This Is Who I Am by pattyrose, FF completed
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Edward Cullen, successful business exec/playboy/all around bad boy. Bella Swan, divorced
mom/graphic artist/unwilling to trust her heart to the likes of someone like Edward again.
Will she give him a chance? Does
Edward Cullen, successful business exec/playboy/all around bad boy. Bella Swan, divorced
mom/graphic artist/unwilling to trust her heart to the likes of someone like Edward again.
Will she give him a chance? Does he even deserve one? AH, AU ExB
This Is Who I Am by pattyrose
Edward Cullen, successful business exec/playboy/all around bad boy. Bella Swan, divorced
mom/graphic artist/unwilling to trust her heart to the likes of someone like Edward again.
AH, AU ExB
Chapter 1 – First Impressions
First Impressions
First Impressions are a constant in society. However, their product, the period that proves or
disproves their validity is not; good ones are pleasant and long
difficult to disprove.
- Diego Velasquez
constant in society. However, their product, the period that proves or
disproves their validity is not; good ones are pleasant and long-lasting, bad ones long and
Diego Velasquez
constant in society. However, their product, the period that proves or
lasting, bad ones long and
EPOV
"Shhh. Jesus, keep it down!" I whispered roughl
annoyingly louder. I fisted her short bleached hair within my palms, trying to communicate
the need for her silence right about now, but that just seemed to get her more worked up. I
rolled my eyes in the low light of the closed conference room.
"Shhh. Jesus, keep it down!" I whispered roughly into Lauren's ear. Her moans were getting
annoyingly louder. I fisted her short bleached hair within my palms, trying to communicate
the need for her silence right about now, but that just seemed to get her more worked up. I
ht of the closed conference room.
y into Lauren's ear. Her moans were getting
annoyingly louder. I fisted her short bleached hair within my palms, trying to communicate
the need for her silence right about now, but that just seemed to get her more worked up. I
Truth be told, I was having a hard time seeing what the hell she was so excited about. I
mean, for Christ's sake, we were both still fully dressed here. Granted, she'd been hinting at
getting me alone in this conference ro
a grip or we'd both be knee deep in some serious shit if we got caught.
Truth be told, I was having a hard time seeing what the hell she was so excited about. I
mean, for Christ's sake, we were both still fully dressed here. Granted, she'd been hinting at
getting me alone in this conference room for months now, but she was going to have to get
a grip or we'd both be knee deep in some serious shit if we got caught.
Truth be told, I was having a hard time seeing what the hell she was so excited about. I
mean, for Christ's sake, we were both still fully dressed here. Granted, she'd been hinting at
om for months now, but she was going to have to get
"Sorry!" she giggled quietly, her clumsy hands working on my shirt buttons with an almost
amusing eagerness. I had to press my lips
leaned my head back against the wall and let her continue with her efforts. When her hands
reached the last button, she looked up at me triumphantly and I rewarded her with the grin I
knew drove 'em all crazy. Dazed, she fumbled with the button, unable to get it open and
finally giving up. She threw her arms around my neck and greedily attacked my lips instead.
"Sorry!" she giggled quietly, her clumsy hands working on my shirt buttons with an almost
amusing eagerness. I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing out loud. Sighing, I
leaned my head back against the wall and let her continue with her efforts. When her hands
reached the last button, she looked up at me triumphantly and I rewarded her with the grin I
razy. Dazed, she fumbled with the button, unable to get it open and
finally giving up. She threw her arms around my neck and greedily attacked my lips instead.
"Sorry!" she giggled quietly, her clumsy hands working on my shirt buttons with an almost
together to keep from laughing out loud. Sighing, I
leaned my head back against the wall and let her continue with her efforts. When her hands
reached the last button, she looked up at me triumphantly and I rewarded her with the grin I
razy. Dazed, she fumbled with the button, unable to get it open and
finally giving up. She threw her arms around my neck and greedily attacked my lips instead.
"Oh God Edward," she moaned, pulling my head forward. "I can't believe I'm here with you!"
In her zeal, she pushed me back against the wall with a loud thump.
I grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms off of me. "You seriously need to calm down or
we're both fucked," I hissed.
