Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two: Adventure

Edward

I thought it was fucking hilarious my friends called Tanya "Late Night Tanya". If she knew, she'd probably freak out. But then, I did only call her after several drinks and only at night. It made being with her bearable. The last thing I wanted was to have any type of relationship with her. Tanya was gorgeous but not much of a conversationalist.

No matter, we didn't do much talking when we were together.

I know, I'm a dick.

I led Tanya into my room so we could get the party started. I hadn't called her in a little over a week, so it was time to work her into the rotation so she didn't feel the need to have the "what are we doing" speech.

My friends didn't even bother hiding their disapproval. Emmett and Jasper didn't usually give me too much shit about Tanya, but Bella and Alice didn't even try to hide their disgust.

Tanya was always so willing and eager to please. Tonight was no exception.

I just wanted to be done with her so I could send her on her way. I couldn't say that sex (or anything else for that matter) was that great with Tanya, but she sufficed. On occasion, I felt badly about how things were with us, but I couldn't seem to break myself of calling her. She never complained about our arrangement, so I didn't feel too guilty. At least it was better than playing my own trumpet.

When I'd had my fill of her, I walked her to the door. I was a little self-conscious because she'd been a little more rambunctious than normal, and I could tell my friends had heard us. Tanya didn't seem bothered in the slightest as she grabbed her purse and made for the door. She knew better than to ask me if she could stay. I never let girls stay at my place. It was too messy, and I wasn't usually that excited to see them in the morning. I didn't want to feel obligated to hang out with them all day or take them to breakfast. It was just easier to have them gone when I got up.

I joined the rest of my friends in the living room after seeing Tanya to the door. No surprise, Alice and Bella threw me disapproving glances.

"There are some things that can't be unheard. I need to scrub my brain with bleach." Bella scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Yeah…uh…sorry about that," I said, scratching the back of my neck nervously.

"Oh please, Edward. You probably encouraged her," Alice chimed in.

"We got a little carried away."

Emmett and Jasper laughed, but the girls just rolled their eyes. What could I really say? It was exactly what it looked like, and I didn't feel the need to sugar coat it.

I knew the girls thought I was disgusting, but where else was I going to get laid and not have to deal with the hassle of a girlfriend? I didn't have time for a relationship, nor did I want one. Tanya was hassle-free. Plus, I'd been so busy with school there was no way I could handle a relationship. I didn't want to be tied down to one person and be responsible for their happiness. I could barely take care of my own.

Besides, Alice and Bella were the exception, not the rule, when it came to women. They were easy to talk to and get along with. I didn't need to baby-sit them or worry about them getting crazy on me. I'd dated enough women to know that the more normal they seemed at first, the crazier and more fucked up they usually were. I seemed to be a magnet for stalkerish, crazy girls, and that was the last thing I needed right now.

"I think you set a new speed record, Edward. She was in and out in less than a half hour. Not to mention the vocal performance. Bravo, my friend," Alice said with a perky smile, clapping her hands. At least she could joke about it, even though I knew she disapproved.

"What can I say? She's efficient. You guys are just jealous you're not getting any right now," Edward replied.

"Hey, I fully intend to hit this when I get home tonight," Jasper said as he grabbed Alice's ass with a shit-eating grin.

"Oh yeah, baby. I love me some good smexin' after twelve margaritas. In fact, I'm getting hot just thinking about it," Alice replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she elbowed him in the chest.

"Hey, I'll take twelve-margarita sex any day over not getting any at all," Emmett's voice was a big as his personality. We all laughed. Clearly he was drunk and hoping to get into Rosalie's pants.

"I thought you said you wanted it to be special, Schmoopy?" Rosalie said as she pinched Emmett's cheeks, smirking at him. Yeah, he wasn't going to get lucky tonight. I loved that she just called him out like that. She was going to fit right in with our group.

"Ew, I think I'd rather be a cat lady and spend my life with BOB than be with Tanya though," Bella remarked, slightly slurring her words. She was so cute with a buzz.

"BOB?"

"Battery-operated boyfriend."

I laughed as I realized she was referring to a vibrator. It was kind of a turn on to think of, actually.

