I'm your national anthem. God, you're so handsome. Take me to the Hamptons, Bugatti Veyron. He loves to romance 'em, reckless abandon. Holding me for ransom, Upper echelon. He says to be cool, but I don't know how yet. Wind in my hair, hand on the back of my neck. ~ Lana Del Rey, National Anthem

Dark…

EPOV

When I woke up this morning, I made sure to be as quiet as possible. For the past seven months, Bella has gotten up with me every morning as I got ready for work. She would sit on the counter as I showered and talk to me as I got dressed. In the beginning, I always told her she should get back to sleep and enjoy a restful morning. She never did, so I stopped suggesting it.

She was always there waiting for me as I got out of the shower because even after the most stressful and exhausting year of her life she still got up at six every morning to see me.

I wasn't letting that happen today. Today my girl was turning twenty-nine-years old. Bella was never one to fuss about aging or complain about any change in her appearance. I watched her apply an ungodly number of products to her face and skin every night before bed. She told me she started preparing for wrinkles and aging at eighteen, because that was what Hollywood told her to.

So, at twenty-nine I was fairly certain she could pass for at least a twenty-five-year old. Not that it mattered to me, but I was hopeful it meant she wouldn't get upset at being another year closer to thirty. Alice and Rose had both already crossed that line, and I heard horror stories from Emmett and Jasper.

Once Bella fell asleep last night I made sure to turn off her alarm. If I couldn't convince her to at least sleep in on her birthday, there was no hope. My whole plan for her actually required her to still be asleep when I left.

After managing to get ready for work without waking her, I left her a note on the bedside table detailing out her day. My phone chirped just as I left a soft kiss to her forehead. Right on time.

Leaving Bella sleeping peacefully, I went downstairs to let Kate in. I had her flown in early this morning, a surprise I knew Bella would love. They didn't get to see each other much these days, and I knew Bella missed her friend. Kate was busy with her own life in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, but she was still as supportive of her best friend as she could be.

Kate and I had our rough patches, but we both cared about Bella and that was enough for us. She readily agreed when I called her and asked if she wanted to spend Bella's birthday with her.

"You're already checked in, you can go right up to the room when you get there. A schedule of everything will be waiting," I told her, handing her the room key I had picked up last night before coming home.

"Sounds good. I'll see you this afternoon?"

I nodded. "Have fun," I told her. They would have a day of relaxation. Bella and Kate would have a morning brunch waiting for them when they got there, and a few hours to catch up before Alice and Rosalie joined them for some more pampering. Nails would be painted, skin scrubbed… a lot of things I didn't understand but I knew women liked to pamper themselves with.

My morning had to be spent at work, but I managed to clear my afternoon and night for Bella. I could have gone all out; the best restaurant followed by a lavish night out around Chicago. My wife preferred the simple things, though, especially on her birthday. She never liked her birthday, not after she found out who had actually given birth to her. I refused to let her dwell on that so I liked to give her simple, but distracting parties each year when I could.

Before I even made it to the office my phone beeped with a message.

Thank you. I love you. A lot.

A smile covered my face, imaging how excited Bella would have been to see Kate when she woke up. My typical birthday wake-up call for her was my head between her legs, but I had plans for that later tonight.

I love you. Enjoy your day, birthday girl. I'll see you this afternoon.

Worked dragged on. Today was set aside for my actual, legal business dealings. It was full of paperwork and finance meetings and all of the shit I usually delegated to others as long as I could, until I needed the final summary of everything. Days like today were exceptionally dull, but at least I had the night to look forward to.

It was nearing four in the afternoon when I pulled up to the luxury hotel I had booked for this evening. The women should be sequestered in a bedroom, all getting ready while the catering crew set up everything in the small dining room.

As I entered I bypassed the workers and went straight for the master bedroom. Before I could knock on the door, Rosalie swung it open and nearly barged into me.

"Oh! Good, you're here. Bella's just finishing up. She's yours until Emmett and Jasper get here," Rosalie said with a smile. She pulled Alice along behind her, who had Kate behind her. It was a train of giggling women, but not the one I cared about.

