Note from the translator: all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, and Collisions belongs to the lovely French author Drinou. By now, you probably know that I'm mostly trying to make her even more popular by translating her story so more people can read it, while having a great time doing so. Good reading.

Chapter 9: Harsh day after

"At least this time it wasn't an accident," I said.

And without further ado I freed myself and quickly made my way toward the exit.

I put my empty glass on a table next to the exit and left the room. I quickly walked through the other part of the club and reached the cloakroom to get my coat back in haste. All I had in mind was to quickly return home and take an icy bath to soothe the fire that irradiated from my body. Except, as the minutes went by, anguish started to take over the frustration and the annoyance. Did I really just pour half a glass of mojito on purpose on the shirt of my boss as he was about to slip his fingers in me?

Yep, you did it!

I was torn between the euphoria of having finally been able to resist him…

Well, he still had his hand on your crotch, so in terms of resistance, some have done better than you…

… and the urge to cry as once again I just screwed up a job because of him. Unfortunately, what was done was done. I could no longer go back, and I was sure of at least one thing; never again would I cower in front of him and apologize.

I was in the middle of my cogitation when I reached my apartment and collapsed on my sofa bed, swearing. It was almost three in the morning. In a few hours, my phone would ring to announce me that I was fired again. I sighed. Once more… I definitely didn't have a long life expectancy at N.Y.E. But at least this time I wasn't caught naked by Mike Newton in the men's restrooms of a luxury hotel.

That's an improvement!

One icy shower later, I went to bed more frustrated than ever, not really succeeding in falling asleep. Flashes of the evening passed in loop before my eyes: his breath on my skin, the brushing of his lips and his fingers… Oh my God… His slender, long, very skilled, and dexterous fingers. He'd barely touched me, and yet I was this close of being set ablaze from head to toe.

One more thought like that and you are going to have to take another cold shower, silly girl!

I grabbed my second pillow and crushed it on my head, raging against this situation I was in. Eventually, after several minutes of mental fight, the exhaustion got the better of me and I fell asleep at last.

The ear-splitting music of my clock radio pulled me out all too soon of a rather detailed dream of what the end of the night could have been like if I hadn't spilled my favorite cocktail on the object of all my fantasies. My cheeks were on fire…

Not only my cheeks, for that matter…

… when I painfully extricated myself from my bed to immediately grab my phone and check my messages.

Nothing.

No news from Jake. The night must have been good for him… No news from Newton either. It was only seven in the morning; he probably hadn't begun his day yet… In short, I was still in the dark in regard with my lot. I just had to wait and see how I was going to be fired.

Except that the phone never rang.

My shift was approaching and I didn't know what to do.

You dress, and you get there with your head up, girl. Do I really need to tell you everything?

With a feeling of dread in my stomach and the impression I was going to throw up, I put on my suit, quickly did my hair in a loose bun, and put a slight make-up on. There, I was ready, but I didn't want to go at all. I stared at my door for a while apprehensively.

When you gotta go, you gotta go…

The closer I got to 1028 Water Street, the sicker I felt in my stomach, which was now dancing the lambada. When the elevator doors opened on the 60th floor of the Cullen Corp. building, my legs started shaking, and all I had in mind was to turn around and never come back.

But it was without accounting for Alice, who jumped on me as soon as she saw me in the elevator, and flooded me with questions about that abominable night. Forcefully, I was dragged to my work station by the little rampageous pixie, casting anxious glances everywhere around me, looking for any emerald gaze that could be hanging around.

I vaguely heard Alice spouting words at full speed next to me, but I wasn't paying attention to them, I was too focused in watching my surroundings, prepared to see the devil himself pop up from behind a pole to jump on me.

Hmmm… Jump on me… If only…

Fingers snapped before my eyes and I jolted.

"Hey ho, Bella! Earth calling the moon!" Alice giggled. "Some encounter you must have made last night!"

I liquefied on the spot.

"Wh-what?" I panicked. "Why do you say that?"

"You've got all the symptoms of the girl infatuated with a handsome stranger she just met," she said. "So, what's his name?"

And here comes the thorough interrogation…

"You're driveling, Alice!"

"Yeah, sure, and you're the Easter Bunny. Where are my boots?"

"Your what? Damn, I forgot them home."

She raised an eyebrow and stared at me, suspicious.

"See, that's yet another symptom. Give me his name and I'll leave you alone."

Ahhh! She's soooo annoying, what with her built in lie detector!

"I didn't meet anyone, Alice," I sighed.

She sat on her chair, suddenly looking despondent.

