Wishing on a Star

This was my piece for the SU4K compilation for Stand Up 2 Cancer.

It’s unusual for me in that it’s het rather than slash, and that it’s rated T, but I figured that once in a while everyone needs something that’s just sweet like chocolate.

As always, huge thanks go to my beta mxpi1970, who managed to do this at very short notice when I decided to write for the compilation a week before submissions closed!

~xXx~

Watching Riley’s excitement escalate, Bella smiled wryly. He would most likely combust with pride if this meeting went well.

It was a major coup for Cullen Athletics. The owner of the company and Bella’s boss, Carlisle Cullen, was away on his honeymoon with wife Esme, and so Riley was in charge of the company and booking new promotional talent. The firm were currently looking for a big name football player to promote their new line of gym wear, and this guy was currently in the frame.

Emmett McCarty.

Quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.

Emmett McCarty.

The man who made his name as Running Back for the Seattle Seahawks, helping them on their way to an impressive second place at the end of his first pro season in the game.

Emmett McCarty.

Major heartthrob.

Riley was a huge Titans fan, and she knew he harboured plans to try and clinch a deal with the popular star. It would also have the additional effect of making him very popular with Carlisle, with whom she was secretly convinced he was just a little in love. At the very least, there was a major case of hero worship going on there.

She smiled at the thought. Riley was a good guy, a bit clueless when it came to women, but she couldn’t hold that against him. He meant well.

Bella mentally shook herself. The fact remained that their potential new star was coming to their office in a few short minutes and she had prep work to finish before the meeting could get underway.

She busied herself, making a pot of coffee and carrying the tray through to the small conference room. Unsure of his beverage preferences, she added a jug of water and a glass in case he steered clear of caffeine as part of his health regimen. Finally, the contracts drafted by Riley were laid out for the day’s meeting.

Back at her desk, she started the task of scanning through the list of magazines that she needed to contact for ad space. Larger advertising spots would need to be secured if they successfully signed Emmett McCarty; anything worn by him would sell with minimal effort if publicised well.

Bella had been instructed by Riley not to tell the magazines who Cullen Athletics would be using so that the impact would be greater when they went to print.  The company had the budget for major ad space across the city too if this went ahead; bill boards were at their disposal if the money was right. There were some expectations to manage in order to not give away the secret before he had even signed.

If he signed; nothing was certain yet.

Picking up the phone, Bella had barely begun to dial when she realised someone was standing in front of her desk. Her eyes swept up long legs clad snugly in denim, a violet coloured cotton shirt that tried and failed to hide the body beneath it, and finally up to baby blue eyes that were smiling directly at her.

It took a moment for her to realise she was staring.

“Hi, I’m here to meet with Riley Biers? I’m...”

“Emmett McCarty. I know who you are.” Mentally kicking herself for both interrupting him, and for acting like some breathless, drooling fan, she tried to stay cool and efficient. She wasn’t Rosalie or Victoria, damn it.

Speak of the she-devils...

In they came from the kitchen, all blonde hair and bouncing red ringlets, the epitome of glamour and style. As always, Bella felt the exact moment that she became invisible - when what small amount of attention she commanded slid away like water off an oiled surface.

Nothing new.

It wasn’t as if she would ever dare to approach him in that way. Looking at them, their chests out, hair fluffed to perfection, fawning over all him, Bella knew she would never embarrass herself like that. Not that she’d ever get the chance to even try with that level of competition; those girls were pros.

She sighed, inwardly dejected, knowing that she had to tear his attention away from the office barracudas and that they wouldn’t like it one bit. She cleared her throat.

“Uhm, Mr McCarty?” Her voice was modulated and professional to the core, but even then she felt the looks, sharp little daggers hitting her all over her insignificant, plain little self.

He turned, no doubt annoyed to be pulled away from the goddesses, just in time for Riley to step out of his office and spot him, his smile one of total admiration.

“Mr McCarty! Thank you for coming!”

Riley’s face was alight with enthusiasm and inwardly she smiled. This was such a momentous day for him and she would do her best to ensure the right outcome, even though her input was limited to coffee, typing and telephone calls. She knew she had a major part to play in today’s events; her job was to keep the customer happy at all costs. Showing him the way to the conference room, she smiled before leaving them to their negotiations.

