AN: No, you're not crazy. The original name for this story was "The Arrangement", until a kind reviewer pointed out that there already is a Twilight fic with that name--and it's on my favorites list! *facepalm* Henceforth, this fic shall now be known as Ab Initio--"from the beginning".
This fic contains gratuitous casual sex, dirty talking, alcohol abuse, and a whole lot of foul language. But at its heart, it remains a Bella/Edward story, no matter how slightly twisted it may seem.
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Seattle, New Year's Eve, 10:00pm
"One cosmopolitan, extra lime, for the lovely lady in blue." The bartender winked at me as he handed over my cosmo and I slid a twenty dollar bill across the polished wood of the bar, walking away before he could say anything else. I had no desire to make idle chitchat or flirt with him, no matter how interested he may be. Besides, I had never really been into the blonde and brainless type.
The party was in full swing right now, the ballroom full of couples who were dancing to music played by the orchestra, or dining on one of the multitude of dishes from the excellently catered buffet. I had to admit, Alice had really outdone herself this time; I had no doubt her clients would cheerfully pay whatever extravagant bill she sent them for her services. She earned every penny she made, which was why she was one of the most highly sought-after event planners on the west coast. And as her best friend, I inevitable was badgered into coming along, a witness to her immeasurable success.
Weaving my way through the milling crowds, I found my way upstairs to the balcony which overlooked the main ballroom. It was quieter upstairs, as most of the partygoers were on the main floor, thoroughly enjoying their intoxicating evening. It was still early enough that people were continuing to arrive, the flutter of colorful cocktail dresses and the sharp contrast of black tuxedos peppering the ballroom, creating swirls of light and dark that popped against the elegant décor. I had lost sight of Alice some time ago but it hardly mattered—she and Jasper, her fiancé, were spending the night in the hotel and I had wisely turned down the offer to stay with them, knowing from experience that even my presence in the next room wouldn't stop them from enjoying themselves. I did not need to spend the majority of the night listening to my best friend get fucked good and hard by her sex-god of a fiancé.
"You look like this is the last place you want to be right now." A velvety smooth voice whispered in my ear and I turned swiftly, coming face to face with a handsome green-eyed stranger in a tuxedo, who was now smirking at me. His rude interruption of my thoughts made me irrationally angry for a moment and I fought to keep my tone level when I spoke.
"As a matter of fact, this is exactly where I want to be." I gave him a cool glare before I turned around again, feeling my grip on the glass in my hand tighten as I focused my attention on the dancing couples below and not on the gorgeous bronze-haired man behind me. "Kindly fuck off."
"Liar," the man replied, leaning against the railing with a casual grace that made me momentarily envious; I had never gotten over my coltish, unsteady teenage phase and alcohol only made me more self-conscious about that fact. "Let me guess. You're only here because someone dragged you along, someone who already has a date, and you're intent on drowning your misery in cosmos until you go home alone and pretend you don't care that you didn't have anyone to kiss at the stroke of midnight."
"Fuck you," I snapped, clenching my fingers so tightly around the stem of the glass that for a moment, I thought I might break it in half. The fucking nerve! "Do you get off on being such an asshole to complete strangers?"
"No, I get off the same way as any man." He grinned easily and leaned closer to me, brushing his jacket-clad shoulder against my bare one. "If you're a very good girl, I'll show you."
"Aren't you supposed to buy me a drink first?" By any logic, I should have been offended by his casual suggestion, but my libido wisely reminded me that I hadn't gotten laid since my last boyfriend broke up with me six months before and there was nothing like a round of fantastic casual sex to get me back into the dating game. Plus, he was an attractive jackass, and lacked that sleazy, oily feeling I got from most of the lewd assholes that hit on me. Two points in his favor, then.
"You already have one, and I don't think you're the type of girl who gets drunk before she fucks a stranger." His gaze met mine and I could clearly see the desire in his eyes, mixed with a wry amusement, causing my cheeks to flush in embarassment.
"That's the first thing you've been right about all night." Lifting my chin, I downed the rest of the cosmo—it would be a shame to let good alcohol go to waste—and smirked, swiping my clutch off the table where I'd set it earlier. "So the only remaining question is, your place or mine?"
--
The answer was my place, since it was closest. Alice had given me a ride to the hotel, so it was his car—a sleek, silver Volvo—that we took back to my apartment. When the valet brought it around to the front doors, my one-night stand opened the passenger door for me and held out one hand to help me inside, the very picture of the perfect gentleman, if his eyes hadn't been roving all over my chest at the same time.
Shutting my door, he came around the other side and slid into the car, the smooth purr of the engine making the only sound besides our breathing as he pulled out of the half-circle drive and onto the nearly-empty Seattle streets.
I gave him brief directions to my place and he turned the corner, one pale, graceful hand pressing a button on the dash panel. Music filled the air—Debussy, how classy—and I leaned back in the leather seat, idly brushing my fingers against the hem of my silk dress.
"Are you going to tell me your name, or is that part of your game?" I turned my head to study the profile of his face, noting the attractive angle of his jawline and the unruly bronze hair that gave him an air of just having rolled out of bed after a particularly vigorous night of sex. Briefly, I wondered it that was the case, or if he actually worked to achieve that look.
"It's Edward, and to be fair, you haven't told me your name either." He glanced sideways at me, his mouth curled in a crooked smirk and I had to swallow against my suddenly dry mouth. He was good—I had to give him that.
"Bella. My name is Bella."