By midweek, Bella had been able to have lunch with Edward once, and though it had been a quick meal, they had enjoyed their time together and had promised that they would find more time to be with each other before the week was out. And, despite the fact that they couldn't spend time together due to their work obligations, he called her almost every evening. She was happier than she had been in a long time.
Jasper on the other hand was having a rough week. He still hadn't heard from Alice. He kept coming into Bella's office, asking if she had heard from her and dropping hints that she should contact Alice on his behalf. Bella was trying to stay out of the whole situation as much as possible. Sure she wanted Jasper and Alice to work it out, they were both her friends, but Jasper was her boss after all.
Jasper was right about one thing, sometimes mixing business and personal lives was impossible, but it was her friendship with him and Alice that were causing all her troubles, not her relationship with Edward.
She was lost in her thoughts as she stared at a blank page on her computer screen when she heard a knock on her door, smiling immediately when she saw it was Edward.
"Edward!" she said happily as she stood up from her seat.
Edward smiled at her and looked around her office. "You really weren't kidding when you said this was a closet."
He closed the door behind him as Bella went up to him. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed, letting it linger for a while before breaking apart and smiling.
"Hello," said Edward softly as he looked down at her.
"Hi," Bella replied with a wide grin. "What brings you by?"
He smiled and brushed her hair from her face. "Just thought I would stop by for a visit. Hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," she smiled and gave him a quick kiss before she turned her head and looked around. "Though there's really not much to see here."
He smiled. "I beg to differ," he said as he looked directly at her.
She looked back at him curiously then blushed at seeing what he meant. Shaking her head she hid her embarrassment at the compliment and looked around. "It really is small, but it's mine."
Edward chuckled and looked around. "I've actually seen staffers with worse, believe it or not."
Bella moved away from him and sighed. "I believe it, but then I was warned about space issues before I came out here to D.C."
He nodded and moved around the room, going to her bookshelf where her digital frame was cycling through pictures that she had seen a thousand times, but that were new to him.
Edward smiled as he saw the different pictures flashing across the small 5x7 screen including Bella's pictures with her parents at her graduation, her and Alice, as well as some others with Jasper and the Cullens.
Bella leaned against her desk and watched him, smiling as he smiled at seeing her photographs. He looked around the rest of the room and his eyes stopped at her desk, noting the book still being used to even out one of the legs of her desk. Leaning down he examined it more closely.
"Don't like Pride and Prejudice?" he asked with an arched brow.
"What?" she responded in confusion, "What would make you say that it's actually my fa…" she stopped midsentence as she realized why he was asking. "Oh, you mean because I'm using it to prop up the desk. Jasper did it. Ruined my copy in the process."
Edward frowned. "He should have seen if he could get you a new desk."
"I'm sure he's put in a requisition," she shrugged.
"He used your favorite book," he said with a frown.
Bella chuckled and shook her head and going up to him she rested her arms on his shoulders and lightly clasped her hands behind the nape of his neck. "Edward, I don't want to discuss Jasper…or Pride and Prejudice for that matter."
He smiled at her as his arms went around her waist. "Oh? And, what did you want to discuss, Ms. Swan?"
"Well, actually, I was going to call you tonight to see if you had any plans this weekend," Bella said with a smile.
Edward smiled and shrugged a bit. "Emmett and I were going to hang out a bit, but other than that…" he let his voice trail off.
"I got tickets to see a new exhibit at a local gallery. I actually have four of them if you'd like to invite Emmett and Rosalie to come along," she said as her fingers brushed at the short hair at the nape of his neck.
He laughed. "You mean like a double date…with Emmett? Are you sure about that?"
Bella tilted her head curiously. "Why wouldn't I be sure?"
"Uh, well, obviously you haven't been exposed to Emmett enough," Edward said with a chuckle.
Bella couldn't help but laugh. "He seemed…sweet."
"Sweet? You definitely don't know Emmett then," Edward said, kissing her softly. "I'll tell you what, I'll ask and let you know later this evening, tomorrow at the latest. Sound good?"
She nodded after kissing him back.
"You sure you don't want to invite Jasper and Alice?" It wasn't that he didn't like the fact that she wanted to get to know his friends, but he didn't want her friends feeling left out either.
Bella shook her head. "Alice is still in New York for another week and a half." She didn't go into the foul mood that Jasper had been in, but she was sure Edward could figure it out for himself.
"Ah, well, then I'll definitely try to get Emmett to go," he responded with a smile. Though he didn't know much about what was going on with Alice and Jasper, he knew it couldn't be good. Even he noticed Jasper's mood when he'd run into him earlier in the day. "When is the show?"
"Nine on Saturday evening. I figured we could dinner beforehand," Bella said with a smile.
He nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He leaned down to kiss her softly, pulling her a bit closer.
She melted into the kiss and moaned a bit a she pressed against him.
The kiss was starting to become a bit more heated when he pulled away with a sigh, his lips trailing to her ear and he whispered, "I'm afraid if we keep that up I'm going to get carried away, and I think we should wait for you to get a more stable desk," he said with a chuckle.
Bella blushed and couldn't help but laugh with him. "Good idea. I'd hate to explain what happened if we ended up breaking it completely."
He laughed and kissed her again. "I should be going. I have a meeting with Jasper."
"Do you? So then you really didn't come by to see me," she teased.
Edward smiled at her. "How do you know I didn't make an excuse to see Jasper so I could see you?"
"Because I know you, Mr. Masen. You like your job and take it very seriously. I'm just a fringe benefit to this meeting," she said with a chuckle.
He kissed her. "It's is an added bonus that I get to spend a few stolen moments with you right now. But, I'll take anything I can get."
She smiled at him. "You better go before you're late for your meeting. I'm sure if you are Jasper is going to know where to look."
He sighed, nodded and gave her one last kiss before releasing her and walking to the door. "I'll talk to Emmett and find out if he and Rosalie can do that gallery thing this weekend."
"Thanks," she said with a small wave as he walked out the door.
)( )( )( )(
Edward returned to his office after his meeting with Jasper and was a bit annoyed. Jasper was cordial enough, but he'd been more than unhappy to find out the Senator Cullen had decided to co-sponsor a bill with Senator rather than going with the bill that Senator Volturi had been asking him to co-sponsor. He knew that the bills were similar enough that only one would pass and if he didn't find another Senator to co-sponsor Aro's bill it was all but dead.
He was sitting in his office, brooding, trying to figure out who he could call on to work with them on the bill when Emmett knocked on his door.
"How'd the meeting go over at Cullen's offices, Chief?" Emmett asked, but taking in Edward's expression he sighed. "That good, huh? Well, fuck."
Emmett came in and they both sat in silence for a while before Emmett spoke again, "Senator Meloy?"
They were both obviously trying to think of someone else who could sponsor the bill with Aro.
Edward shook his head. "He'd do it in a heartbeat. What many people don't know is that he's facing a scandal involving bribes back home that are going to hit the media stream pretty soon. He'd co-sponsor the bill in the hopes that it'll draw attention away from that. Not exactly what we're looking for."
Emmett shook his head. "How do you know all this?"
Edward just chuckled. "It's my job to know."
They discussed a few more possibilities, neither of them wanting to admit that they might have to let Senator Volturi's bill die, when Edward's office phone buzzed and he answered, "This is Masen…Yes, Senator, I'll be right there."
Edward hung up the phone and stood up, putting on his suit jacket.
"The boss?" Emmett asked.
Edward nodded. "I'm hoping he won't ask about this bill until I have a contingency plan in place." He headed for the door, but stopped, "Oh, before I forget, Bella asked if you and Rosalie would like to join us this weekend for dinner and some gallery opening or something. It's on Saturday I believe."
Emmett arched a brow. "You suggesting a double-date, Chief."
Edward chuckled and adjusted his tie. "She suggested it."
"You warn her about me?" Emmett asked.
"She had met you before," Edward said with a shrug.
Emmett just laughed. "I was on my best behavior then. I'll call Rosie and let you know."
Edward nodded and head towards Senator Volturi's office, wondering what this was about. He hoped it wasn't about Alec. Edward still remembered how the Senator had reacted to the incident with Alec just a few nights ago. The Senator had been incensed until he discovered that Edward and Emmett had effectively covered up what had happened. He had asked a million questions before he had even bothered to inquire as to whether or not his son had been injured. It was as if his son's well-being had been an afterthought. Edward had driven Alec to his home the next day and told the boy to call him if he needed anything.
He hadn't heard from Alec since, but he'd been meaning to check up on the boy.
Aro's secretary greeted Edward and told him to go right in. When he entered the Senator's office he noticed that Aro was on the phone and he sat down to wait, taking in the older man's appearance.
Senator Aro Volturi was one of those men that looked like he had been born in a suit. In fact, Edward had never seen him in anything else, even when he happened to meet up with the Senator on the weekends. Aro was cold, aloof, and he had this aura of power around him that suggested he was important, but at times Edward swore that his boss would have fit just as easily as the head of a crime syndicate as he did as a Senator.
When Aro finally hung up the phone Edward immediately knew that this was not going to be good as he took in the calculating gleam in his boss' eyes. Aro didn't waste any time and he got right to the point, "So what is this I hear about you dating one of Cullen's staffers?"