Mercifully alone in her small office, she stared at the phone for several minutes, her mind a million miles away.

She had never told a soul, but Emmett McCarty was her secret celebrity crush. Not that she pinned up pictures of him on her refrigerator or anything, but she took great pleasure in watching after-games interviews, listening to that husky voice and admiring his sparkling eyes alight with enthusiasm. It wasn’t as if she had any real girlfriends she could confide in; Bella was a solitary creature, having little to no impact in others’ lives. She thought it best that way - trust had to be earned and few succeeded.

Shaking herself back to reality, she carried on with her work.

~xXx~

The dreams were unexpected.

Following his first visit to the office, Bella has slept fitfully, her dreams full of jumbled blue and purple imagery. It took a few nights before her thought projections coalesced into imagery she could understand.

A violet shirt and crinkled blue, blue eyes...

After that, his frequent office visits became more uncomfortable for Bella, her reactions to him clumsy and gauche.

She doubted he noticed.

Unfortunately, Riley did.

After he’d left the office following another negotiation session, Riley pulled her aside for a quiet word.

“Bella, honey, don’t embarrass yourself. I understand your dilemma, but come on – Emmett’s a famous sportsman, he doesn’t date regular people. I mean, come on – he can have anyone he wants! And there are supermodels out there that would fight over him like the last lettuce leaf at an all you can eat buffet! Just... don’t get attached, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She walked slowly back to her own desk, his words smarting even though she knew every word to be true. And there was no way on earth she’d ever tell Emmett McCarty that she liked him; she wasn’t into public humiliation and rejection.

Deep down, she wondered if Riley thought he had a shot.

Bella tried her best to remain indifferent and courteous to their star when he next came into the office. The problem was that he was openly friendly and chatty and so her efforts to stay professional came off as aloof and icy in comparison. Bella endeavoured to keep it together around him but that voice of his seemed to settle on her skin, her traitorous body simply soaking it up like vitamin D. The man was addictive.

With Emmett McCarty’s presence filling her small office, it became increasingly difficult for Bella to find somewhere to rest her gaze that didn’t involve his laughing eyes or tight body.

~xXx~

Unbeknownst to Bella, Emmett tried hard to make inroads with her.

Walking into the Cullen Athletics’ office that first time, he had been nervous, hiding it behind his easy smile and natural affability. He needed this for his career to really take off; it would make him a household name across America.

It was a very big deal.

Seeing the beautiful brunette behind the desk, he had felt his face light up. She was what his mom called a natural beauty; as far as Emmett was concerned she was a knockout and he felt his mouth go dry when she looked at him for the first time.

The meeting had gone well with Riley, and they had successfully negotiated the contract for Emmett’s modelling services over the phone with his agent. All that remained was for the locations, venue and dates to be confirmed. Emmett had no input into the ads themselves and had to trust that Cullen’s would organise a good shoot and not make him look like a cheap catalogue model. He wasn’t afraid to walk, even at that late stage, if the shoot didn’t feel right.

It was several days before they requested another meeting, and he approached the office around midday, hoping for another glimpse of his dream girl. Walking in, the first thing he noticed was that her desk was unmanned, the chair pushed in. His heart sank but he hid his disappointment behind a bright smile when the other two assistants came to book him in. From what he could gather, their names were Victoria and Rosalie and they were man eaters in the traditional sense. Back home, women like that meant only one thing: trouble. Emmett treated all women like ladies, a result of his upbringing. Every woman was deserving of special treatment, but these two sorely tested his limits.

They were sweet enough, laughing and joking around with him, but they were handsy and he didn’t like that at all. It was an invasion of his personal space to be pawed like a piece of meat in a butcher’s shop and he tried his best to deter their advances before they went too far and he felt forced to say something he might regret. Above all, he was a gentleman, and he needed this contract to further his career.

