Dirty Little Secret

Twilight

AH, AU, B/E

Summary: A single, unprecedented night with a complete stranger turns Bella Swan's life upside down. She should fix things with her boyfriend, but for some reason she can't let this man go. Edward Cullen was only looking for a no strings attached relationship—no drama, no jealousy, and certainly no falling in love. He shouldn't mind being Bella's dirty little secret, but for some reason it begins to bother him to no end. She can only have one of them… but who will it be? When given an ultimatum, will she take the safe route, or will she walk the dangerous line of passion?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, media franchises, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The plot and writing belongs to me, however.

I hope you all enjoy my first Twilight story. Please forgive any grammatical errors and any out of character-ness.

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1: The Beginning

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"What? Why?"

Edward shakes his head sadly, his green eyes less mischievous and lively than she's ever seen them. "I can't be… whomever or whatever you expect me to be." He sighs uncharacteristically, unable to meet her eyes. "Not like this, at least. Bella… I can't be your dirty little secret. Not anymore."

She can't comprehend his words; they don't seem to get through her head. She had thought she and Edward actually had something. "W-what do you mean? I don't understand…"

"I'm asking you to choose, Bella. Me or him."

He had finally given her the ultimatum she had been expecting, finally asked her the question she had been struggling over the entire time. She had no answer, however, not then, not now—and she had hoped—not ever.

But he was demanding a response in that moment, and his eyes search the depths of hers for a genuine, sincere thought. His gaze falls, and he shakes his head, disappointment clear on his face.

Nothing. He found nothing.

She doesn't say anything, and neither does he. All he does is walk away, a wave of distress taking over his beautiful, masculine features. He had already lost. She wasn't going to choose him.

:-:-:-:-:

Two Months Previous

She orders a drink at the club, her elbows digging into the counter, and her head collapsing into her hands. There is nothing she wants more in this moment than to feel the cool, burning feeling of alcohol as it glides down her throat.

Strong. She just needs something strong, something to make her forget, whether it was in the form of a man or a drink. For now, she would have to settle for the latter.

She never would have thought that she could be affected in such a way. She had always been a strong, independent woman, who didn't take any shit from anyone. But here she is, drinking her sorrows away. Over a man. A man of all things. Did she not fill out her reputation as The One and Only Isabella Swan, any longer? Is she no more than a pathetic piece of shit?

Stop, Bella, she warns herself, downing a shot. She lets out a satisfied groan as the alcohol burns down her throat. Getting drunk was most likely not the best way to deal with the current situation, but she couldn't care less. It is the quickest and most reliable way to forget everything, despite the massive hangover she would experience the next day.

"Another one," Bella mumbles out, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in a sluggish manner. She probably looks like a bumbling idiot… but after running out on Jacob without even angrily confronting him about it… how much more of an idiot can she get?

The bartender looks at her, worry etched on his cleanly shaven face. "Are you alright, Miss?" he asks cautiously.

Bella peers at his name tag, trying to figure out what the bartender's name is, but through her hazed eyes it is nearly impossible. "Em...mett?" she mutters to herself. No, that's a stupid name, there's no way his name would be that. She gives up on figuring out his full name.

"Emmy," Bella finally states, staring at him, a small flicker of triumph passing through her buzzed self.

He looks at her, confused, and she stares at him more, in a pointed manner. "Yes, you. Come here," Bella demands through her drunken demeanor. He slips towards her, having no other customers to attend to, and his face is clearly hesitant.

"Yes?"

Despite the significant size difference between them, she grabs the collar of his shirt, leaning across the bar counter, pulling his face to hers, touching his forehead to her own. "You…" Bella breathes out, her puffs of air hitting his cheeks, "…stay the fuck out of my business."

The bartender jerks back, his face flustered, a scowl forming. He gives a tight nod, his cheeks still red.

Someone slides up into the stool beside Bella, and an enticing aroma suddenly overwhelms her. "I believe the lady asked for a drink… Emmy," he says.

Bella turns her attention to him. "Who the fuck are you to boss someone around like that?" Max slurs furiously, oblivious to the fact she had practically bossed the bartender around herself. Good Lord, she really is a ridiculous drunk.

He lets out a low chuckle, and a shiver runs through her body. His green eyes are dark as they twinkle mischievously under the dim lights, but she blames both the sparkle and shiver on her intoxication. "I, my dear, am not only his friend…" he says, pointing a long, slender finger at the barman tending another customer, "but also, in fact, his boss."

Bella blinks, staring at him. The way he looks at her seems so… enticing… alluring… it draws her drunken self in. She looks at him with a hooded gaze, feeling so much more bold than her usual. The way he stares at her… it turns her on, if she's being honest. And there's a fat chance she's going to get any with Jacob anymore… so why not?

In an instantaneous decision, Bella grabs the lapels of the man's dress shirt, pulling her to him, just as she had done a few minutes ago with "Emmy." She peers deeply into his eyes, inhaling his seductive cologne, and her eyes flutter close. "Don't kick me out for doing this, please," she exhales, taking another whiff of him.