"Are you telling me that despite the way you were primed yesterday you didn't attract any guy? No, that's impossible. You were perfect. I can't believe no man had a crush on you."

Seeing her disappointed like this made me feel profoundly guilty. I was going to regret it, yet I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"Okay… There was someone, actually. He offered me a bottle of champagne, but there's nothing more to report."

What a liar! If you think you'll pass the 'Alietector' test, you're kidding yourself, girl.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing more? Really?"

I nodded, praying that my body didn't betray me.

"His name?"

Her commanding and steady voice startled me.

An idea, quick. What name could I give her? Any name would do, it didn't matter as long as I blurted it out soon before she found my attitude even more dubious.

Try Edward Cullen, it might be funny.

I was already giving myself my first mental slap of the day when I remembered the other guy who accosted me during the party. What was his name again?

Tick tock tick tock…

"Eric Yorkie!" I exclaimed as his name finally came back to memory.

She seemed satisfied with my answer and I could relax at last. I was taking advantage of this little respite she was giving me to settle properly at my desktop when some tumult reached us from the conference room close by. I looked at Alice questioningly.

"There's an executive committee meeting with all the heads of each branch. They've been locked in this room since eight o'clock this morning. I wonder how…"

I wasn't listening to her any longer. Executive committee meeting… All the heads… I swallowed painfully. This meant that…

And as to confirm my fears the door of the room opened. I held my breath and glanced furtively inside as a person was coming through. I saw him, casually seated and leaning on the long table, staring at his laptop in front of him, looking very focused.

Hmmm, he's soooo sexxxy with his tie slightly loosened!

Second mental slap! The day was definitely off to a good start. The door closed and I breathed out deeply. Part of me was hoping that this meeting would end quickly so I could finally be fixed about my lot, and the other wanted the meeting to last forever so I wouldn't have to face him.

Alice had already resumed her interrogation that would put Sherlock Holmes to shame and I sighed. The afternoon might be long, very long… But work kept us busy, and between phone calls, photocopies, and other appointments, she had little time to quench her curiosity.

Finally, about two hours later, as Alice was starting again with her favorite game of "How to make Bella talk at any costs," the huge door of the conference room opened. I was standing and holding some files that I was about to photocopy when I saw them exiting the room one by one.

Hey, calm down, or else you're going to have a premature heart attack!

"So, tell me more about that party. I want details. What was the theme?"

Where is the off button?

I mumbled an answer as a parade of suits and ties started going passed us. I suddenly developed a true admiration for the pencil holder on our desk and I waited, pale and trembling, for the comings and goings to stop.

"By the way, was my garter belt a success?" she asked out of the blue, all the opposite of discreet.

I almost choked on my own saliva. I was casting a murderous glance at her, asking her to avoid shouting that kind of thing from the rooftops when I saw a crooked smile topped by two emerald irises watching me. He was very close and had certainly heard Alice.

From where he stands, if he hasn't heard, the poor guy must be stone-deaf!

I turned from aspirin white to beet red in a split second and tried to hide behind my friend the pencil holder for another silent head-to-head.

You shouldn't be ashamed; he seemed to like the garter belt yesterday evening.

"So?" Alice went on.

"So nothing at all," I muttered. "It remained quietly under my skirt, away from any eyes."

Away from the eyes, yes, but not from wandering hands…

"Sheesh, you're really not fun."

She took the files I had in my hands.

"I'm going to make those photocopies and I'll be back. I leave you to the contemplation of your desk."

She stepped around me to get to the photocopier.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're really weird today!" she said as she walked away.

I collapsed on my chair without taking my eyes from the magnificent chewed pen in front of me.

You found yourself a new passion or what?

If at this very moment I'd had a way of disappearing forever, I'd have done so without the slightest hesitation. From my spot I could hear that his professional discussion was about to end. I heard the sound of his footsteps slowly approaching, and then a shadow hung over my desk, proving that he was coming up to me. He didn't utter a word though, certainly waiting for a reaction from me.

Trembling and anxious, I raised my head to look at him. There we were; I was going to learn any minute that I had no longer my place here.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Cullen?" I asked with my most assertive voice.

His damn smile stretched a little more.

I'm still not allowed to slap him?

He slowly leaned toward me. My heart rate bolted immediately and I held my breath.

"A lot of things, Isabella," he breathed against my ear. "I'm mostly thinking about one of them: your moans of pleasure when my hand wanders under your lace panties…"

Is it me, or the room is warmer now?

He straightened up as slowly as he'd leaned. My cheeks blushing, I swallowed painfully at the thought of what had happened the night before.

"But for now, I only need the Galveston Square file, which should have been delivered by courier, Miss Swan," he said, all business again.

