Disclaimer: All Twilight names, places and characteristics belong to the talented Stephenie Meyer. I just play with her toys.

Authors note: A bit of a longer chapter this time, but I hope you'll love it all the same. So far this story has been completely un-beta'd. Once the story is finished, I do plan to have each chapter beta'd and replaced.

Here I was, stood in the same lingerie shop that I had been in just a few days before. Only this time I wasn't choosing my 'work clothes', although I suppose in a sick way I was.

I know what you're all thinking, why not just be honest with Edward?

Honestly? I didn't think he'd understand. I saw Edward to be a gentleman who obviously wanted to reason with Marcus the ass. Edward the gentleman who deep down, never wanted to be filmed, he just wanted his own 'friends reunited' moment. There was an innocence about this man, it was something I liked and I couldn't ask him to taint that.

What Edward didn't know, couldn't hurt.

I wasn't seeing Edward until midday so here I was at opening time in the sex shop with Eric. I was trying to choose something sexy, he was choosing slutty.

"Ooh, Bella, look at this!" He giggled, holding up a basque that would completely expose my breasts.

I shook my head with a laugh.

We browsed through each rail in silence. My head was aching from our cocktail binge the afternoon before, I was enjoying the quiet.

"Bella Boo?"

Clearly, I thought too soon.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Did everything really go okay with Marcus the other night?" My friend asked curiously.

"Of course," I insisted, "why wouldn't it?"

"Just..." Eric hesitated.

"What?" I asked, looking for the matching panties to a bra I liked.

"It's just... and don't take this the wrong way, you can be pretty socially awkward, Bella, I was a little surprised that you just managed to sort all of this out without your agent by your side,"

I blinked.

"Socially awkward?"

Eric laughed nervously, dropped a leather studded catsuit and wrapped his arms around me.

"No, no, no!" He chuckled, "Not in a bad way. We both the same, you and I, we're two people who have been stuck in the same hole for so long that neither of us know differently. You've never dealt with confrontation unless it's with the doorman of a nightclub you've been kicked out of,"

We both laughed fondly at a little memory.

I knew Eric was right.

"It really wasn't that hard. I asked him what it would take to make everything go away and he said he was too old for this shit anymore. I wrote out a cheque and left it with him,"

I was lying through my teeth.

"A cheque? How much for?"

I exaggerated a sigh at Eric's curiosity.

"Oh per-lease, a lady never tells," I winked and turned my attention back to laced lingerie. I prayed Eric would drop the subject now.

I picked out a little black set, it would stand out against my pale complexion. I picked up some massage oil and paid for my goods. I had two hours until Edward would knock on my hotel room door.

Eric decided he would start packing early and took the short walk back to the hotel with me. We walked with our arms linked like best pals do.

We took the elevator up to our floor and eventually stopped outside of my door. Eric smiled at me. It was the type of smile that your Dad gives you on your first day of school. The kind of smile that meant a person knew that you're not a kid anymore.

Eric kissed my forehead and continued to grin.

"Have a memorable night, Boo. I quite like that smile Cullen puts on your face,"

Eric handed me plain, shopping bag and strutted down the hall to his room. I put my keycard into the slot of my room and headed inside. I threw my bags onto the bed and ran into the bathroom for a quick beauty routine.

Shower. Check.

Shaved legs. Check.

Moisturised. Check.

Brushed teeth. Check.

I shoved Eric's mystery bag under the bed and then slid on my new underwear and just managed to wriggle into my leather look pants before Edward was knocking on the door. I pulled down my white, camisole top and smoothed my hair down before frantically opening the door.

"Edward," I breathed.

"Are you okay?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

"Yeah, why?" I smiled.

Edward leant in and kissed my flushed cheek.

"You look very red, were you hurried?" He chuckled and I blushed further in embarassment. Edward kissed my cheek again, he was amused.

"So, are you ready?" He asked.

I nodded and grabbed my keycard. I stepped out into the hall with Edward and pulled the door closed.

"Where are we going?" I wondered vocally.

"Somewhere very, very exclusive," Edward flashed a toothy, crooked smile. His pearly whites almost dazzled me.

Our fingers linked perfectly and Edward led me down the hall to the elevator. We made small talk, Edward told me how his brothers had travelled back to to Cambridgeshire to visit their parents but Edward was pondering staying in London and going back to University to study medicine. I smiled listening to Edward's voice, he was so passionate about everything. He pointed out a painting in the lobby and described it with such excitement.

"It's Monet, I'd know it anywhere, my mother adores his work," He chatted away and I grew confused when he led me into the hotel bar.

We stopped at a table and he motioned for me to sit and told me he'd be back in a moment.

My eyes followed Edward's ass up to the bar. He folded his arms and leant on the oak wood, talking away to the aging barman. I felt warm inside, I expected to be feeling nerves.

Was it Edward making me feel comfortable or was I just becoming too comfortable in my web of lies?

I preferred my first thought.

