Note from the translator: all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, and Collisions belongs to the very popular and talented French author Drinou. I want to thank you, dear readers, for all the reviews you sent me last time. And remember, all the credit goes to Drinou, I'm just enjoying translating her story for your benefit. Good reading.

Chapter 10: Infernal rise

"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!

"Oh, and of course it's nothing personal," he added as I was closing the door behind me.

I stood briefly against it, trying to regain the use of my shaky legs. Curious stares zeroed on me one by one. With a blush on my cheeks, I headed back to the reception desk in haste, looking down to avoid seeing everyone gazing at me. But since I forgot to look where I was going, I collided violently against what appeared to be a muscular torso.

"Hey, are you all right?" a soft voice asked.

At the same time, two hands steadied me, certainly saving me from falling back.

"Uh... yes, thanks."

"It's Bella, right?"

I looked up, intrigued that someone else other than Alice knew my diminutive in this place. The young man then offered me a beautiful smile and I remembered his identity.

Run for your lives! If Alice sees you so close to him, you're no better than already dead!

"You don't look good. Are you sure you're okay?" he worried, releasing me.

"I'm fine, thanks. I was lost in my thoughts and I didn't see you. I'm sorry," I answered, bypassing him.

"I'm Jasper, and you don't have to apologize. This kind of thing happens to me all the time too."

He gave me another smile and went back to his post. I made my way back to mine, strangely calmer.

The little architect is a cutie!

I had to admit he was pretty nice and his smile was quite devastating.

Humm... he would make for a pleasant short-term distraction, wouldn't he?

Was I so desperately craving sex to the point of fantasizing about all the handsome men crossing my path? Okay, I had to confess that his slight southern drawl was pretty sexy...

And his smile... Yummy!

Pathetic! I sighed while reaching my desk. I really needed to find a man asap!

"Where were you?"

Alice's voice brought me back to reality and I suddenly remembered about what I was holding in my hand. I started to examine the envelope apprehensively, trying to figure out its contents.

"What's that?" Alice inquired, pointing the object of all my dreads.

"Uh... nothing at all!" I evaded, quickly slipping the envelope into the pocket of my suit.

If I was to learn that I was fired, I'd rather find out alone. In the meantime, I had to find a way to get rid of Alice for a few minutes, because it was obvious that I wouldn't hold on until tonight without knowing what was inside the envelope. An idea crossed my mind and a sadistic little smile appeared on my face.

"I just saw your handsome architect..."

"Jasper?"

I nodded while continuing my little ploy to keep her away.

"Himself! ... Well, when I say 'saw him,' it would be more accurate to say that I bumped into him. Besides, um... He seems to have some killer abs!"

I saw her becoming green with envy and I couldn't help laughing. I had her in my pocket! I grabbed a stack of files on the desk and handed it to her.

"It seems these papers are for his office. Maybe you can be kind enough and take them to him?"

"You're absolutely right!"

She lost no time and jumped from her chair, tearing the files from my hands before she left at full speed.

I won!

Finally alone, now I could pull out the damn envelope. I opened it with trembling hands and seized its contents. A yellow and blue logo popped to my eyes immediately, yet I didn't recognize it. Then I unfolded the sheet and...

What the fu...

The more my eyes roamed over the note, the more I thought I was having a bad dream. "Morgan's cleaning" ... "58 dollars" ... "Shirt cleaning" ... Had he really given me his dry cleaning bill to deal with? I looked down at the bottom of the page and saw the inscription "pending amount: $58" There was no place for doubt...

What an asshole!

For once I didn't feel the need to argue with my little inner voice. I was 100% in agreement with it.

Then I'd say it's worth celebrating. Let's crack open a bottle of champagne.

I was so angry with that absolutely despicable – yet so sexy – maniac who was my boss that I didn't even want to channel the little hysterical voice in my head.

Speaking of hysterical voice...

"Oh my gosh, Bella! Have you seen how sexy he is today in his little light gray suit and his burgundy tie so cleverly adjusted?" Alice rambled on a full tilt as she joined me.

