Title: The Cullen Enterprise
Author: Amethyst Jackson
Rating: M
Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.
Chapter Twenty-One: Like That
"Should I go so you can work?" I asked after Edward and I finished eating. I didn't want to leave. Twenty minutes wasn't nearly enough time for me to get my fill of Edward, but I knew the reason he'd asked me to come live with him, and it wasn't because he wanted a girlfriend interfering with his career.
"No," Edward said, leaning back in his chair. "Actually, it's going to be getting dark. Maybe you should wait and ride home with me once I've finished up here."
I liked that idea more than I would admit, and not just because his car had given me fits on the hills. "But what about the Volvo?"
Edward shrugged. "I'll have a car service pick me up in the morning and drive it home tomorrow."
"If you're sure."
He nodded. "I'm sure."
Turning to hide my smile, I rose and went to grab my bag off the couch and rummaged through it. "I brought cookies, too."
I turned around with the sandwich bag full of cookies and jumped when I came face to face with Edward.
"Cookies, huh?" He smiled down at me, but there was something more than playfulness in his eyes. "You really are perfect."
Instead of taking the cookies from me, he cupped my cheek and kissed me with warmth. I dropped the bag and curled my hand around the nape of his neck, the soft hair tickling my fingers. Edward's free hand tightened on my hip as his lips left my mouth to skim along my jaw.
"Can I tell you something, Bella?" he asked in a low voice, close to my ear. The caress of his breath made me shiver. I nodded.
"I've had you on my mind all week here at work. I've imagined taking you on every single surface in this room. Including against the bookshelves...and the windows. It's nearly impossible to keep my hands off you when I get home."
I clutched at his shoulders, afraid my wobbly knees would give out. "You don't keep your hands off me," I pointed out. Not that I was complaining.
"Because it's impossible." I felt him smile as he kissed behind my ear. His hands slipped under the hem of my sweatshirt to graze lightly over my skin.
"So which is your favorite?" I asked. His light touch made me feel feverish, hollow, and I needed to be filled.
"What?" he mumbled against my neck.
"You said you'd been fantasizing...which is your favorite?"
Edward pulled back, grinning wickedly. "You really want to know?"
I nodded. I wanted desperately to know what he'd been thinking about me. "Tell me."
"Bent over the desk," he said. A flush spread across my chest, and I took off my hoodie, leaving me in my jeans and a thin T-shirt. Edward watched carefully my every move, and with his eyes on my body, I strolled over to his large desk. With my back turned, I wet my dry lips and took a deep breath for courage.
I laid my arms flat against his desk, my bottom raised, and I looked over my shoulder at him.
"Like this?"
Edward's expression was hungry, almost feral. "The other side of the desk."
I went around the desk and resumed my position between the desk and his chair. I looked up at him in question.
"Like that," he confirmed, walking over slowly. He stepped behind me and I heard him sit in the chair.
His palms covered my behind a squeezed.
"Have I told you what a fantastic ass you have?"
I giggled nervously. "No."
"Well, it's a work of art." His hands reached around me and unfastened my jeans. My breath hitched as he pulled them down along with my underwear. The clothing caught around my feet, locking me in place, and I was grateful to be leaning on the desk for the sake of balance.
His hands rubbed up the back of my thighs and over my ass cheeks. I half-expected him to start spanking me or something, and I was trying to decide whether I liked that idea when I felt his mouth on me.
"Oh!"
I felt his lips smiling against my sex briefly before he resumed an exploration with his tongue. I put my head down on the desk and closed my eyes, concentrating only on the sensation of his hot, wet mouth open against my clit, his tongue working double-time.
My legs started to shake and I put all my weight against the desk.
Just when I was about to come, he pulled away. I whined involuntarily and looked over my shoulder to see him unbuckling his belt. His lips were wet with me, and his jaw was tight with desire.
Anticipation tingled down my spine.
Edward stood and reached into his back pocket to take out his wallet, from which he pulled out a condom. I smirked at the cliche.
Edward simply shrugged and smirked right back. "Pays to be prepared."
I couldn't argue with that. My neck was beginning to ache from watching him over my shoulder, but I couldn't look away as he pushed his slacks and boxers to the floor.
He slid on the condom, and then he was over me, his body covering mine from hands to arms to my back. I felt the head of his cock pressing against my sex as his lips pressed behind my ear.
He pushed inside.
I gasped at the fullness, the way he stretched me from this angle, the way his body felt as he pinned me to the desk.
"Why can't I ever get enough of you?" Edward whispered in my ear as he began to move inside me. He slid deep with each smooth thrust, and I could already feel my orgasm building. "I know I should leave you be, but I can't seem to help myself."
His breath was hot against my ear, and I strained back toward him. "I don't want you to leave me be."
He groaned. "Even if it means I have my hands on you every second we're together?" His cock continued to hit just the right spot, and my body was starting to tense, braced for ecstasy.
"Especially then," I moaned, curling my fingers against the desktop.
"You want me?" His tone was gruff, but there was an underlying need in his voice that made my heart clench.
"All the time," I admitted, closing my eyes. I teetered on the brink of climax, so close it hurt. As if he could sense it, Edward thrust harder and faster, pushing me into mind-blowing release. My nerves all but sang as pleasure rushed through my veins, turning my limbs to jelly and making me light-headed. I moaned unabashedly as he continued to push into me, his hips slapping against my skin, and I could hear him grunting, approaching his own release. I pushed back against him, wanting his climax almost as much as I'd wanted my own.