The redhead in particular was difficult to deter. The blonde was more persuasive, trying to ensnare him in a web of flirtation that might well have worked if he hadn’t been the guy he was. They assumed he was just any man, weak and easily caught; they were wrong. Emmett felt the absence of Bella everywhere; her perfume, soft and subtle, her smile that escaped when she tried most to hide it, and her eyes... he missed those most of all. Turning on his best smile, he left the offices, disappointment a bitter pill on his tongue.

~xXx~

Bella thought about Emmett as she walked home from the store that evening. Riley’s words had stung, but she was made of sterner stuff than that. So what if the other girls fawned all over him? It didn’t mean that he was interested, or that they were even his type... although she had to admit that they were most guys’ type. She tried to summon her courage so that the next time they met she could take the leap of faith and approach Emmett, ask him out for a drink after work, maybe. The idea appealed and she felt empowered and strong the rest of the walk home until she locked the door behind her and surveyed her tidy, rather austere apartment. What could she offer someone like Emmett McCarty? She was a fool; a small, insignificant nobody.

And with that, her courage drained away leaving only self doubt in its wake.

At Emmett’s next meeting with Riley, Bella feigned indifference to his presence, keeping her head down and allowing the office piranhas to do as they pleased. She couldn’t help but wonder why he still tried to get her attention, still smiled at her; perhaps he was simply making sure she didn’t feel excluded. The competition was world class: beautiful, confident Rosalie with her blonde waves, and fiery, ivory-complexioned Victoria with her tumbling red curls and quick fire wit. She hated the fact that they fit the image in her head of a sports star’s girlfriend. They would look good on his arm, whereas mousy Bella would be dismissed as nothing more that the nonentity she was – awkward, gawky and lacking in any kind of repartee.

It was unfortunate that her whole body flamed whenever he came too close and she hoped he couldn’t see it through the veil of hair she hid behind. She prayed he saw only her professional, cool facade.

That possibility seemed less likely when, later at the meeting, their eyes met across the boardroom and she stumbled, almost spilling the papers in her arms. After an admirable save, (pretending her heel had gotten caught in the carpet), she looked up expecting to see pity and amusement. Instead she saw what looked like... no, of course it wasn’t... but she could have sworn there was fire burning in the depths of his gaze; her body felt hot, her breathing somewhat laboured. Of course she was mistaken – she was merely misinterpreting drive and professional interest for something more. Once again, her overactive, vivid imagination was getting the better of her. Sometimes it was all she could do to separate real life from her vivid dreams.

Bella had done a full background Internet check before that first meeting and she had concluded that Emmett McCarty was an enigma. There were few stories about him in the press, no scandals or salacious rumours to tarnish his reputation, and so, human nature being what it was, people speculated to fill the gap.

He had never responded to any of it.

Was he gay? Was he dating? Rumours circled around models, actresses, singers; no kiss and tells ever appeared in the news. He neither confirmed nor denied, never speaking openly about his private life, never photographed with anyone other than friends. Bella’s only conclusion was that he was a very private person.

She couldn’t have known how lonely he was, how much he missed the warmth and support of his family in a big, anonymous city.

Bella knew only that the ad campaign was sure to boost his profile into the stratosphere, making him even more of a household name. She wondered if all the media attention would finally draw out any kind of information he would prefer to keep hidden. She sincerely hoped not.

Over time, she grew used to his presence in the office for meetings, used to the heat under her skin at his approach. She told herself she could deal, that everyone had crushes, even past the age of twenty. But the accidental touch of fingers across a contract, the simple act of borrowing her pen, the chivalrous act of helping her into her jacket (and the simultaneous shudders she felt at the touch of his fingers on her shoulders) all pointed to more.

Neither of them said a word, and Riley laughed good naturedly at her emotional state. He ruffled her hair in a brotherly gesture, watching her awkwardness at what he assumed was a typically female overreaction.

 “You’ll get over it,” he said. Would she? She supposed so, once the campaign was done.

The following day, during her lunch break walk, she saw Emmett in the street and tentatively raised a hand. He did the same, pausing, throwing her a smile of polite indifference.

She felt small and foolish as she watched the other girls in the street notice him, throwing themselves at him for pictures and autographs. She was invisible once again, a common pigeon amongst a cloud of exotic songbirds.

Riley was right - a star like Emmett McCarty would never look at her.

