Subject: Edward Cullen aka The Womanizer

Chapter One – Assignments & Introductions

Betaed by: Caroline Z. Masen 9/2010

Thursday

Bella

I made my way through the restaurant, following the hostess to a table in the back where four people were waiting for me. They potentially were my next clients. I was nervous.

I vowed that if I took on this case, it would be my last. I had not intended on taking any more subjects, but on Jacob's referral, I felt I had no choice. He could pick out a potential subject with ease since he had been one.

I introduced myself to my possible new clients: Jasper and Alice Whitlock and the other couple, Emmett and Rosalie McCarty. All of them were looking over their shoulders, nervously.

Two things were already sending off warning bells and whistles in my head. One, Jasper Whitlock was a former schoolmate from almost a decade ago. Two, Emmett McCarty – the name was familiar to me, though his eyes and face did not remind me of anyone I knew.

I prayed to myself that these two things wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass later.

"Tell me about him," I asked, looking at all their beautiful faces. It was hard to determine who was the most beautiful; they were all breathtaking. Jasper still maintained his long blond mane, and his eyes were as bright as ever. So far so good, he didn't seem to remember me.

Not that I had thought he would. I'd had changed considerably, and I was no longer the geeky sister of his best friend in high school.

"His name is Edward Cullen, he's twenty-nine years old and an architect," the big burly one named Emmett said while passing a folder to me. "He's rich and pretty much thinks he's God's gift to women. Edward thinks that because of that, he can break hearts and just throw women away like yesterday's newspaper."

Emmett seemed disgusted by his brother's behavior, which I found rather refreshing. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for these women, and my first thought was that this change was rather recent. I looked over to his wife, who was Aphrodite in human form, and thought she must be the reason why.

"You do realize how this works, right?" I asked, looking into the folder Emmett had passed to me. I had to bite back a gasp. Right there in the folder was a picture of an incredibly handsome man. Edward had bright green eyes, coppery, messy hair and a strong jawline. Perfect.

"We do, but can you explain it better?" Alice – the cute little pixie-like woman – asked. She seemed like the type of person that was usually rather energetic, but, at the moment, she looked placated.

Jacob Black, a mutual friend, was the one who had recommended me to Alice. She'd made the initial call, sounding nervous at first. When she had told me why she wanted to do this, I'd realized I wouldn't be able to walk away from this case.

She was genuinely concerned for her cousin-turned-brother. She wanted him to feel what she and her family felt every day – love. He needed the type of companionship that could only be found when one allowed themselves to love someone in return. Alice felt that Edward would wander the rest of his life alone if he continued along his self-destructive past.

"Well, I pretty much become your brother's dream girl. I'll have him fall in love with me, then after a while, break his heart. It should effectively bring him down off his high horse and hopefully make him a better person," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

In reality, I made it sound much easier than it would be. Usually it took weeks –sometimes months – to make them feel something for me other than lust. I had yet to find someone easily responsive to me. Don't get me wrong – they wanted me. The problem was that they all only wanted one thing. It took time for other feelings to manifest. With what research I had already done on Edward, I knew he'd be my toughest assignment yet.

And I loved a fucking challenge.

"You said 'usually'. What's your success rate?" Rosalie asked, looking at me intently.

"I have a one hundred percent success rate so far. All the cases I've ever worked on are now either happily married, engaged or in a serious relationship. Most of the time, I'm able to point them in the right direction."

This was true – the only case where the person was not yet completely committed was Jacob. That was another story.

"Is there anyone that could be the potential Mrs. Cullen?" I asked as I continued to read the file. I skimmed over various projects that he had worked on, including a few charity projects. He was donator and all around good person, but that might only be on paper.

"No. There is no one that he's remotely close to." Rosalie snickered – she seemed rather put off by the whole thing. I wondered if she had been jaded before, and if she had, it would most likely explain Emmett's involvement with the case.

"Have you ever fallen in love with any of your subjects?" Jasper asked, his intense blue eyes boring into my own. Leave it to Jasper to ask that question. Even back in our school days, he always was attuned to the feelings of others.

"No," I said firmly. They all flinched slightly, and I knew I would have to explain myself.

"You have to understand that in all my previous cases, I was not myself. I molded myself into someone they saw as their vision of the perfect woman. I haven't yet encountered a subject where I was able to completely be myself," I explained as I looked over a list of some of Edward's favorite types of music and books.