"Well, that's the idea!" she giggled again, winding her arms around me once more. Her lips
landed sloppy kisses all over my face. I smirked and gave up, letting her have her way with
me. She was right, after all.
That
was the basic idea here.
'
What the hell am I doing here?'
I wondered, during a short moment of clarity. Emmett
would friggin' castrate me if he found out I was locked in one of our conference rooms with
an employee. As one of the owners of Cullen, Cullen & Whitlock, or CCW for short, the
fastest growing privately-owned ad agency on the East Coast, there were certain standards I
was expected to abide by; certain rules and regulations to follow. Or so Emmett and Jasper
constantly reminded me. I was pretty sure a quick hook up with one of the agency's Graphic
Artists in a locked conference room wouldn't fall under one of those standards.
But
damn it,
what was I supposed to do? For months now, Lauren had been all but physically
jumping me every time I so much as glanced her way. She'd give me her please-do-me-now
eyes from across the conference table during meetings, bend down and stick her junk out to
pick up invisible objects whenever she saw me coming. Hell, lately she'd graduated to
"accidentally" bumping into me and shoving her hooters right in my chest. I mean, shit, there
was only so much a man could take before looking like a total pussy.
If anything, I was doing her
and
the agency a favor here. The girl obviously had only one
thing on her mind when she came into work every day. By letting her finally have her way
with me, maybe she'd finally stop with the less-than-subtle advances and get her ass back to
work.
A win – win situation all around, right?
'
Yeah, good luck getting Em and Jazz to see it that way,'
the small part of my brain not
currently in my pants snorted. They'd hang me by my balls for this. I sighed and closed my
eyes, while Lauren continued her ministrations. Was this shit seriously even worth the
trouble?
Lauren must've mistaken my sigh for some friggin' sign of encouragement or some shit. Her
hands moved down to my belt buckle, and the small part of my brain that had still been in
my head took a quick trip south. A crooked smile formed on my lips.
Oh yeah. This was going to be worth it.
But Lauren was either dexterity-challenged, or her continued over-eagerness kept messing
with the competency of her fingers, and she fumbled with the buckle, her fingers pulling and
yanking with no regard for the noisy clanking metal.
"Shh" I hissed in her ear, making her quiver and fumble even more.
I rolled my eyes and smirked. Her over-eagerness was going to get us so unbelievably
busted.
And just as I was thinking that, a light tapping on the door wiped the smirk off of my face.
Lauren's floundering hands stopped instantly, and although it was dark as hell in here, I was
sure the look of horror suddenly pasted on her face mirrored mine exactly.
"Fuck!" I whispered roughly into her hair, lifting my hands to her shoulders to keep her still.
"I told you to keep that shit down!"
I covered her mouth with my hand and waited, not daring to breathe. After a few seconds of
silence, I sighed in relief and quickly began doing up my shirt and adjusting my belt. Even in
the dark, I could see OverEager Lauren's annoyed smirk, as if I'd just snatched a cookie out of
her hands. I shot her a look that said 'What the hell is your problem?'
The girl was definitely nuts. Was she
trying
to find her ass unemployed in this type of job
market? She worked in Rosalie's department, and Rose would have her eager ass on the
street in a heartbeat if she ever found out about this. And knowing Rose, she wouldn't
hesitate for a second to rat me out to her hubby Emmett. That traitor quickly forgot who the
hell introduced them to each other in the first place.
Scowling, Overeager adjusted her clothes and smoothed down her short, bleached-blond
hair.
And then we heard it again.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
Three little rasps; like the sound of tiny pebbles scraping against the door.
"Shiiit!"
I mouthed, nervously running one hand through my hair.
Suddenly, a sweet, honey-like voice called out. "Hello? Who's in theugh?"
It was a kid's voice; a very young one.
What in the hell was a little kid doing in our offices?
I frowned, looking over at Lauren. But instead of looking as confused as me, Lauren wore an
annoyed smirk on her face.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
Again.
If we hadn't been twenty-two stories up, I may have seriously considered jumping out the
window.
"Hello? I left my Angie dolly in theugh," the tiny voice called out timidly. "Can I peez have
huh back? I miss huh."