~xXx~

The day came when the campaign launched, magazines ran their glossy advertisements, billboards across the city bore his beautiful image, and Bella was in hell. That evening, Riley was to take him out for dinner on behalf of Cullen Athletics to celebrate their success and at the last minute invited Bella too. She wondered if it was to thank her for all her tireless hard work, or just out of courtesy; after all, he had asked her to make the reservations.

To her own surprise she accepted the invite before worrying about how to act around Emmett and praying she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. The end result of her tumultuous inner monologue was that she would take her leave once the meal was over and leave the boys to their backslapping and self congratulating.

At the meal Emmett was quiet and awkward around her, something that Bella automatically read as annoyance and indifference at her presence. This was painfully apparent to her when her glass of water spilt over the cloth; the touch of his fingers had made her hand shake and jar the glass. He offered her wine instead, but she didn’t accept, not being a drinker. Plus, she needed a clear head for work the next day; it would never do to show up with a hangover. Riley did his best, helping her clean up the spill and apologising to Emmett whilst making sure she was comfortable.

“Bella, honey, do you need to go home and change?”

“No, I’m o-“

He cut her off mid flow, anxious to reassure his guest.

“Emmett, I’m so sorry about this, I-“

Angry at herself and at Riley’s lack of understanding, she reached for her purse. Clearly Riley would have preferred it if she’d stayed home. Rising from her seat, she was surprised when Emmett looked at her, his face a little pinched, his voice low, almost sincere.

“Bella - stay, please? I’m sure your clothes will soon dry off; it was only a little water. Besides, you can’t leave until you’ve had something to eat. I won’t allow it.”

He smiled then and the fight was lost; she sat back down, nodding in acquiescence.  

The evening was polite, but strained. Bella felt like the elephant in the room that everyone tried to avoid mentioning, and left as soon as the meal was over, pleading a headache.

After that night she couldn’t escape him. His pictures were everywhere: magazines, windows, electronic billboards. Emmett was a superstar and Cullen Athletics sportswear sales were sky rocketing. She didn’t blame the public for wanting to look like him; who wouldn’t?

In the days that followed, she pretended that his smouldering eyes and chiselled body didn’t haunt her waking thoughts, pretended that she was once again able to concentrate on her life, now every bit as mundane as it had been before he entered it and lit up the sky with stars.

~xXx~

Her delicate features, her waterfall of glossy hair and dark eyes that looked into his soul...

Emmett lived for the moments he spent in Bella Swan’s immediate vicinity. It pained him that she didn’t seem to care, didn’t seem to see him or notice how his breathing accelerated in her quiet, unassuming presence. She didn’t know, couldn’t know, that he only felt truly alive during those brief visits to the office to see Riley, arriving early, hoping to see her rather than Rosalie or Victoria. He had learned when they left for lunch so he could catch her alone and share a coffee. She thought this was coincidence and that he just came by early to get a coffee before his meetings.

Seeing her in the street, outside the office confines, he had wanted to walk right up to her and ask her to lunch. Instead, some fans had spotted him and he had watched her disappear behind the sea of eager faces as if she couldn’t bear to be so close to him. After learning of Riley’s plans for a celebratory meal, it had been Emmett who insisted that Bella be invited too, ostensibly to thank her for all she had done, but of course it was his sole intention to try and speak to her properly, in a relaxed setting. He had hoped that her chaperone would leave after the meal and then they could get to know each other, but, frustratingly, Riley had no intention of leaving early – he was having a good time.

When he had touched her hand in the restaurant he had felt a shock that he was sure contributed to her spilling her glass of water. She had to have felt it too. He had barely kept hold of the wine bottle, barely caught his breath at that too-brief contact. He had silently begged Riley to go and was dismayed when it was suggested that she leave instead. Emmett needed her calming presence, her deep, honest gaze, and was compelled to ask her to stay. To his intense delight, she did.

When his period of promotional work was done, he knew he needed some other reason to be in their offices and he decided to cash in on his new fan base and discuss a new line of ‘McCarty’ shirts bearing his signature as the logo. Riley was thrilled, and together they began designing something new and fresh, something to bear his name  and join the growing brand at Cullen Athletics.