We had too much in common, and it could prove dangerous territory.

"Do you sleep with them?" Rosalie asked, looking at me before cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow.

Ah, the one question they all asked. Unfortunately, you couldn't expect this type of man to attempt a relationship without sexual interactions. I tried to hold off for as long as possible so as to associate sex with something else, rather than just lust. In turn, I had also had feelings for them though never enough for me to fall for them completely.

"Yes. Most cases last a few months, sometimes longer, so it comes with the territory." I paused for moment as I noticed all of them shifting uncomfortably. "That being said, you are not paying me to have sex with your brother. You're paying me to repair his outlook on life, bring out the real Edward and make him believe in love."

They all sighed in unison and nodded, relieved. Or in this case, likely they found it a necessary thing for this type of thing.

"Good. Now that that's settled, how are you bringing me into his life?" I asked, looking at the file. Edward was a partner is his father's company, along with Emmett and Jasper.

"Do you have any recommendations?" Alice asked, taking a sip of water. She seemed much more relaxed, and I noticed her eyes on my bag and my heels. Ah, a shopper, or at least a woman with taste. It seemed that way, since the peep toe heels I was wearing cost over eight hundred dollars.

"For someone like your brother, I recommend the 'forbidden fruit' strategy," I said, already formulating a plan. Despite him being the typical player, I felt compelled to up the ante with this one. I was going to have to make every effort to impress him.

"Forbidden fruit?" Jasper asked, looking at his wife, trying to understand the term I used.

"I need to seem unattainable at first, someone he shouldn't go after, like a friend's girlfriend, sister or maybe a co-worker." I looked at each of them, hoping they could offer a suggestion.

For most of my previous subjects, I had been brought in by working beside them in some capacity. Having them grow accustomed to me being around more, knowing I couldn't be turned away like their other conquests, resulted in them remaining interested and me becoming/seeming much more irresistible.

"He needs a new personal assistant," Emmett suggested. "I'm supposed to hire a new one, since his last one sued him for sexual harassment."

I already knew this – it was the main reason Alice had decided to call me. Edward had put his career and his adopted father's company on the line. Moreover, Alice had been great friends with the last secretary, and he'd torn their relationship apart after tossing her aside, moving on to his next fuck. Luckily for him and his company, she'd agreed to settle before it became public record.

"Perfect," I said with a smile, an idea and persona already forming in my mind.

At least I'd be able to dress the way I usually did. It would be the second time I'd work for a subject as a personal assistant. It was generally not something I liked, but it seemed to be the best solution for this case. The more time I spent with him, the more chances there would be for my persona to sink into his head.

"Any chance he has any sexy-librarian fantasies?" I asked Emmett, feeling like he'd know. I only asked because I had a scenario already playing in my head – something that would help ignite his desire for me.

"Of course he does. Why?" Emmett asked warily. I pulled a file out of my attaché case, which was a folder containing some pictures. I gave Emmett one of them. "Damn, you'll have him eating out of your hand if you come in looking like this," Emmett said, passing around the photo of my typical sexy-librarian outfit. I smiled internally.

"That's the idea. Now, since it says in his file that he frequents a local club every Friday and Saturday, I recommend starting tomorrow, since it's Friday."

"Why so soon?" Alice asked, looking at my photo.

In reality, I was bored at my apartment. I'd had Jacob and Nessie help me move in, and I had spent the better part of three weeks obtaining information on my new patients and getting reacquainted with the city. I needed to do something – not for the money but for the pace I'd set my life to. I had to always be doing something or else my mind would wander to places and within memories I didn't want it to go.

I pulled out another photo, passing it to Alice. Her eyes widened, and Emmett let out a whistle. The photo was of my typical club attire.

"I'll make sure he'll see me release some of my inhibitions." I paused, noticing Alice's eyes widening again. "I won't sleep with him that soon." I reassured her. "If he saw me let loose, dressed up a little, he'd keep picturing me like that at the office." Plus, he'd think of me most of the weekend. It was perfect.

"I'll need help in different phases of the mission from all of you. Emmett, you're going to be the first one to help me tomorrow."

He looked a little worried, and I hoped he could act and manage a straight face. He was going to need it. I went into a little more detail of what my first day of work would entail.

Friday

Edward

I was sitting in my office, going over my schedule for the day, trying to see if I could get out early. It was Friday, and my dinner meetings with Mr. Knight and various clients had run rather late all week – not allowing me the gratification from another's touch that I usually partook in quite often.

