All character names belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. All plots and themes belong to JustineNicole6.

Thank you to the glamorous Red for being the best beta a girl could ask for.
My friends, you know who you are, and I thank you. :-*

Chapter One - BPOV

Ah, I just love to bask in the glow of a one night stand. Yes, I realize this makes me sound like a slut. Well, let's be honest, I kind of am. I wasn't always this way, but that is a tale for a later time. Back to the task at hand; I need to sneak out of here without waking this guy up. I think he'll be out for a while, but I should exercise caution. I don't want to deal with any "morning after" awkwardness.

It is common knowledge that women are always pressing for something more. Right? That's what everyone is always going on about? Well, let me be the first to say, it's not just women who behave as such. I've been with my fair share of men and I will set the record straight: Men have the same basic insecurities, needs and desires that women do. It's true. A shocker, I know.

Ever so carefully, I lift…Bill? Brad? No, Brian, yeah, that's right, Brian's arm from my breasts. Wow, he really sweats a lot. Slowly, I slip from the silk sheets, turn and place my toes on the hardwood floor. As I stand, I turn and look back at the man who was my thirtieth, a milestone lay. I'm studying Brian while he sleeps. He's pretty hot. Not that I purposely choose only good looking guys; they just happen to frequent my night spots. Man, I'd love to take a shower before calling a cab home. He's hot, but I'm insanely sweaty. Yuck. I tiptoe across to the corner of the luxurious bedroom in Brian's penthouse, to pick up my clothes. I don't even bother with my panties or bra; I shove them into my purse after slipping my dress over my head. Ghosting across the room towards the door, I stop to blow a kiss to the sleeping man, hoping I'll never see him again.

"Bella!"

I turn toward the sound of my name being called. "Hey, Alice! Where did you disappear to last night?"

"Did you not see that gorgeous hunk that was buying me drinks all night?"

"You're sure he was legal, babe?"

"Oh, you're such a shit! That only happened one time!" Alice smacks my arm, with more force than one might think could come from someone her size.

Alice is my best friend. We grew up in the same foster home from the tender age of fifteen until we graduated. We were both at the top of our class at Phoenix High School. Alice is a slight pixie of a woman, with hair as black as pitch, her bright blue eyes that can pierce through all the bullshit. She was in gymnastics all through her youth, giving her a sense of balance and strength that is remarkable. That was before her parents died and she became a ward of the state. With no living relatives, she came to live in the same foster home where I had been for a year. We were fast friends, sharing the attic bedroom. Victoria was our bitch of a foster mother and James was her husband. The second we got our diplomas we ran for the hills.

Seattle seemed like a good place to lose ourselves. Alice and I attended an art school in Seattle, graduated with honors and now both work for a high-end fashion magazine called, Glitz. Alice works in the editing end of the business, and I am focused on the writing. Fashion is our whole world. We worked our way through school and worked hard. It was an intense four years, living on campus, working our tails off, so we could get where we knew we deserved to be. Lucky for us both, we are intelligent and naturally driven. Alice always knew she wanted to be involved in the fashion world. I, on the other hand, was introduced to it by her. It became a passion that consumed us. That is how we came to be so successful in our careers.

Alice and I have very different personalities, but we do seem to complement each other. While Alice likes to stand out and take charge, I tend to hold back more. However, in our sexual exploits we are basically one and the same. Our general idea is to find some guy in a bar, get him to buy us a drink or two, head back to his place and fuck all night. Then we leave. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but that's our typical M.O. There aren't many guys who would dare to complain, but there have been a fair few.

"I still don't know how you managed to find the one guy in there who was under—"

"Let me stop you right there, sister! He was legal. Eighteen is legal. I mean, c'mon you didn't notice he was that young! You thought he was hot, too!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, new subject," I grumble at her good naturedly. "So how was your latest conquest last night?"

"Oh my gosh, Bella! I honestly don't know what to do about this one! I was sneaking out this morning and ran into the restroom to take care of necessities. When I came out, there he was, getting my phone number from my cell! He programmed his in, too, of course. My first thought was to immediately throw the phone out, but then he sent me such a sweet text…" She trails off and I see a dreamy look come to her angelic face.

Holy shit! You have got to be kidding me! No. No! No! My thoughts fly frantically through my brain. I immediately start twisting my ponytail through my fingers.

Trying to hide the quiver in my voice, I say, "Wow, he must be a hell of a good lay. I would have thought you'd have disconnected that number by now. "

"I don't know, Bells; maybe going on an actual date wouldn't be such a bad idea." She looks through those thick, black lashes at me. I can see it in her eyes, she's pleading with me.

I sigh, "No, I guess you're right, Ally. It's not going to hurt anyone."

Except maybe you. I just don't want any harm to come to my best friend.

We turn the corner, on our way to the office, when something catches my eye. I see a brilliant shining light.