Anything to be close to her. It was insane, but he couldn’t fight it.

One evening, the rain pounding off the sidewalk, he saw her walking home and pulled over to the kerb. When the window slid down with a quiet whirr, he leaned over and offered her a lift. Despite the heavy rain soaking through her thin jacket, she couldn’t bring herself to accept. She didn’t live far... she would be fine to get home... it wouldn’t be right. He was an icon to the masses; people would talk. As she stood there making her excuses, he watched rain run down her face like tears.

“Bella, please – you’re soaked through.”

She saw the kindness in his eyes, his concern. He was a polite, kind soul, looking out for her welfare. It would of course keep Riley sweet for the new launch too and she couldn’t afford to jeopardise that. Succumbing to his plea, she climbed into the car, apologising profusely for dripping rainwater onto the upholstery. Overjoyed that she accepted and won over by her self-effacing mannerisms, he summoned up his courage to finally find the words, to ask her the one question he wanted answered so badly.

The interior of the car was plush, all exterior noise muffled to a degree that made the silence within feel like a sacred space. Emmett took a mental deep breath and went for it.

“So I wanted to ask you something. It’s important.”

She looked at him, her face uneasy. Gazing with intense interest at her knees, her hair fell around her face to hide her from his view. Emmett felt waves of worry emanate from her and swallowed hard. Somehow he just knew her answer before he even asked the question, but he was compelled to continue.

He was smitten, overcome with feelings for her and the words stumbled out of him, tripping over themselves in their haste.

“Bella – would you please be my date for the launch party?”

In his dreams, Emmett saw Bella on his arm in a flowing gown of electric blue silk, feeling like the proudest man alive.

No one else compared.

Bella’s breath hitched as her greatest fear materialised. She was to be his date to represent the company – good advertising all around for Cullen Athletics. It had to have been Riley’s idea; Carlisle knew her better and would never have been so cruel. She wondered why he hadn’t asked her at the office, but of course at least this way he didn’t have to do it in front of others and look like a fool for asking out the mousy sparrow and having to explain himself to the others. Rosalie would be furious; her life at the office would descend to a new low when the men weren’t around. Emmett McCarty was her perfect man, handsome, talented, and single. 

He was the unattainable dream, the star so far out of reach she stood more chance of singing at Carnegie Hall than being his actual, for real date.

“It’s okay, Emmett; you can ask Rosalie. You two will look wonderful in the pictures.”

Without letting him answer, she looked up and pointed to a building.

“That’s me there. Thanks for the lift – sorry I messed up your car.”

He had barely pulled over, the engine idling, before Bella was out the door, her face turned away. Mixed in with the pouring rain, Emmett couldn’t possibly have noticed her tears.

~xXx~

To Emmett, Bella was the one beautiful woman whose attention he craved. When she declined him, seemingly thinking she was doing him some kind of favour, he was crushed. Of course he knew that Rosalie was keen and waiting to be asked, but she was not his first choice. She didn’t even score in the top ten. It was somewhat reluctantly that he went into the office the following morning and asked Rosalie to be his date. She was thrilled, talking loudly about what she would wear. Standing before her, a hollow shell of a man, Emmett felt nothing; he was merely fulfilling his duty to attend the launch with a female companion on his arm.

However, on the day of the launch Rosalie fell ill. She still wanted to go, desperate for the bright lights and cameras, but she was too weak to move and bitterly disappointed.

Riley called Emmett with the news, not knowing how he would take the setback. Having been raised a gentleman, Emmett sent flowers to her, secretly overjoyed. He was sorry Rosalie was sick, but now he had one last chance to take the only woman that mattered – the one he already thought of as his girl. Walking into the offices of Cullen Athletics, he was a man on a mission. 

Seeing Bella in her usual place, he walked up to her with purpose, determined to make her see how much he wanted her to accompany him.

“Bella? Please come with me tonight; please be my date.”

She looked up briefly from her work, striving to stay strong in the face of such temptation.

“Emmett, I’m sorry your date is ill, I truly am, but I won’t be a late minute substitution from the bench. No girl wants to be second best.”