I had built up quite a bit of tension lately, and I needed some release. What better way than a few drinks at the club? I just had to linger there for a bit and I had a woman asking me if I could take her home. Instant stress reliever.

There was a knock on my door as it swung open, my big, annoying brother barging in.

"Hey, little bro, the new secretary is here. She's settling in and then I'm going to show her around." Emmett's voice seemed strained, not his usual playful, outgoing self. "Would you like to meet her?"

I rolled my eyes, putting my pen down and walking around my desk. "I don't think I have much of a choice. I'm hoping you hired someone that's easy on the eyes," I said as I walked out my office to the reception area.

"She was the most qualified," Emmett said. He was obviously trying to hide something from me. Most qualified probably meant she was nothing special to look at. Damn him and his logic. I internally groaned because he was just trying to help me… to not get laid.

Asshole.

I looked over the formally empty desk to find the most exquisite creature I had ever laid my eyes on. She was sitting at the desk, looking at something on her computer screen. Her glasses were slightly askew over her deep, chocolate brown eyes. Her heart-shaped face was perfect with her small immaculate nose, rosy cheeks and full red lips. Her dark chestnut hair was piled on top of her head, held up with a black stick, several long curls framing her face. She started to bite her lower lip as I tried to bite back a groan. I shifted uncomfortably.

What the hell was wrong with me? Never in my life had I ever gotten hard just looking at a woman.

"Bella this is your boss, Edward Cullen." Emmett gestured towards me. "Edward, this is Bella Swan." It was a perfect name for this woman – Bella. It rolled off the tongue. Hmm…

A breathtaking smile played on her lips as she pushed herself from the desk, uncrossing an incredible pair of creamy legs. She stood up from her chair, she had a small frame but was perfectly slender and with curves in all the right places. She was wearing a long sleeve, white silk blouse, white pearls just peeking from under the first few undone buttons. Her blouse was tucked into a short, grey skirt that barely reached mid-thigh.

The look was capped off by the fucking sexiest pair of black high heels that made her legs look a mile long. I sucked in a breath trying to shake off my librarian fantasy as she walked closer. Her approach in itself fueled a fantasy of her stalking her prey – namely me. She looked like she was ready to pounce. I'd happily allow her to devour me.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. It's nice to meet you." Her voice was sweet but sensual. She extended her hand and I took it, not expecting the small jolt of heat hit me. The warmth that further emanated from our fingertips flowed up my arm, across my chest and down to my groin. Fuck.

I shook it off quickly. "Please call me Edward, Ms. Swan." I said "Ms." because there was no ring on her delicate finger. Oh, and she had sport-length French manicured nails – she'd leave scratches on my back. The idea only caused me to shiver in anticipation.

"Edward, you can call me Bella." She smiled down at our hands, then looked back at me, unleashing her big brown eyes, framed with thick, dark lashes. I lost my train of thought for a moment before I realized I was still holding her hand. I blinked a few times, aware that I might have just made an ass of myself. However, I couldn't bring it upon me to care. She hadn't attempted to remove her hand from mine.

In my head, I cackled. You'll be mine soon enough, my dear.

"Bella, why don't I show you around the office?" I asked reluctantly allowing her the use of her hand. I gestured toward the hallway, the other hand automatically wanting to take its place on the small of her back. I kept myself in check and left it at my side.

"Edward, you have a nine o'clock appointment which is in thirty minutes. Do you have enough time to show me around?" Bella asked, walking over to her desk to look at a PDA.

Had she already looked over my schedule? How had she been able to decipher my chicken scratch, much less my codes? Call me paranoid, but the last time I had lost my schedule and address book, I'd lost six very important clients…to my associate, before he'd left my company.

I was quiet, trying to see how she could've had understood everything I'd written on my date planner. She looked at me with a little knowing smirk.

"Your brother went into your office to get me your planner. I must say, you have an impressive code, but I'm a puzzle myself," she said cryptically.

She was a puzzle in more ways than one. She was smart, beautiful and good at solving puzzles. I had to wonder – how did I fit in? Tightly, I was sure. I shook off my dirty thoughts and smiled at her.

"Tour?" She said, reminding me of our discussion. The smirk still in place, as if she knew exactly what I had been thinking. At least she didn't appear offended.

