Chapter Five

Bella looked over the questionnaire she handpicked herself and cursed the office gods. In an event she wanted nothing to do with, Lauren was the last person she wanted to buy gifts for, ever.

Why not Angela from Accounting? She was the most tolerable person Bella knew at work.

Angela did chew loudly and slurped her coffee throughout meetings to the point Bella would twitch. It wasn't as bad as Jock Itch Jacob, or Mucus Mike, like seriously, blow your nose, dude. She could handle Angela.

Lauren + Secret Santa = Five Days if Holiday Hell.

All of Lauren's answers were ridiculously priced items, it was hard to have positive thoughts about the woman. Did she really expect her Secret Santa to have fancy chocolates delivered in from New York? She apparently hates gift cards, since they're so impersonal according to Laurent's dislikes.

Instead of stating sizes for typical clothes, she listed her bra size to help determine what size to get her in blouses and sweaters. Who did that?

Lauren did.

Bella would have to go out of her way to be Secret Santa to the office's equivalent of Satan.

A headache started behind her right eye as she read Lauren's hobbies; pole dancing, skinny dipping, and makeup. That kind of stuff didn't bother Bella in the least, but in a professional setting, nope. Except for the last one, which gave her an idea.

Maybe she could have fun with it.

She started to cackle, raspy, head thrown back, "you're too late", type of evil laugh.

The kind that had Edward, who'd been in Mike's office for a quick software update, backing away from her.

Bella spotted him from the corner of her eye. She hadn't seen him in a couple of days, a travesty, though good for her diet. All six foot plus inches of him was decked out in a more business casual look. No more flannel and jeans like on his first day. His suit, sans coat, fit him to perfection and showcased a gorgeous body. She wanted to wrap the skinny black tie around her wrist and tug him closer.

Her response to his retreat was to give him a sinister smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Is it hot in here? Edward swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I just wanted to say hi."

Then he all but ran in the other direction, hoping not to give his body's inappropriate response away.

"Damn," Bella muttered as she watched Edward walk away in a fast clip. "I need to remember to cackle in private."

Several others agreed around her, some even suggesting she never laugh like that again. There was only so much evil the office could handle.

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Edward started to pace and freak the hell out the following Monday. The dungeon, aka the company's IT department, was a cold floor they shared with the mailing department. It was the first day of five days of Secret Santa and though he had good intentions by taking Bella's questionnaire, he regretted what he'd done.

She filled out the sheet and expected to get gifts, even if she didn't want to participate. Was it fair for him to help her out by omitting her sheet? No, not without her knowing.

Taking the sheet meant she'd be spared the gifts, but she would still have to do her part when she picked out a name. Something she already expressed she disliked.

So far, everyone had gotten one, including himself, except for her.

Something Lauren and James pointed out when several coworkers had lunch together. She pretended not to be annoyed throughout lunch, but the little line between her sexy as fuck eyebrows remained.

Edward stared at the little red bag on his desk that taunted him. It reminded him that Bella was likely wondering what the fuck was going on? Would it hurt her if she didn't get one?

He knew personally, he'd be offended if he participated and the one that picked out his name failed to deliver on their part. Would she feel the same?

He'd been doubting himself all weekend and had bought a gift, just in case. How did he deliver it without exposing himself? The end of the day was fast approaching and he had to do something.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He rubbed his face hard and groaned. "What the fuck was I thinking?"

Ben, who often handled calls from Bella's floor, approached Edward with caution. "Are you alright?"

He could only shake his head, then quickly nod, only confusing Ben more. "I'll be fine."

Did he really believe that? Bella could kill him or tear him a new asshole once she finds out he was her no-show Secret Santa. He had to deliver the gift. Period.

"I'm heading up to Cullen's office to finish putting together his new computer."

Ben pointed to the gift on the desk. "Are you going to open that?"