Moments later, Edward walked back over to me with a grin on his face and an ice bucket in hand, I could see the bottle of champagne poking out.

"Come on," He held his free hand out. I raised an eyebrow an stood, taking the hand offered to me.

Bizarre to me, I soon found myself back in the elevator and then back outside my hotel room. Edward stayed silent and just grinned at me, he looked very pleased with himself.

"Edward?" I let go of his hand wiggled my own hand into the tight pocket of my pants for my keycard.

"I told you we were going somewhere exclusive," He laughed and slid his free arm around my waist, bringing my body extremely close to his.

"If we went out, I wouldn't have you completely alone," He explained, his voice lowering with every word, "And today I'm being very selfish and want you all to myself," He whispered, lightly touching his lips to mine.

"Is that okay?" He smiled. I hummed an approving sound, the sparks of Edward kiss were still flowing through me and I opened the door, allowing Edward to go in first.

He put the ice bucket on the nightstand and took out his cellphone, switching it off.

"No interruptions,"

"Good idea,"

I took my own phone out and did the same.

Edward strolled the short distance back to me and brushed my hair away from my eyes. I felt relaxed and at ease around him. My stomach did somersaults in an immediate reaction to his subtle touch.

"I'm really going to miss you, Bella," He sighed and looked down.

His chin rested gently on my head as he looked down. I bent my knees and tilted my head back to look into his eyes and kiss him. His head lifted and his arms wrapped tightly around my petite body, holding me firmly against him. My arms slipped around his neck, crossing each other, I was almost being lifted off of my feet. Edward's tongue lapped over mine, we were almost massaging each other. Our hips touched each other in just the right way that I could feel his obvious erection straining in the confines of his jeans. Edward's lips broke away from mine, but not before he almost growled within our kiss.

"Not yet," He shook his head and let go of my body.

Edward turned his back to me and shrugged off his jacket, leaving it at the foot of the bed. I tugged off my boots and threw them across the room in my struggle to pull them off. I pulled at the second boot, it flew across the room and I fell backwards onto my ass with a THUD.

Edward popped the cork on the champagne and turned around, nearly howling with laughter at my stupidity.

"Shut-up," I grumbled with a smile.

"Aww, want me to rub it better, baby?" He cooed and winked. Every womanly part of me tingled at the mere sight of this man.

-BS-

We spent the afternoon watching an old black and white movie, drinking champagne and eating room service. Edward asked me every possible question he could think of, wanting to know me inside out.

"Favourite colour?"

"Favourite number?"

"Favourite cuisine?"

I felt like I was on a gameshow but I basked in every second of it.

"Black, sixty-nine and Italian," I giggled. Edward's eyebrows wagged in response to my favourite number and then he fed me a forkful of chocolate fudge cake.

"Mmm! So good!" I moaned, swallowing the moist sponge.

I felt Edward's hand gently massage my neck while I ate, I felt so relaxed. We gazed into each others eyes, almost savouring each second together until he suddenly stopped and got up from the bed.

"Where are you going?" I pouted.

He stopped by the door to the en suite bathroom and winked in my direction.

"The little boys room," He chuckled and disappeared into the room.

Once I heard the door lock, I frantically tidied up the room as best I could. I pushed the room service trolley into the hall and brushed crumbs off the sheets.

I refilled the champagne flutes with the last of the bubbly and hid the empty bottle under the bed. Two things quickly became in my grasp. Eric's mystery bag, and Marcus' camera bag. I ignored the feeling of sickness in my stomach at the sight of the black bag and first looked in Eric's sack of treats.

Scented candles and a CD.

"Oh, Eric," I whispered, still sitting on my knees. I smiled and placed the candles around the room, lighting them one by one as I went.

I glanced at the CD cover and put the disk into the player in the corner of the room. Celine Dion. It was typical of Eric, he called it 'mood music'.

I smiled to the sweet lyrics of the first song.

You were my strength when I was weak,

You were my voice when I couldn't speak...

Oh how right the lyrics were. Before my eyes, my mind flashed images of the way Edward played my knight in shining armour at the restaurant.

I could hear Edward washing his hands. I didn't have long. I yanked the camera bag from the floor and positioned it in place between the television and a lamp. I tossed a random shirt of mine on top to try and conceal it.

You were my eyes when I couldn't see,

You saw the best there was in me...

I wiped a tear from my eye.

"Don't be a coward," I whispered to myself.

I needed a new way to think of my deceit, a way to define saving my best friend and the man I... Edward. This was my last night with a man who had changed my life. He'd seen the best in me, told me that I could do better than be a sleazy porn star. Plenty of couples filmed themselves, for their own desires or as a memory. This would just be a memory neither of us would keep.

I pressed the record button on the camera and brushed through my hair.

I heard the bathroom door open. The soundless footsteps of Edward came up behind me. I only knew he was there when I looked down and saw his bare feet between the gap in my parted legs, and felt the warmth of his bare chest on my back.

"You're so beautiful, Bella,"

Until next time

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