"Fuck, fuck," he cursed as his thrusts became quick and shallow. His hands tightened over mine and his breath came out in quick pants. I heard his breath hitch as he thrust deep and stilled inside me. I felt the pulse of his release, and he rested his forehead against my shoulder, letting out a low groan. His body rested heavily over mine as he caught his breath. I didn't mind. Even though we were both still dressed from the waist up and I was more than a little sweaty, I was more than content to stay where I was.
"Shit, I'm sorry," he said after a moment, pushing himself off me. "You're probably really uncomfortable right now."
I shrugged as he helped me up. My legs were kind of tired, and I was a little sore from where the desk had been digging into my body, but I felt amazing. I pulled up my jeans while Edward disposed of the condom and redressed as well.
"There's a bathroom, just there, if you want to freshen up," Edward said sheepishly. I laughed and moved toward where he pointed, but he caught my arm first.
"Just one thing," he said, and he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. It was soft and gentle and utterly at odds with what we'd just done, but it fit perfectly just the same. "There," he said. "That's what I needed."
Blushing and smiling like a goofball, I slipped away to the restroom. When I came back out, Edward had literally rolled up his sleeves and gotten to work at his computer.
"I won't be long, I promise," he told me.
"Take your time." I settled down on the couch and dug around in my bag. I had the gardening book in there to read, but I didn't want Edward to know what I was up to just yet, so I took out a novel I'd been reading instead. I'd covered a few pages when I felt my eyelids growing heavy. I was getting cold, too, but I couldn't be bothered to move enough to put on my hoodie.
The next thing I knew, Edward was saying my name. I made myself open my eyes and found myself still on the couch in his office with Edward's jacket tucked around me. A glance toward the window showed that night had fully fallen.
Edward knelt beside me, watching me wake with a rueful expression. "Sorry, it took longer than I thought it would. I should have gone ahead and let you drive home, I guess. But we can go now."
"It's okay," I said, sitting up and stretching. "Your couch is comfy."
He smiled but looked unsure, and it hurt my heart to see. "Really," I said, "it's okay."
His smile became a little lighter, and I reached for my hoodie to shrug it on. It was probably cold outside by now. I gave him back his jacket, and he gave me his hand in return, helping me to my feet.
"Did you get everything done you needed to?" I asked as I picked up my shoulder bag. I'd hate if he'd let anything go just for my sake.
"I did," he said with a grin. "I've done pretty well this week at not bringing any work home with me."
"That's good." I'd noticed, but I didn't dare let myself hope it was anything more than Edward being sick of working all the time. If I let myself hope he was leaving work at the office to spend more time with me, I'd probably just end up with hurt feelings.
Edward put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple, making my heart flutter. "Let's go home."
He guided me out of the office and into the elevator, where his arm stayed around me all the way down to the parking garage and continued to linger as he led me to his car. I leaned into the warmth and solidity of his body, marveling at this new life of mine, at the man walking beside me and the fact that I was the first person aside from his assistant to ever bring him a meal at work.
I wasn't sure what was wrong with Edward's past relationships, but I couldn't fathom giving up on him.
A/N: I'm sorry, guys...I am le fail. I am going to blame it on me not being able to write at work as much rather than me being a lameass.
Q&A
Q: Are you OK? Are you continuing this story?
A: I'm fine, just a loozer who occasionally gets stuck on chapters that should not be sticky.
Q: Can we be friends?
A: Of course. I love friends.
Q: Who is your favorite singer/band?
A: I have a really hard time answering "favorites" questions because I have so many, but I guess for the ones I always come back to, it would have to be John Mayer and The Killers. I think I have a Killers song in my head for every fic I write.
Q: How far developed do you have to be with a story before you're comfortable posting it?
A: Ha, I'm so impatient, I'll just go ahead and post and then wing it.
Q: Is Riley gay or something?
A: Maaaaybe.
Q: Do you think if Stephanie Meyer went into a new "Twilight" series about Renesmee would you read it?
A: Um...maybe? I don't like Jacob that much, so having a ton of him in a story would bug me, and I'd definitely need some good E/B action for it to be worth it.
Q: I wonder if this James in going to become a problem?
A: Nahh, that storyline has been done. Just your garden variety douchebag.
Q: Did you get into the [Twilight] books yourself or did a friend recommend it?
A: Someone told me to "read the book with the apple on the cover" but I don't remember who it was.
Q: Is it wrong that I never have questions?
A: Nahh, I never have questions either.
Q: Would you ever write a Jeff Withey fan fic?
A: Bahaha, maybe a self-insert fic. Love that boy.
Q: You're telling me you write stories like Bonne Foi and Only Human with little planning? Seriously?
A: Yeah? I have a general idea of where the story will go, but I guess I like to keep things flexible and allow the characters to guide the story.
Q: You've mentioned twitter on a previous question, what is yours?
A: amethystjackson
Q: Do you read ffn? If so, what do you like?
A: Yeah, I read fanfic. I like things that are relatively low in angst, pretty much strictly E/B. I like vampire fic, whether it be twists on canon or vampire Edward meeting Bella in a different setting, but I like all-human fic too. I like friends-to-lovers stories, teenage first love, and stories like this one that revolve mostly around smut. :P
From a reviewer: To the QA regarding more books in the series- Read Harvest Moon by content1. I think it is the perfect completion to the series.