"We've got enough time," I assured her, watching the way she seemed to bite her lip in concentration.

"Okay. Let me just save this document, and I'll meet you in your office in a minute."

"Perfect." I walked away and headed back into my office. I immediately began to pace back and forth. I never paced. In one morning, I felt my whole world being turned on its axis.

How can one woman have this kind of effect on me? Then again, who gives a fuck? I just want her in my bed, that's what matters.

I was lying to myself; I had never wanted a woman so bad, and I knew I couldn't have her. My father and Emmett would kill me if she tried to sue the company for sexual harassment after I had used her for my own selfish needs.

But fuck, I was a man, and this man wanted that woman.

Bella

"That went better than I thought," Emmett scoffed. "He couldn't take his eyes off of you. I've never seen my brother have to adjust himself in public, either."

"Yes, that did go well. Now, you know what to do?" I asked before reapplying lipstick. I had never been one to wear too much makeup, but I knew the effect of a lush appearing mouth had on men.

"Yep, I'll see you in the employee's lounge," Emmett said before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

I adjusted my skirt and made sure that my blouse had some buttons left open – not enough that it gave him a full view but enough to have him want to see more. I grabbed my PDA and opened a new notepad document.

I walked over to Edward's office door and knocked.

Edward

"Come in," I said, and my voice cracked. My fucking voice just cracked.

"I'm ready," Bella said, entering my office and looking at me with that sweet, innocent smile and big brown eyes. I had to shake off the dirty thoughts that sprang up the moment she'd entered my office.

"First of all, I have a full bathroom and shower in my office." I pointed just behind a wall of bookcases. "I've also got a full-size closet." I gestured to a door just across from the bathroom.

Was it wrong that while explaining and showing her around my office, I was already fantasizing fucking her in every room and on every surface until she couldn't walk anymore? Nah.

"My dry cleaning gets delivered here every Tuesday and Thursday. Let the delivery guy in, but you have to watch him if I'm not here. He'll drop it off and pick up whatever I leave him."

"Tuesday and Thursday – dry cleaning delivery and pickup." Bella wrote the instructions in her PDA. She returned her attention to me, once again unleashing the full force of her eyes on me. I was momentarily stunned by their beauty and depth.

Gah, "momentarily stunned" – what the hell is wrong with me? I sound like a cheesy romance movie.

"Yes, umm, I like my coffee black with two sugars." I fucking stuttered. "An earl grey tea, one sugar, every afternoon after three pm."

Bella nodded, looking around the office, when the window caught her attention. I watched her facial expressions for a moment as she looked at the breathtaking view of the Seattle harbor.

"May I?" Bella asked, cocking her head toward the window. I nodded.

"Wow, you have a fantastic view," she expressed as she looked out at the Seattle skyline.

Yeah, I have a fantastic view of your tight little ass. I shook away the thought before I got caught staring. I adjusted myself again.

"Let me show you where the employee's lounge is, as well as the copy room and the offices you're most likely to visit while working here." Bella nodded before walking ahead of me and holding the door for me.

If it were up to me, you'll be sucked, kissed and properly fucked in all those rooms, too, I thought to had that come from?

Usually, after I'd been with a woman, I moved on. I got what I wanted, and there was truly no need to continue further. There were the rare occasions where I'd hook up with someone I had slept with before. But that also tended to get old, and I had put a stop to it a few times – especially when they came looking for me. Now I was picturing myself fucking this woman in various rooms and positions throughout my own workplace.

I could handle giving her a few good fucks here and there. Once I'd been sated, the desire I held for her would fade, and I'd be able to move on, like I'd always been able to do.

"Now, on Mondays, I need you in the office by seven am. You can be here by eight am the rest of the week, and you'll work until six. You'll get an hour for lunch," I said as she wrote notes on her PDA.

"On Fridays, I would like to try to leave the office by four. If you can make sure that happens, you're free to leave early as well."

Leave with me, and I'll drive you up to my place and give you a grand tour. I shook the runaway thought from my head before continuing.

"Here's the employee lounge." I gestured to her – ladies first, and then it happened.

Emmett barged through the door with a glass of water and bumped into Bella, spilling the entire content of his glass all over her white silk blouse. It was now wet and see through, a blue lace bra in full view, not to mention the fact that the bra barely covered her pretty pink nipples.

"Oh, dear God," I groaned, my desire for her now apparent.