Edward didn't want to, feeling too guilty for fucking up something so simple. "I guess." There was another wrapped gift under the bag. "Two gifts?"

"Lucky." Ben reminded him about the work order forms, heading to his desk. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Edward opened the bag first and smiled at the two pairs of Star Wars socks, sets he didn't already own, one had tiny porgs all of them. He picked up the other gift, a thin rectangle package.

Shock ran through him when he unwrapped a Blu-ray of the first season of X-Files.

A note fell out of the wrapping, a lightly perfumed notecard.

I had an extra one and couldn't return it. Thought I'd give it to a fellow fan. What's your favorite season?

Bella

"Fuck me."

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Bella tapped her fingers on her desk as Lauren droned on about the Williams account and tried not to think of the fact that she was the only one in her department not to receive a Secret Santa.

A part of her was annoyed that she cared, the other part wanted to say, oh well, she was happy not to get one. A devil appeared on her shoulder and wondered, what the fuck?

A commotion in the hallway made most of the people in the conference room, turn in unison. Through the glass wall, everyone gawked as Edward struggled with his tools, two large satchels, and a rolling cart filled with heavy-looking computer towers.

Bella rose to her feet and was out the door, cursing her fellow colleagues under her breath. "Need a hand?"

Edward wouldn't look at her, the telltale flush to his cheeks prominent as he nodded. "Can you?" He tipped his head toward the others still staring at him.

She snorted. "As if they have a choice."

"Then, yes please."

Together they straightened out the towers that almost tumbled off the cart and picked up various tools that fell out of his bags.

"Thanks, need to get that wonky wheel fixed," Edward mumbled. They both rose from the floor and walked away from the rubber-necking coworkers.

Bella smirked and bumped her arm against his. "Are you thanking me for my help or the gift I left you?"

His head snapped up; his dark green eyes intense. "Why did you give me that? Are you going to make fun of me?"

Bella wanted to tell him to fuck off but realized something. "That would be stupid considering I admitted I'm a fan, too."

His tense shoulders started to relax. "Sorry, it's just…"

"Someone has made fun of you before?"

Once again, he wouldn't meet her eyes but he answered in a quiet voice. "Ex-girlfriend."

"Give me her information, I'm going to have a talk with her."

Edward looked up again, wondering if she was joking. It didn't look like it at all. Those sexy eyebrows nearly screamed, "I'm about to fuck somebody up."

"Pardon me?"

"Name and address." She pulled out her phone and opened a notepad app, ready for the information.

"I…" Edward rubbed the back of his neck and wondered why his body reacted so strongly to her protectiveness. "That isn't necessary."

"Come on! It's just a little talk." She pouted, her lips a dark pink that afternoon, called to him.

"If you give her that look you gave Mike earlier, I doubt she'd survive."

She laughed but nothing like the scary as fuck cackle from Friday. Yet, both were sexy in different ways and not helping his situation.

"Thanks again for your help and the Blu-ray. Been meaning to start up my collection again."

She wanted to know what he meant by "again". There was time to get to know one another, and hopefully, they can do lunch alone soon.

"So, you don't own it?"

He shook his head and cursed the time. "I need to get this to Mr. Cullen's office."

Bella sighed. "And I have to get back to the meeting. See you around?"

"I hope so."

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Exhausted from the meeting, Bella returned to her desk to find a small parcel wrapped in the comic strip from a local paper and red twine.

For the last few years, she always figured out who was her secret Santa because most people are naturally curious and like to watch who they bought a gift for.

Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her as they all readied to head home for the day.

Curious and slightly irked, she opened the gift and almost gasped out loud.

It was a journal with an embossed triforce symbol from one of her favorite video games series, The Legend of Zelda.

Absently, she rubbed the tiny tattoo right behind her ear, a triforce symbol surrounded by vines. No one in the office seemed to notice and friends outside of work didn't know what the fuck she was talking about. How did her secret Santa know?

"What the fuck?"