His deep chuckle sends vibrations through her. "I wouldn't dream of it," he murmurs quietly, and that's all Bella needs: confirmation.

When the last word leaves his mouth, she pulls his lips to hers, and he wraps his firm hands around her waist. Their mouths mold against each other, ravishing the other, a little bit too inappropriately for the public eye.

Bella, for once, doesn't mind, but considering the man with the magic lips is the owner, it shouldn't be happening—at least not there.

He had already pushed her up against the bar counter, stepping in between her jean clad legs to get closer to her. His fingers dance around her waist, trailing them like little feathers, teasing around the hem of her shirt.

In a miraculous moment of sense, Bella pushes him back, both of them needing to catch their breaths. He stares at her with sensual eyes, the already dark green color nearly black. She can't help but respond to his stimulating look, glancing up at him through her eyelashes with bedroom eyes.

He offers his hand out to her, and she knows what he's suggesting. She is helped off the bar stool, and he holds her swaying body steady as he leads her to the back of the club and through a door leading to his office.

As soon as the said door is shut, he presses her up to the office door, locking it with one hand, and tangling his other hand in her sun-streaked locks. He holds her up by pinning her to the door with his hips, her legs wrapping around his torso in response as they kiss.

She is doubly drunk. One, off the alcohol. But the second one, however, is drunk off this man and what he can do with his lips. Her anticipation grows as she imagines ways she could be drunk, and not just in the way she was experiencing at the moment.

"Bed… couch… floor… whatever…" Bella manages to shamelessly blurt out, not currently coherent of the furniture layout Mr. Magic Lips had set up around his office. He lets out a throaty chuckle, but it soon turns to a groan as she tugs on his bottom lip with her teeth.

He hoists her up, his hands now on her ass, and she can feel them move to another room, before she is surprisingly gently laid onto a plush bed. He soon joins her on the mattress, hovering over her, spreading her legs apart, and she lets out a content moan as she feels him pressing into her thigh.

This was the exact means of "strong" she was searching for.

:-:-:-:-:

The next morning, Bella finds herself in the arms of another person, their bodies tangled with each other. Her crusty eyes open, and she hazily blinks to get moisture back into them. Her head throbs like there's a party in her brain, and she looks around the room, trying to recall the events of the past evening.

A sickening feeling grows in her stomach, and Bella lurches out of bed, running to a door she hopes is the bathroom. Thankfully, it is, and she barely has time to hover over the toilet, before she begins to retch out all the alcohol she had consumed last night.

Footsteps pad over to where she is, and the person gently gathers her hair back into a ponytail, rather than allowing it all to hang like a curtain around her face. A hand rubs her back soothingly as she vomits. After it all comes out, she keeps her arms against the toilet sink, her face above the toilet bowl, clenching her eyes shut.

Stupid fucking hangover.

Her hair falls from its grip in whomever's hand, and the footsteps recede. Bella hears drawers opening, things rummaging around, and the sound of running water. The person walks back to the bathroom, holding a pack of Advil and a glass of water in hand.

She looks up at him, her eyes vulnerable, blurrily taking note of his face. Bella pops the pill in her mouth, swallowing it down with the water, and she lets out a long sigh. "Thanks."

He nods, his eyes travelling down her body for a moment, before he returns to the other room.

When Bella finally exits the bathroom, her eyes immediately fly to the clothes scattered across the room. More importantly, her clothes. Hoping she isn't what she thinks she is, Bella looks down and lets out a small yelp of shock.

Naked. She is naked. Where the fuck is her clothes?

She grabs the bed sheet from on top of the mattress, wrapping it around her in a toga sort of fashion and then she sets off finding her clothes from around the room.

Bella rubs her forehead tiredly. A one night stand. She had hooked up with a completely random guy—Mr. Magic Lips—and now he is who knows where, while she is also who knows where. Grumbling to herself, she slips her clothes back on, before deciding on a door to open.

An office. She is in an office?

Ignoring the soreness of her limbs, Bella walks out into the office, her eyes flitting from certificate to certificate on the wall. They land on a plaque with a picture of the club on it.

Edward Cullen… she muses. Owner of… 'Eclipse'? Is that where I am?

She tries to recall what had happened before she became intoxicated… and then she remembers why she is here in the first place. There's a pang in her heart, but Bella shakes it off, walking out of the office and into the bar with her head held high.

A burly looking guy is wiping down the bar counters with a rag in hand. As Bella strides by, he looks up at her with a confused expression. "Lady, the bar isn't opened yet. I'm not sure how you got in here, but I have to ask you to leave."

Bella rolls her eyes tiredly, and she turns to face the bartender, annoyance clear on her face. His eyes widen in recognition. "Look. I'm hung over, tired, confused, and pissed." —was this whom she had called Emmy?— "And even though I'm a mix of frustration, I'm pretty sure I told you to stay the fuck out of my business, Emmy. Got it?"

He looks like he wants to say something, but instead nods mutely, watching her as she struts out of the club and into the bright sunlight. Bella hisses as the light hits her eyes, which haven't quite readjusted from being in the dark for so long. She waves a cab down and tells him the address to the apartment.