She wondered why he hadn’t asked Victoria who was hovering nearby, shooting barbed stares at her from out of Emmett’s eye line.

Her voice almost wobbled but she held firm until she raised her eyes to his and finally saw the impossible - his beautiful blue eyes were clouded with disappointment. She had made him sad, something she had never ever wanted to do.

She paused, and Emmett’s heart raced at her hesitance.

“I’ll have to borrow a dress... I-I have nothing suitable. It’s such short notice now and I...”

“Leave that to me, Miss Swan.” His eyes were bright and eager and he looked relaxed. 

Relieved, she supposed.

An hour later, a box was delivered bearing the name of an expensive designer store. Within its tissue paper folds lay a flowing blue silk dress straight out of Emmett’s fantasy. Once home, Bella stepped into the sumptuous fabric, discovering the fit was perfect, even the shoes were the correct size and momentarily she wondered how he knew. Then she realised that he most likely asked the girls at work. It was odd that they had been so helpful when they disliked her as much as they did, but she reasoned that they would do nothing to look bad in front of Emmett.

The note enclosed simply said that he would pick her up at 8. Bella was ready bang on time and nervously clutching her small, beaded purse that matched the outfit. When she saw a limousine pull up out front, she thought she was dreaming again. Making her way down, she met him at the door to the building, feeling very out of place in her beautiful clothes and softly curled hair.

For Emmett, seeing his dream come true was a magical moment and he simply stood and stared for a second. When he found his voice he told her that she was beautiful; more beautiful than other girls could ever hope to be. Bella laughed then, reminding him that she was merely a rented date, feeling ridiculous and out of place until she saw that they matched – Emmett wore a blue suit with a silk tie the colour of her dress. They would make for a good photo opportunity for the company.

They rode together in the limo, barely speaking, a nervous silence stretching between them. On arrival, Bella was besieged by photographers and found it difficult to deal with the shouts and cheers until she felt Emmett’s arm around her waist. He held her in a gentlemanly fashion and she relaxed into it, finally finding her smile.

The photographers loved her and the obvious glow she brought to Emmett’s face, his smile never fading for a second. When they were asked to come in tighter for the pictures, Bella’s blush was a photographer’s dream, her eyes demurely downcast, looking up under her lashes.

The launch was a huge success with Riley at Carlisle’s side for the evening while his boss surveyed the fruits of his efforts. It was Bella’s belief that once this night was over she would receive a pat on the head and a ‘well done on taking one for the team’ talk from Riley before her life returned to normal. Maybe she would receive a small bonus for going above and beyond her job role. She laughed at herself in the mirror of the ladies room. Imagine actually being paid to date Emmett McCarty! Her earlier line to him about being a rented date seemed truer than ever.

At the end of the evening, Emmett escorted her home in the limo, insisting on opening her door and walking her to the building. The moment was tense and awkward, neither moving nor leaving.

Finally, Bella broke the impasse.

“See you at the office?”

Emmett nodded, stricken, believing that she was happy the night was over. She clicked the door closed and he walked to the limo, staring back at her front door for a long moment before closing the car door.

Watching out of her window, Bella saw that he looked sad and wondered why. This wonderful, magical night had been merely a date of convenience. This fairytale was over.

Returning to work the next morning, Victoria avoided her, oozing hatred from every pore. It was a huge plus that Rosalie was sick; the thought of the two of them tormenting her made Bella feel sick to her stomach.  Just being Emmett’s second choice had long reaching consequences for her time at the firm. As it was, everything was ticking along just fine until Riley arrived, agog and desperate to know what had happened after they left the party.

Bella told them straight that it had been a work thing, nothing more. Riley had a strange look on his face and didn’t ask any further questions, retiring to his office to prepare for Carlisle’s return to work a couple of days later.

The following morning the launch pictures appeared online. Rosalie, back at work and well on the road to full recovery, made comments about how awkward Bella seemed, how inappropriate she looked alongside a huge star like Emmett. The snide comments continued to flow, growing more bitter and jealous as the day wore on. Rosalie was confident that he would ask her out again – after all, there would be a second launch when his own line of sportswear was revealed to the press. She loudly proclaimed that all the smiles and body language in the photos was all for the cameras and that he and she would attend the next one and show the world how it was really done.

