"Oh Hello Mrs Newton, I didn't know you were coming. Mike is in a meeting at the moment," Jessica says.
As usual, her short skirt and low blouse don't leave any place to imagination and I snort. It's a good thing I trust Mike because after seeing her all around him at the last Christmas party at work, I know she's patiently waiting for a word from Mike to jump on him.
"Do you think you could bother him for a minute and tell him I'm here? I have something for him," I explain, putting his phone on the front desk.
She immediately tries to grab it. "Oh don't worry, mrs Newton, I can give it to him when he's done."
I take it back, putting it in my bag. No way that girl is putting a finger on something belonging to us. "Do you mind if I go wait for him in his office? Just let him know I'm here when the meeting is over".
Not waiting for her answer, I head towards Mike's office, nodding at a few people on my way. I open the door and head inside. His work space is an accurate representation of who Mike is, all tidy and everything in the right place. I absently let my hand run on his desk, smiling at the framed picture of us on the beach, taking its place in the middle of the wooden surface.
"Mike, is Jess with you ? I need her to go on a few errands for me."
I freeze. That voice. I feel his presence before he's even fully in the room. He's here, right behind me. I have two choices. Either ignoring him, pretending I haven't heard him, or facing him and all our secrets.
I slowly turn around. Edward is leaning against the door, watching me intensely. His tailored dark blue suit displays his perfect toned legs and chest, and enhances the copper colour of his unruled thick hair.
"Hello Isabella."
His greeting is enough to show me he recognised me. I haven't used my full name for years and Mike introduced me the other day as Bella.
"What are you doing here?" I aggressively ask.
He chuckles. "Well, I work here so I should be the one to ask you that."
Edward smoothly comes forward, like a lion comes closer to his prey. A prey, that's all I was for him in the past. A prey to chase,to catch and to rip apart. All the pain I endured at that time slowly comes to the surface, constricting my heart.
"Stay where you are, Cullen. Don't you dare touching me." I growl.
He stops, stunned by my coldness. He's used to the old Isabella, kind and malleable, acting like a puppet in his hand. He doesn't know - yet - that he's the reason I've been on my guard in all my human interactions since him, whether with my friends or my lovers.
He slumps down in the couch next to the desk, gracefully crossing his legs. "So you recognised me, didn't you?"
I sneer. "Trust me, your name is engraved in my mind forever. Under the red flag files."
His smile falters. "Come on Isabella, it's wasn't that… bad. Admit it."
"You'd never guess. It was worse than that."
He slightly opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out. He stares at me, his tongue peeking out to moisture his lower lip, and his hand running through his mane. I need to leave that room soon. I can't breathe the same air as him, 15 years after all that happened.
"How did you recognise me anyway? I don't look exactly the same as I did."
Edward glances at me once more, letting his eyes wander on my whole body from my black boots to my blushed face, lingering on my thighs and bust. And I've never felt more naked than with this man's eyes on me. Without hurry, he stretches out his legs and stands, smoothing the fabric of his suit pants. Taking three long strides towards me, his body suddenly brushes against my back, and he lowers his head next to mine. So close that I can feel his mint and cigarette breath on my neck. So close that his husky voice in my ear resonates deep down inside my head.
"You may look slightly different, Isabella, but I never forget a body I've fucked. Once or repeatedly."