people usually stood, but I couldn't bring myself to back away.

"Well this is a coincident." he said, but I didn't buy it.

"I think it would actually be considered 'stalking', not 'coincident', Mr. Cullen." Did I sound angry? Hmm, I probably did. "Are you perhaps hoping to find somewhere to sleep tonight?"

He chuckled, "A man can hope, Miss Swan. But I'm too much of a gentleman to take advantage of your hospitality once more."

I raised an eyebrow. "Gentleman? I don't think a gentleman would have taken someone's panties, or molested a poor, pink rabbit by squashing him after having passed out on a girl's bed. And a gentleman wouldn't have fallen asleep with his head between that girl's breasts, taking up more than his side of the bed."

"Some of my finest moments, Miss Swan." he smirked. "And concerning the panties, I do remember you giving them to me, willingly."

I snorted, folding my arms over my chest. "You could at least have had the decency to return them."

"Ah, but you never said anything about that. I thought it was a present." Why did he have to sound so overconfident? It was maddening.

"Are you wearing them?" I asked before I could stop myself. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips as his eyebrows raised in surprises, and his mouth popped open.

In a second, his usual cocky expression was back. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said, and it was my time to be shocked.

Part of me loved bickering with him like this, another part told me to run for the hills before something bad happened, and another part told me to shut up and just fuck him already.

I should probably have listened to the 'run for the hills' part…

His expression changed, and a warm smile played on his lips as he spoke again. "You look lovely, Miss Swan." I swallowed hard, fighting against the impulse to reach up on my toes and kiss him.

"Of course…" he added, "I don't think I've ever seen you look as beautiful as when I woke up next to you yesterday morning, but still. The color blue agrees with you."

My mouth fell open. What? Did he just say that? Oh god, please help me! This cannot be happening, Edward Cullen can not say stuff like that to me, it's not fair.

"Thank you" I murmured, and felt a very uncharacteristic blush color my cheeks.

I had looked away from his intense gaze, otherwise I might have been able to step back in time before he leaned down, slipped one hand around my neck and touched his lips to mine.

It did no good to fight; I knew I had already lost the battle. I kissed him back, almost melting as his other arm curled around my waist, pulling me to him. His soft, warm lips on mine was my undoing, I gave in to him, kissing him back hungrily. The passion between us was almost too much to bear, if felt like I would never get close enough to satisfy my need for him.

I put my hands against his chest and pushed him back against the wall, not breaking the kiss. I felt his hands trying to push me back so that he could turn and have me pressed against the wall instead, but I just mumbled "No…" against his lips, and moved closer.

I might have lost the battle, I thought as my fingers twisted in his hair, but I would not lose the war.

What's that I'm hearing? A war? Oh hells bells, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. I hear Edward was a soldier in world war one (or was that Twilight-Ed? Hmm) anyway, I'm sure he knows how to work a...gun...or something else...

Reviews makes me really happy :)