When Emmett next came into the office, Rosalie was first to talk to him, to coo and flirt over his pictures and how photogenic he was. Emmett merely smiled and thanked her, being his usual polite, charming self, but made no mention of a date. Undeterred, she went into seduction mode, turning on the full charm offensive, certain that he would be unable to resist.

When he gave her a cool smile, not taking the bait, Rosalie seethed.

~xXx~

Emmett was despondent, feeling he had missed his chance of sweeping Bella off her feet.

Whenever Bella closed her eyes she felt his arm around her, craving his touch, failing to see that he felt exactly the same way.

The situation came to a head quite unexpectedly. Victoria and Rosalie were whispering and plotting like the vindictive creatures they were, and Bella found herself doing the work of three. Deciding to stop for a much needed caffeine break, she walked through to the kitchen to make fresh coffee. What she witnessed made her see red. Emmett was walking out of Riley’s office, heading for the rest room when Rosalie barred his way. While Bella watched, Rosalie ran her finger down his shirt front suggestively, purring quiet words in his ear, the inference of which wasn’t difficult to guess from where Bella stood. She heard a giggle and saw Rosalie trying to entice him into Carlisle’s empty, darkened office. Bella’s feet propelled her forward, and just in time she saw that Rosalie was leaning in to try and kiss a distinctly uncomfortable looking Emmett.  The next thing she remembered was hearing a loud crack as her hand made contact with Rosalie’s smug face, leaving a distinct handprint that wouldn’t fade for some hours.

Appalled at her own actions, she turned back into the kitchen and pressed herself against the wall, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Hearing Rosalie’s screech would have been funny under any other circumstances, but not now. She had assaulted someone in front of witnesses – there was no escaping that.

Emmett stood, dumbfounded, as the scenario unfolded so dramatically in front of his eyes. The commotion had brought Riley out of his office and now Rosalie had to explain what had happened. This was a difficult undertaking as implicating Bella would raise the question of why – why would quiet little Bella suddenly fly into a rage? Rosalie had no choice but to lie; the truth would get her into far worse trouble and she needed that job.

Emmett didn’t stay to hear what was said – he went in search of his girl.

Finding her in the small kitchen, her face contorted with worry, he tried his best to apologise.

“I’m so sorry, Bella. I didn’t know she was going to do that, I swear. I never would have let her... she’s not my type at all...”

Angry and embarrassed, she lashed out, trying to hurt him.

“You think I care? She had it coming! Just stop making fun of me, stop pretending you care about me! All this phoney attention - I don’t buy it for a second!”

She pushed herself off the wall, trying to leave this hell of her own creation, but he caught her hand before she could make her getaway. Trying to wrench her hand away, mortified at her both her words and behaviour, she had no choice but to turn and face the man she desired more than any other.

She was so sure he would be angry with her; so sure he was going to tell her he was leaving the firm and taking his ideas elsewhere. She was so sure she was going to be fired.

Instead he pulled her close and kissed her, slowly, gently, and with heat. Her body finally relaxed, becoming languid, her mind trying to make sense of events and finally just waving a white flag. The kitchen melted away, the office disappeared, and Bella was in heaven, wrapped around the only person to make her heart sing like a lark. When he released her she felt dizzy and very glad of the big, strong arms supporting her.

His voice was rough, his breathing uneven.

“Bella, please make me the happiest man alive and go on a date with me. I don’t know how else to ask you. I took you to the launch party and felt so proud to be there with you. You were so beautiful that night in that dress, but truth be told, you’re more beautiful right here right now with wild roses in your cheeks and your eyes on fire. Tell me you will – please don’t break my heart.”

His eyes were midnight velvet, his soft lips parted and inviting, so close to hers. Her heart racing, body shaking, she leaned in and boldly kissed him then, arms snaking around his neck when he gathered her up in his protective arms, lifting her into his strong embrace.

From somewhere far away, Bella heard a gasp of disbelief from Rosalie.

From behind them came the sound of applause; Riley stood clapping, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“It’s about damn time.”

Bella looked at Emmett.

“Yes, it most definitely is.”

~xXx~