She glanced over my shoulder before I could put the bill back into the envelope.

"What's that? $58 for a shirt? My, it must have been in very poor condition or in solid gold for a cleaning to cost as much."

Next time set his shirt on fire; it will end up being less expensive!

"Hmm... Yes, probably. It belongs to a friend," I evaded, preferring not to dwell on the topic given my level of edginess.

Anyway, she'd already returned to her ranting and was talking again about the five seconds she'd spent with her sweet architect. As for me, I was in great need of letting off steam...

Therefore, when it was time for my lunch break, I grabbed my gym bag and sneaked out in haste. It had been a while since the last time I'd set foot in the private gym of the Cullen Corp, and a good unwinding session would be very beneficial to me. Luckily, I had kept my gear at hand just in case.

I have to confirm that it's a very good 'just in case' because it's either that or my hand in Cullen's face! Ahhhh, what a prick, still!

The elevator doors finally opened on the huge room fully equipped with the most state-of-the-art appliances I had ever seen. I only had to choose which one I was going to use for the next forty-five minutes.

After a brief visit to the locker room, I entered in the luxurious gym at last. A lively music was echoing through the room, covering the metallic sound of some of those torture devices running at full capacity at this time of the day. Having a shifted schedule, I was lucky enough to almost always find the room nearly empty, but today it was hardly the case.

You'd think that no one eats in this place!

A short overview later, I settled on the last treadmill available. I wanted to let off steam, and running a few miles should help with that. Starting slowly, I progressively increased the pace until I reached a nice cruising speed. I'd certainly much rather jog near a lake or a forest and feel the wind rush through my hair... But I was too far away from Central Park, which was the only place in New York resembling what I was longing for.

"Hey, Bella! I haven't seen you here in a long time. So, are you ready to resume my little training routine?"

Emmett's teasing voice pulled me out of my nostalgic thoughts. I was definitely kind of homesick at the moment. I would have never thought it possible, yet I missed Forks' rainy weather. If my father heard that, he'd be flabbergasted.

"Oh no... Please, anything but your... training... or you might have my death... on your conscience," I said, breathless.

Emmett was the sports instructor in this place. He was checking that the machines were working right, helping novices the likes of me in their exercises, boosting them when need was. But above all, he was contributing to the good mood. This man with an impressive frame was always joking and cheering people up. I'd met him the first time I'd come here. He'd virtually taken me under his wing, at the same time sparing me from getting knocked out by a frontal collision with a rebel punching bag.

Over my visits, he had tried to give me a light training routine, according to him... My muscles still remembered it!

"You're such a pussy!" he giggled. "So what brings you here after this long absence?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "I just need to vent a bit."

"Hmm... Pissed off?"

"You could say that."

His eye was caught on the other side of the room and he apologized instantly. "Keep the pace, I'll be right back," he said, disappearing. "I'm watching you, so run!"

I watched him as he walked away, curious to see what had captured his attention to the point of stopping teasing me so quickly when he usually was so playful. I saw him slaloming between several machines as he headed toward the entrance hall, where the elevators were located. He warmly greeted someone still invisible to me, patted him on the shoulder and laughed. It was probably one of his friends.

As I was about to stop playing the sneaky neighbor and spying on Emmett, the person he was talking to stepped in and I suddenly lost control of my legs. The treadmill seemed to ooze away under my feet, causing me to fall at the same time. Fortunately, I grabbed the arms of the machine before collapsing, but not inconspicuously enough not to alert half the people in the room while doing so, including Emmett and... Cullen.

I couldn't believe it. That bastard Edward Cullen was friend with Emmett. I remained totally dubious. How could two people so radically different as those two were be friends?

Perhaps it wasn't the case after all. Emmett was a very friendly guy, so maybe he was like this with everyone.

FYI, note that they are both staring at you!