However, as soon as she arrives, she immediately wishes she was back in the oddly comforting darkness of the club. There he is, sitting outside of her apartment door, looking like day old trash. As Bella nears, he hears her light footsteps and looks up.

"Bella—" he starts, jumping to stand on his feet. He shoves a hand into his back pocket and runs the other through his cleanly cropped hair. "Bella, baby, I'm so sorry—"

She silences him with a shake of her head, and despite all the words she wants to scream and all the tears she wants to cry, Bella moves past him, fumbling to put her key into the lock. Once Bella unlocks the apartment door, she pauses, staring at the white wood. "Jacob—"

"No," Jacob interrupts. "I know what I did was wrong, but you have to believe me—I am still in love with you, and I will always be in love with you, not her. Bella, we can't just throw away our five years of bliss, just because I did something so stupid that I completely regret."

Bella remains quiet, leaning her forehead against the door. What he said is true… They had five years of near perfect bliss, and she certainly still felt something for him. But no, she couldn't trust him, and relationships founder on the lack of trust.

He places his hand on top of hers which rests on the door knob and squeezes gently. "Please, Bells," he pleads using her childhood nickname, "please believe me."

There's too much going through her head at this moment, and her brain is still throbbing from the after effects of last night. This was Jacob Black, her childhood best friend and high school through college boyfriend. Bella could trust him with her life… but now, she wasn't so sure she could trust him with her heart. Alas, she nods faintly, and then she's being turned around into his arms.

"Thank you, Bella, thank you so much for giving me, for giving us, this second chance. You won't regret it, I promise you," Jacob murmurs into her hair, pressing his lips against her forehead.

Bella moves back, however, placing her hands on his chest to create some distance between them. He may have been thanking her for giving him another chance, but she sure as hell was not forgiving him yet. "If you step even one toe out of line," she warns, "we are over for good. And I don't feel comfortable returning to how we were before, so we'll have to start over."

Jacob nods emphatically, fully conveying his understanding of her words. "Of course, baby, I can't thank you enough. I'll head out now, but I love you." And before she realizes it, he leans in and places a chaste kiss against her lips, before turning around and walking down the stairs.

She leans against the door, squeezing her eyes shut, considering whether or not she had done the right thing. Bella presses her lips together, and her eyes fly open when the feeling of Mr. Magic Lips immediately overwhelms her sensations.

Shaking her head, she finally enters her apartment, resolving to wash that feeling away with a nice, hot shower and a cathartic run.

:-:-:-:-:

She was never a big runner—or exerciser, actually—but she found it to be a good stress relief. Normally after a long day at the office, she would head down to the public gym and knock out a couple miles on the treadmill. Today, however, the weather was pleasant for a run outside—not too sunny, not too chilly, and thank goodness, not too rainy. A breath of fresh air would be tremendously beneficial.

As Bella sweats, purging her body of all unwanted emotions, she bitterly wonders why she didn't run instead of drinking her heart out. She could have avoided so much: a massive headache, an unwanted confrontation, a night with Mr. Magic Lips…

Bella shakes her head. That was the second time that day he had popped into her mind. She was back with Jacob—kind of—and it was only 10 o'clock!

Jacob. Yes, Jacob. She hopes she wouldn't regret giving him another shot. He was still her friend, her longest friend in fact, and that was something she didn't want to lose… Well maybe he should've thought about that before he hopped into bed with another woman.

No, she shakes her head again. She would need to put that behind her if there was any chance of them moving forward. And it's not like she is any better than him, having a one night stand. But at least there was an understanding that they had somewhat broken up when she ran off, her mind counters.

God, her legs were burning. They would be sore the next day—and not the pleasant kind of soreness she had experienced when she had woken up this morning. Bella's mind flashes back to a hazy recollection of the night's events. His mouth working wonders on her body… His hands holding her against the taut muscles of his abdomen… His cock hitting places in her never before felt… Bella flushes hard, her constant footsteps becoming sporadic, embarrassed to have thought that.

Bella shudders involuntarily, squeezing her eyes shut and exhaling an unsteady breath.

The next thing she knows, she's tripping over her laces—but she doesn't fall to the ground. No, Bella falls into the sweaty embrace of another person. Could her day have gotten any worse? She almost wishes she had fallen on the ground rather than having to deal with someone.

Nevertheless, Bella straightens herself out, staring at the large feet of her unwanted savior. "Thanks," she mumbles, red-faced. Her gaze travels up, lingering a little too long on his nicely muscled stomach, before she finally reaches his green eyes.

A smirk is playing on his face, and she has to stare at him for a moment longer, before her eyes open in faint recognition. His smirk broadens when she becomes aware of who he is…

Mr. Magic Lips.

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Date uploaded: June 14, 2016

Word count: 3,037

Truthfully, I used to write for this website a couple years ago. I'm trying to get back into writing, however, under a different pen name. Please forgive me if my writing is rusty—I hope it will improve as the story progresses.

Be sure to share your love, offer any plot suggestions, or give out any criticism that can help me to improve. Thanks again.