Bella was in the ensuite, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. It gave me a few moments to look at her before she realized I was here. Every day I had a favorite thing about her. Somedays it was the way her hair fell across her shoulders, pure silk I couldn't help but run my fingers through. Sometimes it was her humor, that dry wit that most people couldn't keep up with. Today, it was everything. The peaceful calm that she was giving off in waves, the slope of her neck covered in the necklaces I gave her on our wedding night, and the soft smile she had on her lips.

Bella turned to leave the room, jumping back slightly as she saw me standing there. "Oh! Hi," she said, a slight blush creeping up her neck.

"Happy birthday, my love," I said, pulling the single daisy out of my jacket pocket. The daisies started out as a small token I could give her during her trial, and I knew they had always been one of her favorite flowers. I had taken to bringing them home to her more often after she told me how much she loved them. Instead of handing it to her, I tucked the short stem behind her ear, letting her hair fall around it.

"Thank you," she whispered, her arms wrapping around my waist. "Thank you for flying Kate out here. I haven't seen her in… I don't know how long. It was the best birthday present."

Kissing the top of her head, the scent of strawberries, vanilla, and Bella assaulted my senses. I wrapped my hands around her waist and set her on the counter, stepping back to get a good look at her. She was in a simple, light grey dress that hugged every curve she had.

"Did you have a good day?" I asked, trailing my hand up her calf and enjoying the silky smoothness of her skin.

"Yes," she said, her voice breathless as I grasped her heeled foot. Her shoes had no covering over her toes, leaving them free for me to pull at her pretty, pale pink toes.

"Good." I dropped her foot but grasped her thighs in my hands. I had to bunch her dress up so I could spread her wide enough to wrap her legs around me. My head dropped to her bare shoulder, eager to taste the delicate skin there.

"Time to fuckin' celebrate!" Emmett shouted from the main room, effectively breaking our bubble. Both of us let out frustrated groans.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, shocked as I pulled the lacy panties she was wearing down her thighs.

"You won't be needing these," I said, stuffing them in my pocket.

"But – "

Ignoring her weak protest, I helped her off of the counter, carefully smoothing her dress back down her legs. There was a helpful slit on her right side. I would have to make sure to sit to her right.

The women had spent the few minutes Bella and I were alone decorating the room. Well, it must have been more than a few minutes considering the amount of decorations that now adorned the place. Balloons and streamers now covered every surface. Bella's urge to sigh was palpable, but she resisted and put a happy smile on her face instead.

The night progressed calmly. A few gifts were given, but everyone knew Bella didn't really want much. Kate handed her a photo album, full of them over the years. I stood over Bella's shoulder as she looked through it, watching her and Kate navigate their way through Hollywood in pictures. Alice and Jasper handed her a receipt for their generous donation to Bella's charity foundation. Emmett and Rosalie said Alec made her gift, but he wanted to give it to her in person at Sunday dinner.

Once everyone else was done, I pushed the long jewelry box toward her. It was a third chain to add to the collection around her neck. This one a dainty heart shaped diamond.

"It's beautiful," Bella breathed out. She quickly pulled the necklace from the box and handed it to me. Standing behind her, I gently fastened it around her neck with a kiss to her shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered, touching it gently as it rested against her chest. Thankfully, we were past her trying to argue every time I gave her something.

As we ate dinner, I made sure to sit on Bella's right side. My left hand only left its place on her thigh to travel up her leg and stop to put pressure on her exposed clit. Her fork clattered to her plate and my hand returned to her thigh, giving her a gentle squeeze.

A few minutes later, Bella got her revenge. She made it seem like she was just squeezing my thigh. Then, just as I did to her, she trailed her hand up until it landed on my cock. She gave it a firm squeeze, and I saw her smirk as it hardened in her hand.

We never went past teasing touches during dinner. By the time it was over, all I wanted was my wife alone and naked.

"Okay, Hollywood Two, I think it's time we got the inside dirt," Emmett said.

"Inside dirt?" Bella asked, looking confused.

"You're Hollywood One. Kate, Ms. Hollywood Two, it's time to get the dirt on Bella."

"Oh, I've got dirt," Kate said, a wicked smile on her face.