Little voice to Bella's brain, it's time to come back on…

It took me a while to analyze that yet very simple sentence. It was obvious, judging by his darn smile, that my turmoil didn't go unnoticed, and I bitched internally against my loss of mental faculty in his presence. I glanced briskly at my desk. No file had been delivered.

"I'm sorry, but apparently it's not arrived yet."

"Well, perhaps you can bring it directly to me in my office when you receive it, Miss Swan."

He walked away without further ado.

Office… conference table… him… me… naked… Ouch, it's starting to hurt!

A masterly mental slap later, I got rid of this vision of our two bodies, entwined and sweaty, lying on the large wooden conference table in the middle of his office. And as if fate was playing even more bad tricks on me, next second I saw a messenger holding a folder getting out of the elevator. I was utterly cursed!

Cursed, yes, but some curses are worse than that!

A signature and thanks later, I was standing in front of my desk, the much talked about Galveston Square file in my hands, wondering what I should do. Did I really have to go in his office to hand him the file?

Yes, unfortunately. His minx assistant wasn't there and I didn't see myself call and tell him to come pick it up himself when he had just asked me to bring it to him. So I didn't have any other alternative but to brace myself and go confront Mr. Perfect and his shady insinuations.

Admit that you like those shady insinuations…

I sighed. I was truly infuriating!

I slowly crossed the lobby with the large file under my arm. I tentatively went up the main hallway dividing the open space, walking along the disorderly desks littered with all kind of blueprints in front of which the suits and ties and other tailor skirts were as busy as bees.

My long suffering ended in front of my personal inferno's door. I quickly knocked before losing my courage. A "Come in" muffled by the tick solid wood in front of me reached my ears.

And this is the beginning of a new Cullen/Swan round. Who will the winner be?

I entered the sumptuous office provided with a panoramic view of New York, trying to silence my maddening little inner voice. As during my first visit several weeks ago, he was sitting at his desk. Except that this time around he wasn't eying me with his smirk. No, today he was staring at his computer without paying attention to my presence.

I stood at the entrance of the room, not knowing exactly if I should step in or wait until Mister kindly deign to look up at me. The only snag was that the seconds were elapsing at full speed and he wasn't moving; he was just typing on his keyboard and staring at the screen.

You plan to take root on the doorstep?

Anxiously shifting from one foot to the other, I finally decided to move toward his desk. Still no reaction. I would never be able to ascertain this man. As soon as I thought I knew what to expect, he started to act in a completely different way. I thought I would be greeted by his derogatory remarks or his innuendos… but nothing. Not a word. Not even a glance.

Disappointed, aren't you?

Exasperating, really, really exasperating!

All in all, it wasn't for the worst. No confrontation; I could live with that. It would save me from losing all my means once again or throwing whatever on him.

If thinking that makes you feel better… but I'm sure you're disappointed.

One mental slap later, I put the Galveston Square file on a free corner of his desk.

"Here is your file, Mr. Cullen," I said while turning around, in a hurry to leave this place.

At that moment, my eyes met the large table and I gagged my mind in advance before it began to ramble once again. It wasn't the time to have a vision of his naked body taking me savagely on the…

"Thank you, Miss Swan."

I froze. His voice instantly dispelled the ramblings of my mind. I couldn't understand, try as I might. Not a single word or look, and now he was thanking me? What game was he playing, for heaven's sake? Yesterday he was this close to… and today he was just…

Ahhh!

Incomprehensible.

Acting as if nothing happened, I resumed walking toward the door.

"Hmm, by the way, I've got that for you."

Oh shit! Note that it might get interesting…

I turned hesitantly. He was still staring at his screen, the only difference being the white envelope he was holding out to me. All of a sudden I held my breath. Was it possible that… no. I didn't hear from N.Y.E. They had the authority to fire me, not him. Unless…

This will teach you a lesson for declining a roll in the hay using a glass of mojito as a dissuasive weapon!

I doubled back with anguish. I reached out and seized the envelope that he was handing me. At this point his eyes left his computer screen at last to meet mine.

"I think this is rightfully yours, Miss Swan," he said, a perfect smirk crossing his face before he finally let go of the envelope.

In possession of the object, I turned and left the room without a word.

You're in deep shit, Swan!

So… what on earth will Bella find in the damn envelope?

A letter of dismissal?

An invitation?

The 20$ bill left on the back seat of the cab?

Something else?

If you guess right, I'll send you a teaser of the next chapter :0)

Huge thanks to my dear beta Lizzard43, and huge thanks to all of you who take the time to review this very enjoyable story.

Until next time

Milk