"You want-" He sputtered, before he fell forward, clutching his sides, a full belly laugh echoing within the office as he laughed his ass off as if I had just said the funniest thing in the world.
"Embry? Embry Call? You want Embry Call's number? Whatever for, Bella? You know, Charlie didn't like it when you two hung out back in high school. I'm sure he won't like it if he sees you two hanging out now… Besides, you already know who you can call if you really want a tattoo. " He says teasingly, through chuckles.
'Keep laughing asshole, I am getting this close to shoving my steel-toed boot up your ass, fuckwit.' I think, narrowing my eyes at him in response to his brays.
"First off, it is not that funny, asshole. Second off, Charlie doesn't like any guy I hang around with. Besides, he is the only decent guy I met, and from what I heard, he now works in a tattoo parlor. I've been itching to get some ink done…" I grit out, scowling at him.
He looked at me, before chuckling in disbelief, and amusement again.
'Keep calm, Bella, premeditated murder is not something you want on your permanent record…' I think as I take a cleansing breath. However, his braying laughter only serves to grate on my nerves further, and I can't stop my next actions.
His responding laughter suddenly stopped, when I grabbed a blank piece of paper I usually use for notes and crumpled it with my hand before throwing it at his head. "Asshole," I grumbled, irritatedly.
He sputtered at me, clearing his throat to collect himself, before narrowing his eyes at me. "I'll give you Call's number if you promise to go easy on my man Ed. Come on, Bells, the man was practically drooling as he stared at your ass after you dumped your coffee on him. Cut the guy some slack. He isn't any of your exes and has a dark past just like the rest of us…" He assured, the small dimpled grin disappearing as he continued.
"Seth, all guys are the same. They only want one thing." I mutter, shaking my head at him.
He rolled his eyes at my stereotypical statement before he spoke again. "Remember how difficult it was for you to move here and build this, didn't you wish you had someone help and support you? Well, besides me and Leah…" he asked me softly while gesturing to the room around us.
Of course, I remember. Everyone laughed at me and ridiculed me, except Leah and Seth. That is why I helped Seth when he asked me without a second thought. But this was different. I didn't know what type of person this Edward Cullen character was.
Oh, who was I kidding? I knew Seth wouldn't vouch for anyone if he didn't believe it was right.
Fucking Seth. I hate it when he is right. Still, I needed to hear it. I simply had to know.
I sighed once more in defeat. "I'm not making any promises… Besides, what is the deal with this guy anyway? Why does it matter whether or not I help him?" I asked, dreading the answer as anticipation formed in the pit of my stomach.
He sighed, running his forehead before biting on the piercing on the left side of his lip, debating on whether or not to answer me. "Look, I can't say much, just that Edward has a tragic past. He is here to start anew… my buddy lost his parents recently in a car accident that should have left him dead, but didn't. He lost the most important people to him in the blink of an eye. He deserves to get a second chance. Just like we all did. There is more to the story but I'll let you decide whether or not you want to find out but through him." He softly said, before looking down at his watch, and standing up.
I raised a brow at him in question, leaning back onto the chair, and placing my elbows on the armrests of my chair as I cupped both of my hands in front of me, lost in thought.
"I gotta go, Sienna was coming in at three, and I have to talk to her and Gavin about a few things. I call you when I get a chance, alright? Take care, Be." He said, before coming around the desk to pull me into a hug.
I tried to swallow the golf ball-sized knot in my throat as I stood to hug him back, "You too. Look, I'll think about the proposal you two gave me, but I can't guarantee anything… We'll talk after this weekend until then… Just leave me alone, I need to think about a few things before I decide what I am going to do." I say, skeptically, chewing on my bottom lip.
He looked at me with the same skeptical expression I wore before nodding in response and heading out the door.
After he left, I placed the information, and folders in my drawer within my desk before turning my attention back to the manuscripts.
My mind was already made up, I knew what I was going to do, before I quickly took the first manuscript, and scanned the title. A Taste Of The Lotus. I knew from the title, what type of manuscript it was.
Upon the first look, I wanted to practically throw it into the paper shredder and stab my eyes out, as I read the words 'stiffness', 'hardness', 'mushroomedhead', and 'salty-sweet goodness' for the fifth time on the same page. But then it became interesting, and I realized the writer had a lot of potential. Hardly any grammatical errors, besides missing a comma here and there, and repetition of a few of the erotic words.
I'll admit, though raunchy, sexed-up novels aren't my cup of tea, this one caught my attention as I began reading further. Occasionally, leaving a note on the side or correcting as I read through it.
The author placed the main protagonist and her love interest in a curious situation, an island in Aruba. Elianah was a florist, working on a high-class wedding while Vincent was a world-known chef working on the same wedding.
At first, she didn't like him, since he was always rude to her at a wedding they had worked on previously, but when they accidentally get locked in a walk-in cooler and they end up hitting it off.
I had scanned the other manuscripts and none of them had made the cut. So, I decided that I would go back to reading that one, after making a few calls and setting a few appointments for next week.
I greedily read the first manuscript, once more, glad for any distraction from the oncoming headache I felt forming due to today's events.
So, I was enthralled when I finally got to the fifteenth chapter that I didn't hear Bree storm into the room, with someone trailing behind her.
"Uh, Miss. Swan. There is a Mr. Cullen here to see you." Bree announced, tensely inclining her head to the side in question.
I sighed, "It's okay, Bree. He can come in." I replied, with a tired sigh.
She eyes me for a second before turning around and nodding for him to come in. She then walks out, closing the door behind her.