"Don't tell him anything!" Bella protested, her face turning a bright pink. She shoved me and pointed toward Emmett. "Make him stop."

"Sorry, baby, I want to know the dirt," I laughed, kissing the hand that just pushed me.

"Hmm. Where to begin… How about the time you gave yourself a concussion filming the second Tainted movie?" As soon as the words were out of Kate's mouth, every person at the table was in a fit of hysterics.

"Okay, wait! I was just running… and I had something in my hand and I may have hit myself in the head and flung myself backwards," Bella admitted, eventually laughing at herself as she finished her story.

"Oooh. What about the bar after your second time at the Oscars?"

"Okay, that wasn't embarrassing, that was awesome," Bella said, pointing a finger at Kate. They launched into a story about leaving the ceremony early and ending up in a bar filled with some of the biggest names in acting. All by chance.

With every one of Kate's stories I saw my family around us truly understand how much Bella had done, and how much she gave up to be a Cullen. Emmett looked at me at one point with this look. I couldn't really describe it, but I got this feeling that he was telling me I was pretty damn lucky. He was right.

It was nearing midnight by the time everyone left. It was obvious Bella was sad to see Kate go, but she perked up when Kate said she was free all day tomorrow as well. As soon as the door closed behind everyone I had Bella pressed against it, my arms on either side of her head.

"Thank you for the perfect day," Bella whispered. Her arms reached up and wrapped around my neck, pulling at the hair at the base of my neck. She pulled me closer and I let my body do as she asked, pressing the length of my body against hers. She squealed as I threw her over my shoulder, but it was a happy squeal.

With Bella on her feet at the bed I trailed my hands along her clothed body, reveling in every curve. "As much as I'd like to get you in that bed for the rest of the night, I have a plan that needs to be followed through."

Bella pouted and made me nearly forget the whole thing, but I resisted and pulled her into the bathroom. The first thing I did was start the bathtub and quickly throw in the pre-measured bath salts that Alice set out for me before she left.

While the bath filled I sunk to my knees in front of Bella and carefully pulled her shoes off. "You're being very sweet today. Did you do something bad?" she said, a gleam in her eyes.

"I've always done something bad," I replied, standing and sliding my hands to the zipper of her dress. When the fabric pooled at her feet I guided her to the tub, holding her hand as she got in so she didn't fall. Kneeling on the floor next to the tub, I leaned my arms on the edge.

"You're not getting in?" Bella asked, trailing her hands along the water.

"It wouldn't be nearly as relaxing if I did. I'll wait for you outside," I said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before retreating to the bedroom. I poured myself a drink, tossed my jacket on a chair, and looked out the window at the city below us.

I expected Bella to spend an hour or so in the tub, but just twenty minutes later the door opened. Turning, I saw her standing in the dimly lit room, just a few scraps of lace covering her.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath. "You would think it was my birthday."

We met at the foot of the bed. With just the tips of my fingers, I traced the edge of the lace around her breasts, watching goose bumps pop up in my wake, and then along the top edge of the panties right below her navel.

"Was this expensive?" I asked, getting a firm grip on the lace at her hip.

"Yes."

With a shrug, I had the bottoms torn in half. "That's okay."

The snapping lace put us both in a frenzy. Bella's hands dug into my shoulder and neck, pulling me down so she could attack me with her lips. As Bella's tongue danced roughly with mine I slid my hands down her waist, squeezing her ass until I heard a small whimper.

Bella pushed against my chest and I complied, turning to lie down in the center of the bed. She wasted no time and climbed on top of me, undoing the buttons of my shirt with shaking hands.

Nearly every day I heard stories of marriages falling apart. Owning a few strip clubs, I had been privy to seeing a few fall apart before my eyes. Men always said they got bored of their wives, said they needed something new. Bella and I had been married six years and every time we touched it was like the first time. Every caress, every kiss set my nerves on fire. I didn't see it ever dulling.

Once she had my shirt unbuttoned I leaned up quickly and threw it to the floor. Her hands went to my slacks, which were quickly discarded as well. My hands gripped her thighs, carefully pulling her up my chest until her knees rested on either side of my head and her pussy was aligned perfectly with my mouth.