"I don't know what you see in her. She's just…ew," Bella continued, while I was still thinking about the vibrator visual.

"Well, she's got the right parts," I said, shrugging, wanting to change the subject. My friends knew how I was, but I didn't really want to have a serious discussion about my shortcomings.

Wanting to lighten the mood, I came up behind her, grabbed her hips and pretended to dry hump her. "You know, Bella, maybe you just need a little TLC. I'm sure I could help you out."

"Very nice moves, Edward. Very nice, indeed. I'm sure that move has the girls dropping their panties quicker than you can say 'giddy up cowboy'," Bella laughed as she slapped my hands to get me to release her.

"Actually, it does," I replied. I liked fucking around with Bella. She made me laugh.

She turned to give me a playful jab in the shoulder, and I started tickling her sides. She hated being tickled, and it was always my way to get her to back down. We fell onto the couch, and I straddled Bella to get a better advantage. She kicked me and tried to break free to no avail.

Finally, Bella got her hand out of my grip and put it on my chest.

"Oh my God, you have to stop tickling me. I'm going to pee my pants," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"Do you give up?" I said, tightening my grip on her.

She nodded, and I climbed off her. She sat up and tried to compose herself, while I sat smugly next to her.

"What did I do to deserve tickling?" she asked after she'd gotten herself together. "I thought we were friends."

"I just couldn't resist." I put my arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Sorry if I made you pee your pants."

I got up and grabbed us both beers from the fridge to make amends.

"Hey guys, I forgot to tell you this," Bella said as I sat down again and handed her the beer. "I have to go to New York for a conference next week. Anyone want to come?"

"Are you being serious?" I asked.

"Totally. I'd love some company. They've got me booked in some huge room, in a great hotel in Midtown, and there's plenty of room. So all you'd have to buy is a plane ticket. I even get a per diem expense account. Please someone come with me? I really don't want to spend four days in New York by myself."

Bella's pouty face was difficult to resist. She almost always got what she wanted, and I had to admit it sounded ideal.

"I've never been to New York, but I've always wanted to go. It's also perfect timing since I just finished classes," I responded, still doubtful that this might actually happen. "You're really serious?"

"Of course I am. It'll be so much fun." Bella was bouncing in her seat like a child.

I thought about it for a second. When else would I get a chance to go to New York for so cheap?

Bella could tell I'd made up my mind and clapped as she said, "It's settled then. You're coming. Sorry, but Late Night Tanya is NOT invited."

I laughed. Bella cracked me up. "Fair enough. Maybe I'll just call her up and have some good phone sex."

"Don't even think about it. We'll be sharing a room, and I'd have to kill myself if I heard or saw that."

Bella watching me…hmmm…that was kind of a turn on, too.

What's going on with me tonight?

Bella didn't let up. "Anyone else? We could make it a party!"

"I can't," Jasper said. "I already went to that conference, and I don't have any vacation time. Plus, Banner won't want both of us out at the same time."

"You're probably right. He'd have a fit," Bella said with a sad look on her face. "What about you, Emmett?"

"I'm swamped with stuff at school right now, so I can't go," Emmett added.

"Alice?" Bella asked, still bouncing in her seat.

"No can do," she responded. "We've got a major deadline at work, and my boss will kill me if I try and bail. Sounds like fun, though."

Bella hooked her arm in mine. "Looks like it's just you and me, Edward. Do you think you can keep it in your pants for four days? The last thing I need is to share a room with you while you're working your magic on some poor, unsuspecting New Yorker."

"Yes, I think I can control myself," I said, laughing. "It'll be tough, but I'm pretty sure I can manage. But only if you're being serious about me going. This isn't just the margaritas talking, is it? I don't want to book a flight only to have you tell me I can't stay or something. Are you sure it's really okay if I go? Will anyone at your work care? Won't you be busy the whole time?"

"No one will care. Trust me. And I'm only busy on Thursday and Friday during the day. Then we can go sightseeing on Saturday and come home Sunday. It'll be perfect." She looked pretty confident and excited.

"Alright, you convinced me. Why the hell not? If you're sure it's okay, I'll go. I really would like to see New York," I said, feeling myself getting excited, too.