Oh shit! Maybe it was time for me to go take a shower before the insistent gaze of my worst nightmare made the benefit of those long minutes of unbridled race go up in smoke. Emmett winked at me discreetly before resuming his conversation with my evil boss who, for his part, didn't take his eyes off me.

Move before making a fool of yourself even more!

I cast him my darkest glare and turned away from him, muttering a few insults in a low voice.

The advantage of shortening my training session was that now I had more time to indulge myself under one of the showers in the room. And so I was quite relaxed when I left the locker room twenty minutes later. My hair, still slightly damped even after suffering the assault of my mini travel hair dryer, was stuck in my face and I was still trying to tame it when I heard the characteristic "ding" of a coming elevator.

I cast a quick glance at the big digital clock on the wall.

Oops!

Maybe I spent a little too much time under the beneficial stream of hot water, because I was now on the verge of being late to relieve Alice.

Oops, again!

It was best to limit the damages...

So with that thought in mind, I swiftly started to run to catch the elevator. The doors were closing when I finally reached it. I didn't think twice and I slipped between them before it was too late, and then I dove inside.

Ouch! Maybe you should have wait for the next, all things considered...

Edward Cullen and his abiding crooked smile greeted me in the elevator, which was apparently bound for hell. Thank God we were not alone. Three other people were also present in the confined space, and it allowed me to hope that I wouldn't be entitled to his little scathing and demeaning remarks that were my lot whenever he was around.

Do I have to remind you that you love those remarks? Stop deluding yourself and face the reality!

Ah, it had been a long time... And here you go, one mental slap!

As soon as the door finally closed shut, I turned to them, preferring to contemplate their brushed metal rather than having to hold his gaze a second longer.

Especially when you recall that last night he had his hand in your panties!

My cheeks suddenly turned a quite intense pink as I remembered his fingers on my skin, and I thanked myself internally for having the presence of mind to stand with my back to him. It would have been bad if he'd seen my embarrassment, and I would have been entitled to his jerk's paraphernalia. I could already hear his mocking laughter and his brittle tirades...

Except that even with my back to him, I could feel his gaze on me.

Turn around and check!

Bad idea. Very, very bad idea!

The elevator stopped at the 22nd floor and several people entered it, forcing me to move back. In my head I repeated in loops not to turn around at any cost.

You're dying to, so just do it!

I sighed. Being in such a confined space with him so close to me was definitely a bad idea. Why was it so hard to ignore him?

Perhaps because he's so damn hot, sexy, and he's affecting you, and even though you dream of slapping him, you'd also like to jump on him here and now. Satisfied with this explanation?

And a second one!

Note to myself: increase in the number of mental slaps issued in the presence or at the approach of a certain walking fantasy...

Slap him instead of yourself, it will be a nice change!

If only...

At the 28th floor, the elevator made another stop and a new parade of people entering and leaving the lift started. At the 33rd floor, same thing, except that little by little I was forced to step back even more, thereby minimizing the safety zone between him and me.

37th floor. Eight more people filled in, squeezing us a little more. Now I was so close to him that I could feel his body heat.

Hmmm...

The elevator was crowded. We were all pressed against each other, and yet I only noticed the presence of his body tight against mine. I could feel his every movements in my back, his every breaths, and it was tickling my neck every time he breathed out.

41st floor. My safety zone already terribly undermined melted like snow in the sun.

49th floor. My inner prayer was unfortunately not heard. A new wave of people rushed inside. I followed the movement in spite of me, which pushed me a little more in the back, even tighter against him. The contact of his chest with my back intensified and his breath irradiated my skin completely. My heart went berserk and I held my breath as I found myself utterly glued to him.

But you need to breathe otherwise you're going to pass out!

What was that?

Holy shit!

Was it what I thought it was? Noooo! It was simply impossible. Except the growl that ensued in my back consolidated this idea.

Was it really possible that...

You can always believe it's his cell phone in his boxer short but in my opinion it's something else... Something manlier, if you know what I mean.

I had to get out of here, and quick!

Or you can stay, wait until the elevator is empty, and jump on him. Isn't it a better option?