My frown deepened. My confusion grew. Abruptly Lauren rolled her eyes and sucked her
teeth, before walking towards the door. As soon as I realized what she was about to do, I
grabbed on to her arm to stop her.
"Relax!" she whispered before turning the door knob. "It's the new girl's kid. I'll take care of
her."
Before I could protest, the light from outside the room streamed in, blinding me
momentarily. I pressed myself up against the wall, trying to make myself invisible to
whoever stood outside.
"Hey Macie!" Lauren cooed in a sickeningly sweet voice. "What can I do for you?"
"Um, hi miss," the little girl answered shyly. "I left my dolly in theugh. Can I get huh back
peez?" Her pleading tone almost broke my heart, which was surprising, because I hadn't
even been aware that shit worked.
Her peculiar enquiry though made me quickly scan the room, and my eyes landed on a small
rag doll with two pigtails, smack in the middle of the conference room table. Funny how it
had gone completely unnoticed while Lauren had me up against the wall.
But Lauren was already answering the little girl.
"There's no doll in here honey. Sorry. Now run along and go play by the water cooler. There's
some cups there you can pour water into and get all nice and wet. Doesn't that sound like
fun?" she purred.
The little girl was silent for about three seconds. "Peez?" she begged in an almost whisper.
"Can I just get Angie? I miss huh, and she must be scauhd." Her tiny voice cracked at the end.
And I felt as if my heart were cracking with it.
But I had no time to examine the meaning of that, because apparently it did nothing to the
heartless witch at the door.
Lauren sighed, annoyed. "Look, I told you. There's no doll in here. Now run along and-"
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. In two quick strides I'd snatched the doll of
the table and, glaring at Lauren with a look that called her the word I'd been taught by my
mother to
never
call a woman, I passed her and knelt in front of the little girl with the angel
voice.
With an encouraging smile, I held out the small rag doll, meeting her eyes.
Huge, chocolate brown eyes locked on mine, momentarily startling me. I'd never seen such a
tiny face with such big, expressive eyes. Something clenched inside my chest.
But once again, I had no time to examine what that meant, because quicker than I could've
imagined such a tiny being moving, she grabbed her doll and started running.
I stepped out of the conference room, my eyes locked on the tiny thing running at full speed.
"Hey. Wait!" I called out, needing to find out who the little girl belonged to.
Two things happened at once then.
A brunette I'd never seen before suddenly rounded the corner, relief coloring her pale face
as she caught sight of the little girl. But before my eyes and my mind had enough time to
fully register that scene, out of my periphery, I saw Rosalie step out from the opposite
corridor. I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath.
Shit!
I was going to have to play this one carefully. I was still standing in front of the conference
room. Lauren was just behind me, right at the door. My office was one floor above, between
Emmett and Jasper's offices, and there was really no reason for me to be on this floor right
now. I ran a frustrated hand through my messy hair, wondering how well I'd fixed myself up
before stepping out of the conference room.
I was so screwed. And not in the way I'd been hoping to be a couple of minutes ago.
But then the already crazy morning got even crazier. My eyes fell on the little girl - who'd
turned around when I'd called her – and when her eyes locked on me again, a huge smile lit
up her tiny face, like she'd just won a shopping spree at F.A.O Schwartz or something.
But
that
wasn't even the crazy shit. The crazy shit was
my
reaction to that smile. That…that
thing
inside my chest clenched tightly again, and I swore I felt it grow two sizes; like I'd just
returned a bag full of presents to the citizens of Whoville or some shit. I couldn't even help
the wide grin that covered my own face in response, regardless of the fact that Rosalie now
stood a few feet from me, her hands on her hips and eyeing me suspiciously. Like a warden
out of friggin' Alcatraz.
I ignored her for the moment while I studied the little girl. She was definitely a beauty. Tiny –
no more than five I'd say, with a face like a porcelain doll. Her long, brown hair flowed
almost to her waist. Her big brown eyes looked like pools of melted chocolate, and her little
button nose turned up slightly at the end, like a little cherub. I suddenly got the strange urge
to protect this little girl, to keep her safe from everything and everyone that would ever
want to mess with her.
Abruptly, she skipped back over to me and stopped just inches away.
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