"It's fine. I'm positive. You're coming!" she said with an authoritative tone and pulled me into a hug.

An almost free trip to New York with my best friend.

Jackpot.

We made plans, and I researched New York sightseeing all that week. With each passing day, I grew more and more excited. This was going to be a great trip.

We arrived in New York late on Wednesday night, and Bella and I were exhausted but excited to finally be here. We checked into the hotel, which was every bit as nice as Bella had described. It was modern and chic and located right in Midtown. Upon opening the door to the room, we discovered that instead of two queen-sized beds, there was only a king. It really didn't matter to me as Bella and I had shared a bed plenty of times in the past. I knew she wouldn't care, either. Even if it wasn't ideal, we were too tired to worry about it.

The alarm the next morning scared the shit out of me. With the time being three hours ahead of where my body was, it felt like I'd just gone to sleep. Even though I didn't have anywhere to be, there was no way I could have gone back to sleep; I was anxious to see what New York had to offer.

Bella wasn't so eager to spend the day at a medical conference, so she pulled the pillow over her head. I rolled over and grabbed the pillow off her.

"Time to get up, Sleeping Beauty," I said in my best sing-songy voice.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate you?" she said, trying to shield her eyes from the light streaming in the window.

"Not yet, but I'm sure you will."

"I so don't want to get up. This bed is so comfortable," she moaned.

"Well, I don't want you to get in trouble. Tell you what – I'll make coffee while you shower. Fair?"

"You're too good to me…that is…when you're not being a total shit," she said, reluctantly sitting up. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood wobbly, making her way to the bathroom.

After what seemed like an eternity in the bathroom, Bella was finally ready and we walked down the block to a small coffee shop recommended by the concierge. It was bustling with activity, being rush hour, so there was a long line.

"I'm so glad you made some coffee in the room. I'd be dying right now otherwise," Bella said.

"I hope you're okay today. I'm pretty tired, and I'm sure you are, too."

"You know me. I'll be fine in an hour or so."

I chuckled softly. She did have an amazing ability to be perky and focused, even with little sleep.

She grabbed a to-go cup of coffee and left for her conference. I'd been so busy with medical school that I couldn't wait to just sit and drink my coffee and read my book for a while. I enjoyed reading, but I had been so busy with textbooks that I hadn't had the time to read for pleasure in years. This was a luxury for me. Plus, people-watching in New York was proving to be as interesting as my book. I was on my own for the whole day, and I couldn't wait.

Later, I walked around the city enjoying all the funky shops and street vendors. There was a store for absolutely everything you could imagine in New York. Normally I wasn't a shopping type of guy, but it was hard not to get into the spirit here. I saw one store that only sold condoms. That was it. Nothing else. I had no idea how many different types of condoms there were. I had a good time in that store and couldn't help but buy a few choice souvenirs, both for myself and my friends. They deserved to see all the selections available, too.

I also spent quite a bit of time in a very retro-looking music store. It was like the kind you'd see in a 1980's John Hughes movie. It was mostly records and had listening booths in the back. I'd always loved music. I'd played the piano since I was very young, but it'd been collecting dust lately since I'd been so busy. It made me sad not to have time to enjoy my passion, but I knew it was just temporary. So I was thrilled to get a chance to explore the new artists and a quite a few old ones, too. I bought a few reggae albums that were hard to find in Seattle and continued on my exploration of the city. I could've spent days just walking around. There was just so much to see.

Bella got out of her conference at around 4:00 and met me for a drink at a small restaurant by Central Park. I was tired from all the walking I had done, so it was nice to sit and just relax.

"How was your conference today?" I asked. I was excited to tell her about my day but didn't want to rub it in.

"It was alright. If you've been to one, you've been to them all. You know?"

"What's this one about?"

"New Drugs for Cardiovascular Research. It's fascinating stuff, let me tell you," she said, rolling her eyes. "Actually, it is interesting, but the sessions are really long, and I don't really know anyone except a few people from our other offices so it got a little dull. It's good for me to know what's new on the market, though, and it'll help me do my job better, so I guess it's worth it." Bella shrugged and seemed to be bored of her work talk.