"What's got you this wet already, baby?" I whispered against her warm, wet flesh. With one kiss to her clit I already had her arousal dripping down my chin.

"You," Bella whispered as her hips jerked against every small flick of my tongue. "Everything about you gets me wet."

I lived for dirty words spilling out of her mouth, so I wasted no time in devouring her. With my arms wrapped around her thighs to keep her steady, I let Bella take control and glide her hips over my tongue. My teeth nipped at her clit and my tongue fucked her until she came with my name on her lips.

With Bella's legs still in my arms I pushed her back, her head at the foot of the bed. My lips molded to hers as I got rid of the flimsy lace covering her breasts. As soon as they were free, my mouth attached to one while my hand covered the other. I groaned as her nipple hardened in my mouth, biting gently to get a matching groan from Bella.

Bella's nails dug into my back, and her lips moved with words I couldn't hear. That won't do, baby. I let her breast pop out of my mouth and hovered over her, listening.

"Need you, need you, need you," Bella mumbled, her eyes squeezed closed. I stayed where I was until she opened them, her deep brown pools glazed over. "Please."

With our lips connected again, tongues battling, I eased into her heat slowly. We both let out matching groans. I started slow, even thrusts and enjoyed the pressure of her walls squeezing me every time I had her completely full.

"Harder, Edward," Bella panted, her hands tugging at the hair at the base of my neck. Looking down at her, I saw her determination and knew what she needed. I leaned up, my hands gripping the soft sheets under her for leverage, and slammed my cock into the warmth of her pussy. Over and over, I set the punishing pace I knew she craved.

Bella's hips tried to keep up, thrusting up to meet me. I had been distracted, watching the absolute pleasure wash over her face, that I didn't notice her start to slide up the bed, her head hanging over the edge.

I leaned down, covering her completely with my body, and pulled her head into my neck. With one hand wrapped around the back of her head and the other gripping a shoulder to keep her to me, I knew I didn't have long before she would be coming around me. I felt the telltale flutter of her walls and could hear the new desperate tone of her cries.

"I can never get enough of this," I grunted. "Never get enough of you. Do you know how fucking magnificent it feels to have you come on my cock?" I whispered, feeling her entire body tense underneath me.

I held my release in as long as I could, wanting to feel every second of Bella's before I collapsed against her panting. My arms were still wrapped around her in a vise, one hand still cupping her head to keep her from straining it over the edge of the bed.

As our breathing slowed I rolled us over. It would be too much effort to actually get in at the head of the bed, so I just pulled a couple pillows down to us and untucked the comforter from underneath us.

Bella curled herself around me, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder as an arm draped over my chest. We didn't speak for a while, but I knew she wasn't asleep. Her fingers would lazily move across my chest, and her lips would sometimes pepper kisses along my shoulder.

"I don't need fancy hotel rooms and diamonds all the time, you know," Bella whispered eventually.

I smiled down at her, eternally grateful I didn't end up trapped with someone like Tanya or Irina. Women who would, without a doubt, have hated a small birthday celebration like today, or who would have hated the small diamond heart because it wasn't expensive enough.

"I just need you," Bella finished.

"I know you don't need them, but I like giving you things," I said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

After another bout of silence, Bella spoke up again. "Things are very calm," she said tentatively.

"Things?"

"Life. I don't think we've ever had such a long period of time where nothing dramatic has happened, expect when we hide out on the island. Is that normal?"

Ah, things. Life, specifically mob life. "I know you don't have a lot to go on, but my life wasn't usually so hectic. Shootings, arrests… those things happen, but not usually to us in the higher positions."

"So, everything is good? You're being safe and everything?"

Fuck, she sounded so scared. "Of course, Bella. What brought this on?"

"I don't know. You haven't really talked to me about work in a while. I thought maybe something happened and you were hiding it from me so I didn't worry."

"Everything is fine. If there's ever anything big going on, I promise to let you know."

Things were calm, but I didn't want to tell her they usually happened in waves. We had ridden out a big wave of hectic chaos a while ago, and that just meant it was only a matter of time before something else came along.