I needed to think about something else. Anything but that. Especially not that! The weather... What kind of day was it today?...

Certainly not as hot as it is here!

Failed attempt. What else?...

Edward's hips purposely moved toward me and I barely restrained a groan.

Red alert, we just lost my panties!

This man would be the death of me!

53rd. More people. Would this elevator reach its full capacity at some point? The person in front of me pushed me and caused a friction between Cullen and me. No doubt, I wasn't going to emerge alive from this lift.

You, I'm not sure, but it's official that your underwear just passed away.

My breathing was cut off and I closed my eyes in an attempt to ignore the situation. But how could I forget that I was in a crowded elevator, pressed against the muscular body of my personal fantasy when he was unrestrainedly rubbing a certain part of his anatomy against my ass?

You forget the grunts!

My death! He wanted my death!

I could officially say that he was taking revenge for my defiance the night before.

Next time do not cockblock him!

60th. I thanked all the gods in this world with all my heart when the elevator doors opened at last. I hastened to get out and follow the other people, even if it meant I had to push them, as it would allow me to quickly recover a safety zone between Cullen and me.

Hum... It was enjoyable! Frustrating, but enjoyable.

Apparently, my mind was starting to ramble again. It had been a while!

Sheesh, don't play the prudish girl and admit that you liked it!

Maybe I did... but I was glad to be out of this inferno all the same. So it's with a smile that I touched the solid ground – a smile that faded as soon as I saw a redhead with a slender silhouette impatiently stomping next to the reception desk. It was the same redhead who was teasing Edward at the private party.

Teasing? This is quite a euphemism!

What was the minx doing here?

"Victoria!" a sweet voice exclaimed behind me.

Of course!

The girl straightened up and walked slowly toward me, or at least the person following me.

And what if you made her trip when she passes by you?

I was dying to do just that, but I preferred to keep a low profile and quietly recover from the turmoil of the last five minutes. I silently reached my desk, where a note on the screen informed me about the disappearance of my co-worker: 'Massive clearance at Bloomingdale's from 1 to 3pm. Couldn't wait for you any longer. See you tomorrow. Alice.' She was really irredeemable.

"Hi gorgeous," the redheaded bitch said in a seductive voice as she reached the object of all my fantasies. "I hope you liked how the night ended, because I'm not done with you, believe me. I still have a lot of tricks to show you, mind you."

"Let's pretend nothing happened..." I repeated to myself. "Let's pretend nothing happened... Let's pre..."

You can do as you please, but the fact remains that you're in the front row right now.

Though I tried to look away, my eyes were inexorably drawn to them. I saw him put his arm in her back as she rubbed against him.

Yes, but the bulge in his pants is for me. Ha!

Except that she was the one to enjoy it soon according to the view playing before my eyes. Edward grabbed her wild hair with an iron grip, made her slightly turn her face, and kissed her eagerly right in front of me.

Ahhh! Don't touch him, you dirty slut, or I'll rip you a new one!

I could imagine their tongues dancing together just by the movements of their faces. My fingers clenched on a poor stray pen that I had found and a slight "crack" sounded when the fiery glare of my boss rested upon me while his tongue continued to outrageously massage Victoria's.

And what a glare... Lucky for you that your panties are already dead, because now you'd sign a death warrant once again.

They – finally! – ended their kiss. And without breaking eye contact with me, he pulled slightly away from her. That's when I saw the smirk appear on his face, and a deep craving for murder went through me.

He was playing again.

And as always, he gets to win.

"Let's get to my office. We'll have more peace and quiet," he said, inviting her to follow him with a slight pressure of his hand in her back.

Fulminating, I watched them walk a few steps down the hall when he suddenly stopped and turned to me.

"Miss Swan, it goes without saying that the document I entrusted to you this morning is to be taken care of as soon as possible," he said with a smile.

Son of a bitch!

As always, I need to thank my beta Lizzard43. You rock girl :0)

Until next time.

Milk