"You're really good at what you do, Bella. You should be proud of that." I wanted her to know I was impressed with her drive, even if she wasn't feeling it at the moment.

"Thanks, that's sweet. I'm no doctor in training, but I guess I'll do." The smile on her face was as flirtatious as ever.

One of the things I loved about Bella was her intelligence. She didn't flaunt it, but she always kept me in my place. I wasn't surprised that she had done very well professionally. She was articulate and witty, and I loved that about her. Things were never boring when she was around.

The truth was, if I did have time for a real relationship, Bella would be my ideal girlfriend. She was so different from other girls I knew, and we always had a wonderful time together. I knew she deserved more than I had to offer her, so I never let myself think of her as anything more than a friend.

"Despite how bored I was, I'm glad that I came. But it's so much more fun having you here with me." She smiled, and I held up my glass to toast her.

"Thanks. I had a great day today, even though I was by myself. The city is amazing. I found a cool little pub in the Village we'll have to hit up before we leave, too."

"How fun. I should have known you'd have this city dissected in a day. I want to check out as many of the local hot spots as we can. Speaking of which, I was thinking we should go to this club called Mixx tonight." Bella's excitement was infectious. "A guy from our New York office was telling me about it today, and it sounds like it's the happening spot. What do you think?"

"Sure, sounds like fun. I haven't been to a club in ages," I responded, a little anxious to let loose and take advantage of the New York nightlife.

"I know. We always seem to end up in dive bars. I think Emmett's penchant for all things seedy is rubbing off on us."

After another marathon bathroom/primping session, Bella was ready to go to the club. My jaw nearly hit the floor when she came out of the bathroom. She had on a fitted red dress and heels. Her long brown hair was down and had slight curls in it. Back home, she usually went out in jeans, so it was rare to see her so dressed up. I'd always known she was pretty, but I'd never really looked that closely before. I couldn't lie - she looked hot. The dress fit her every curve, and her body was amazing.

How had I missed that?

"Wow, Bella, you look fuckhot," I said, as I smacked her ass lightly.

"Thanks. I figured that I should dress up a little bit. You know...when in Rome. You look great, too," she offered, quickly giving me the once over and looking away.

"Hey, maybe we'll both get some action. You've been in a bit of a drought, and I bet there will be plenty of beautiful people there for us tonight," I teased.

"No, the bed isn't big enough for us both to get some. Besides, I'm swearing off guys. I'm serious. I'm already at my quota for the year on how many losers I can attract. I don't need to add a New York loser to the already distinguished list." She curled her lip in disgust.

"You should have thought of that before you picked out that dress. It doesn't exactly scream 'Stay the fuck away from me, I'm celibate', you know?"

"Ha, I know. I guess I'll just have to be a tease tonight."

I laughed; she could flirt with the best of them.

I felt bad that she'd been in such a dating slump lately. She really did date some losers, though. Jake, for example. She'd been casually dating him for a few months, and he had the personality of a wet dishtowel. Plus, he followed her around like a lost puppy. I think she only saw him to keep the boredom at bay. Not that the women I'd been with recently had been great, but at least I had no misconceptions about it. I didn't expect much else, but I knew Bella was looking for a meaningful relationship, and it was a source of frustration for her.

There was a huge line at the club, which I was not in the mood to deal with. Bella just laughed at me. Apparently it posed no threat to her at all.

"Be right back," she said with a smirk.

After a minute or two, she came back and started dragging me to the front of the line. The bouncer moved the rope for us and waved us in.

"I'm impressed. What did you say to that guy?" I asked her.

"I just 'girled' him a little. You know, a well placed, flirty smile and a tight red dress work every time."

"I bet." Girls had it so easy. Especially Bella. She had no idea how powerful her smile could be. She always thought of herself as plain and never noticed the way people reacted to her. I'd fallen prey to her many times. She'd gotten more favors out of me with just her smile than she realized. That poor bouncer never stood a chance against Bella.

A/N: Reviews are better than a trip to New York with Edward! Leave me one.

Thanks to my team for getting this out in record time!