Dark…

A few days after Bella's birthday celebration, we ended up at another formal event. Unfortunately, being the head of the family meant I had to keep all of our social ties intact. That meant a lot of events with some of the dullest people in the city. Bella and I ended up at something like this once, sometimes twice a week.

We never stayed for the whole thing, I didn't have the time and neither of us had the desire, but we always made an appearance when necessary. I hated dragging Bella along. She knew the kind of people who were in attendance, and I could tell how uncomfortable it made her.

Tonight, she was wearing a black dress with leather panels on the front and back, because she was trying to kill me. The black tights were added just to torture me, I was sure.

"Did you always go to so many events?" Bella asked, her eyes darting around at the people surrounding us. Most of them were too scared to approach us.

"Yes, Mrs. Awards Season," I replied with a laugh.

"Well, at least the people at my events are less… murder-y."

I barked out a laugh at that, gaining the attention of a few people around us. "Not when we're there."

Bella frowned. "Huh. Touché."

"I am sorry you have to come to these things. They're not the kind of people I'd like you around," I admitted, looking at the people that surrounded me. There were more criminals than upstanding citizens.

Before Bella could respond, Luka Petrov approached, along with his oldest son, Viktor.

"Edward, good to see you," Luka said, shaking my hand with a fierce grip. He and his family had been suspiciously missing from the game the last six months or so. Something was obviously going on with them, and I had a bad feeling about it.

"Luka, Viktor," I gave them a nod, keeping a hand on Bella's waist.

Neither of them gave me any mind, both had eyes on Bella. "You are a very brave woman, Mrs. Cullen," Luka said, holding his hand out to her.

Bella gave him a strong shake, I could see the muscles in her arm tense. "Thank you, Mr. Petrov." Nothing made Bella more uncomfortable than taking compliments from men like this. Many had come up to her recently and complimented her on how she behaved during the trial. Most of them were men who had been plotting to take care of her, should she show any signs of weakness, but I never told her that. It wasn't hard for her to guess it on her own.

"Ah, you remember me?" he said with a slimy smile. It was surprising that Bella remembered his last name. She met him once, years ago, before we were married. It was only for a few minutes.

"Of course. I hope your daughter is doing well?"

No matter how much I hated to admit it, Bella pulled off being in this world better than I ever thought. She was polite, always knew what to say, and never trusted anyone but me.

"She is. You've inspired her to get into acting. She was actually on a show you were once on. Unknown, I believe is what it was." Was that what he had been doing during his absence? Trying to get his daughter into acting?

"Oh, yes. I was on it for a while. It's a great opportunity for her," Bella said, somewhat awkwardly. Maybe it was the fact that she was talking with Petrov that made her uncomfortable, or the reminder of her experiences on the show where she met Jacob Black.

"She's actually seeing someone on the show, Jacob Black," Petrov said. Fucker. Everyone knew about Bella and Jacob after her trial. The publicity of his affair caused his wife to leave him, but Jacob didn't seem fazed from what I could tell. I still kept tabs on him from time to time, just to make sure he never came near Bella. It had been too long since I checked in on him, I supposed.

Bella's polite exterior was starting to crumble. I could feel the frustration coming off of her in waves after Luka's last comment. "Jacob is… very talented."

It took all of my willpower not to gag at her words. She had to say something to Luka, but I hated it all the same.

"Yes, he's teaching my Katrina so much. Says she's a force to be reckoned with."

"That's wonderful," Bella said.

We both knew it wasn't, though. It was hardly a coincidence that I was with one of the most successful actresses of the century and Petrov's daughter suddenly took an interest in acting. On a show my wife was once on. Dating her ex-boyfriend.

The Russian's were once an ally to us. They stood by us as we plotted to take down the Italians, but it was becoming clear that our alliance was over.

A/N: So, how do we feel about the alternating POVs? I hope you're liking it. Everyone seemed to love EPOV in Sick Boy, so I'm excited to bring him in with some new stuff here!

Also, Sick Boy turned out way bigger than I expected. There may be some things mentioned in this one that reference that story. If you didn't read it, I recommend taking a look.

The response to the first chapter was insane. I'm so glad to see so many familiar users reading this! Thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites. I hope you enjoy the ride!